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A reflection on Surah Fatiha

2011-12-21T03:40:00.000-08:00

A reflection on Surah Fatiha reveals the purpose of Quran in the most beautiful manner:

1. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim:

In the name of Allah (who is Rahman & Rahim).

The quran begins with 'Bismillahirrahmanirrahim'. Allah's attribute of Rahman is mentioned before Rahim. Considering that the quran is a divinely intelligent book, the word placement could also carry significance. The words Rahman & Rahim are derived from the root word rahm. Rahm essentially means ‘to nurture/ nourish’, as in the nourishment of a child in the mother’s womb. To nurture or nourish anything is a noble action, which is without any selfish interest or without expectation of anything in return. It is an act of giving everything that is needed without being asked for it (something we attribute to love, affection & mercy). It is the act of benefiting someone from giving out of what you have, to the best of your ability. Just as the mother’s womb is the place of origin of a child, everything is originated by Allah. Using the example of the womb, we understand that the child receives utmost protection & nourishment without even being aware of it. This protection & nourishment helps the feotus evolve in stages and become capable of entering a new domain called the world.

The word ‘Rahman’, when studied in its usage in the Quran, invariably denotes the complete authority and might of Allah. It conveys His omnipotence, omniscience, power and denotes the idea of fullness & extensiveness. Hence, we understand that as Ar-Rahman, Allah is the source of everything that exists. He has originated everything and constantly nourishes his creation. The magnitude of this attribute is huge when we realize how powerless we are in front of Ar-Rahman. As Ar-Rahman, he is the constant provider of all our needs, has arranged for the right conditions for our lives even before we were born and ceaselessly provides without our supplication, irrespective of our actions or beliefs. For example, he powers the entire universe to act according to His laws. Thus, the sun and the stars constantly produce light and heat. We all derive the benefit of sunlight irrespective or our beliefs or actions. It is only on due reflection that this authority provokes the feelings of awe and insignificance in us and we want to be among those who are recipients of His mercy, kindness & guidance, recipients of everything that is required.

As Rahim, He is the merciful provider & dispenser of grace as a result of our deeds & efforts. Hence, the attribute of Rahim is conditional to our capacity to receive His mercy (by means of our own actions & efforts)

It can be understood from these meanings that Allah wishes to nurture/ nourish us to make us more capable than our present state. From a mere drop, He shaped us and nourished us so that we became a living body capable of entering this world. In this world, He wishes to nurture/ nourish us and make us capable of going to a higher level of being in the hereafter (akhirah). He provides his mercy by certain means (zaria). The mother’s womb was a zaria to get nourishment. In this world, the zaria is the provision of intellect, body, wealth & time appointed for us. He has blessed us with guidance in the form of Quran. Using these, we need to rise to a level where we become the zaria for development of ourselves & others. We are born to implement His decree in this world (51:56). Our success in understanding & implementing this decree will be a measure success in the akhirah.

2. Al hamdulillahi rabbil aalamin.

All praise is for Allah (the rabb of ‘aalamin’- everything that exists, duniya & akhirah)

As humans, our outlook is very limited. Most of us indulge in the day to day worries & petty affairs. If we reflect on the words ‘rabbil aalamin’, we gain a huge understanding. The earth, our abode in this world, is a very minute part of a very big system which we call the universe. The human knowledge is still trying to study the events in the universe. Everything, starting from the atom to the entire universe, and whatever that is still unknown to us, is created by Allah. He is the Rabb (Lord) of everything that exists. Everything is subjected to His laws. Everything follows these laws without fail. For example, the earth revolves & rotates around the sun, the moon rotates around the earth, the sun and all other celestial objects are ‘swimming in their orbits’ (36:40, 81:16), plants propagate by pollination, everything stays in its place because of the gravity of the earth, etc. etc. These laws are inviolable and they are constant. They are established and will not change till the day of judgement. Out of these innumerable laws, whatever human intellect could discover, we have named our understanding as “science”. Hence, when Newton discovered the law of gravity, he actually discovered one law of Allah. Based on this discovery, we are able to calculate momentum, energy usage during physical movement, how to overcome gravity & fly aeroplanes and send rockets/ space shuttles/ satallites in space, etc. All the physical laws of nature discovered by man (laws of thermodynamics, archimedes principle, heisenberg’s principle, kirchoff’s law, theory of relativity, the mathamatical constant ‘pi’,etc.) are in fact the rules of nature established by God. Allah has revealed in the Quran that everything in the world has been made to be subservient to man. It means that mankind has the potential to harness nature. It can only be done by observing natural phenomena, reflect on the findings and derive means/ methods of harnessing the limitless benefits of natural forces. Allah is the originator and controller of everything that exists. Man does not have the capacity to originate anything. He can only understand what is already in existence and by using his intelligence, he can gain control within the limits set by Allah. Allah tells mankind to understand His creation (by understanding the laws of nature) and make it subservient so that all humans can benefit from it. Consider Surah Jathiya, ayah 13: “ And He has made subservient to you, from Himself, all that is in the heavens and the earth. Therein are signs for people who reflect.”

The word Rabb not just means, master/ owner/ lord. Rabb also encompasses the act of ‘bringing a thing to a state of completion, by degrees’. Thus we can infer that Allah is subjecting His creation to ‘Rabubiyat’ – nurturing unto perfection. Everything that is created is being developed by degrees towards the final destination of being perfect.

3. Ar rahman ir rahim.

The extensive explanation of these words is given earlier. The position of this ayah (verse) after the second ayah is worth reflecting. When man understands the permanent natural laws of Allah, this understanding enables him to use the knowledge for the benefit of mankind. Since he is the subject of Rabubiyat, he is being developed by degrees until he reaches the state of perfection. This will help in the nurture/ nourishment of everyone. Hence, being the zaria of nourishment, he will be doing his duty assigned to him by Allah.

4. Maliki yawm id deen.

The Absolute Owner of the Day of Just Recompense

In Surah Infitar, ayah 19, Allah us given us the understanding of the term ‘yawm id deen’ as “A Day when no soul shall have the power to do anything for another soul. And the command that day is with Allah”

It means a day/ period when no person will be under the control of another person. All control and obedience will be only to Allah. He is the owner of yawm-id-deen. It must be understood that the purpose of deen-e-Islam is to establish justice, peace & equality. For this purpose, we need to understand the concept of ‘tawheed’. Tawheed means oneness/ unity. Normally, this is understood as Oneness of God. That is, He alone is worthy of service and He alone should be worshipped. Tawheed not only means Oneness of God, it also means unity of mankind. If a person truly believes in One God, his service will be only for Allah and nobody else. He would be the follower of only Allah’s command and of none other. There would be only one set of laws for everyone. Obedience would be only for Allah. No person, be it a king or a president, a maulvi or a peer, elder in the society or anyone else, has the right to obeisance. The purpose of deen-e-Islam is to establish a social order in which everyone works to fulfill the commands of Allah and is constantly engaged in nourishing/ developing himself and the society. The day/ period in which such a society is established, nobody will feel the need to control anyone else (it must be noted that to obey laws/ rules alein to the Quran is a form of shirk). It will be a system of perfect balance where Allah’s complete rule will be established. Hence no person will be in control of another person. All control & obedience will be only to Allah.

Our endeavour is to establish/ practice such an order of life. In the world as we know it now, the socio-economic systems being followed are skewed towards benefiting a few powerful elites at the cost of the remainder of mankind. The natural resources and provisions for mankind are being usurped and monopolized so that the majority of mankind could be made subservient to this small group of greedy & powerful elites.This has resulted into innumerable miseries and agonies for millions of people all over the world. Our efforts need to be directed towards abolishing these inequities and freeing everyone from the shackles of mental & physical, direct & indirect subservience to oppressive systems. The more we understand how the current systems work and the more we understand the quran, the stark gap between ‘what is’ and ‘what should be’ becomes clear. This is the area on which we are exhorted to put our efforts. The perfect system will be established by Allah Himself on the Day of Judgement. The people who strive to establish the deen (divine system), using the means provided by Allah, will inherit this perfectly balanced system on the day of judgement. People who do not use themselves & their wealth as a means (zaria) for mutual development, in fact, reject the divine call to establish a just and peaceful society. These people will find no place in the perfect society of the hereafter (akhirah) and will be in a permanent state of remorse and isolation, from which they will never come out.

5. Iyya kana’abudu wa iyya kana’asta ’in.

You alone we obey you alone we ask for help.

As we learn from the earler ayah, since Allah is the Originator of everything, all obeisance is only for Him. No entity other than Allah has power on anything. Allah, being the sole source of guidance, wisdom, mercy and nourishment, we seek only Allah’s help.

6. Ih din as sirat al mustaqim.

Guide us to the right path.

To become successful and live the perfectly balanced way of life, only Allah can show us the path. In Surah Al Asra, ayah 36, Allah tells us not to follow blindly on information of which we have no knowledge. It must be verified using our sense of hearing, sight & thinking.

7. Sirat al lazina an’amta alaihim gairil magdubi alaihim walad ’dwalleen.

The path of those upon whom you have bestowed blessings. Not of those who earned your wrath, nor of those who lost their direction.

The Quran, being the complete and perfect source of guidance, gives ample examples of people who earned the blessings/ favour from Allah because of their good deeds and efforts to establish deen. There are also examples who people who gave a lie to divine decree or who adopted paths different from Allah’s path and consequently they earned the wrath of Allah & were destroyed.

Consider Surah Hud, ayah 56 : “I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is not a creature in the Universe beyond His firm Control. Indeed, my Lord is on the straight path.”

From this ayah, it is clear that ‘sirat-e-mustaqim’(the straight path) is essentially Allah’s path. Can any other path be better than Allah’s path? Again here, the concept of ‘rabubiyat’ needs to be recalled. Following Allah in his qualities & commands ensures that we are on ‘the straight path’.

Finally, this requires sincere reflections:

In Surah Muzammil, ayah 19, Allah reveals: “This Quran is a reminder, a giver of eminence. So, whoever wills, let him set out on his way to his Lord.”

Implementing the holy Quran

2010-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

This was originally posted by me at our beacon forum a few months ago:

In a recent exchange of ideas with Dr. Shabbir, he said 'tools are indispensible'. Please bear with me if this reads like a school essay, but I have come to believe it with a lot conviction. A simple idea implemented with conviction is better than a brilliant idea unimplemented.

Allah, in his infinite mercy and wisdom, gave the best tool of all times, the holy Quran. And he gave us the faculty of thought & an able body along with the constant stream of rizq. We have been commanded to follow His command (establish salat) & establish zaqat. A lot of people think that establishing a quranic society will first require a Islamic state. But Allah showed us otherwise, with the exemplary example of the prophet (SAW) (also in the example of Pakistan, which was created with this aim but ended being something else). In a beautiful narrative by Dr. Waqas Ahmed in "Embracing Islam- The Journey Begins", he has described the intense heat of the hostile desert in Arabia, which made him realize why Allah chose the Arabs for his last revelation. The lofty mission of establishing the rule of Allah wasn't a piece of cake. The prophet (SAW) had to strive against some of the most hostile people in a hostile geography to spread the divine message. And what did he get in the initial years? Humiliation, mockery & threats. But efforts were slowly paying off. He was gathering companions, although very few in numbers. But did he give up when people were laughing at him & insulting him? He strove for 13 long years before the hijrah. What learnings does this hold for us - Great achievements come with great sacrifice. Persist & you will be successful. Just like you understood, many others will understand too. Wrong belief must be 'amended', not insulted. Provide food for thought because reason prevails. Act with a sense of urgency but realize that there is a turn around time between action and results. But you always get results.

The result of this striving is well known. The team which prophet (SAW) made has no parallel. Once the goal (establish deen) was set, the team was ready (trained to train, trained to strive), the followers began to grow in numbers, resources started mobilizing and the rest is history. Deen was established as prescribed by the Quran in the next 10 years. But the beginning was done by one single man, and he did not wait for someone to set up a separate state. In fact, at that point of time, even the message was not completely received. Quran was being revealed in parts. Holistic understanding came to the people later. And the Quranic state was established in the same place where people had vehemently opposed it in the first instance.

Here's my point: We are much better placed than the sahaba were. If we want to communicate, we don't necessarily need to move out of our comfortable homes. We have the phone and the keyboard. We probably cannot comprehend the hardship faced by our prophet (SAW), walking on foot or riding a camel in 48 deg. celcius. We can move fast in the jet age. We have the complete Quran from day 1. And all of us here in this forum are part of a big team. In short, Allah has granted us much efficiency of means and time. The big picture is so very much within our grasp. The question is 'how'?

The Quran is both- the training content and the training manual. Consider Surah Muzammil. It beautifully conveys how to train yourself & your team. Such a clear message with such economy of words:
73:2 Stay vigilant even by night, and never fall short on it -
73:3 Half of it, or a little less.
73:4 Or, you shall increase it whenever warranted. And convey the Qur’an in a calm distinctive manner, stage by stage.
73:5 We are charging you with a substantial declaration (a lofty mission).
73:6 Certainly, the vigil of the night impresses the minds most strongly, and the speech is most upright.
73:7 By day you are engaged in continued strife.
73:10 Endure with patience whatever people may say, and leave them graciously.
73:19 This Qur’an is a reminder, a giver of eminence. So, whoever wills, let him set out on a way to his Lord.

73:20 Most certainly, (O Messenger!) Your Lord is fully Aware that you stay up working two thirds of the night, one half of it, or one third of it, together with some of your companions. But God has designed the night and the day, and He knows that you and your companions will not even keep count of your vigil. So He turns to you in kindness. Recite to them as much of the Qur’an that you may do with ease. He knows that in time some of you may be ill, and others have to travel seeking God’s bounty. And others who will have to fight in the cause of God. Therefore, recite and convey as much of the Qur’an as may be easy for all. You have to establish the Divine System and set up the Just Economic Order. And lend to God a goodly loan. Whatever good you send forth for your own ‘self’ you will find with God, better and more excellent in reward. And seek the protection of forgiveness of God for imperfections. Certainly, God is Forgiving, Merciful.

A reflection on 73:6 is important. Many of us may have experienced that any study in the night gets absorbed by the mind better. You can get fully immersed in the subject and gain a very clear insight during the night as compared to the day. The thinking faculty is more open to suggestion & inspiration. Coming from the Creator Himself, this need not be more emphasized. What is clear in this surah is that constant study, reflection and sharing of derived knowledge is imperative to ensure constancy of purpose and unwavering determination.

My learning from this is that the 'how' part lies in (pls don't mind the managerial tone):
- Having clear understanding of Quran
- Clear idea of the deliverables
- Creating a team (common thread to be the urge to establish deen. Team includes self)
- Strengthen the team with daily interventions (vigil of the night in 73:6)
- Start a practice of implementation on deliverables (within boundaries set in the Quran)
- Build momentum, by Allah's grace.

Can anyone then stop us?

Why I am sharing my seemingly sketchy idea here is because I feel we can do it in our lifetime. A single flower or a single plant does not make a garden. When many flowers bloom on many different plants, the totality would be a beautiful garden. If each locality, town or city has a similar movement simultaneously, results will be more than visible. People practicing deen make a society practicing deen. In the context of the picture that I have tried to describe here, I made a simple plan (again, during a night of vigil) for my town in India. Am presenting it here for suggestions. One step at a time, the law of cause & effect yields appropriate results.

Implementing the Holy Quran

1. Call a meeting of educated & sensible youth. Purpose is to draw their attention to the true message of Quran. A selection of verses to be made which may help in drawing their interest towards further learning.
2. Give them the understanding of oft repeated relevant verses. Especially the duty towards humanity, salaat, zaqat & sadaqat. Highlight the extent of meaning of the words. (Zaqat is a just system of economic balance. Sadaqat is charity, the recipients of which are defined in the Quran)
3. The purpose of daily existence is to work towards attaining Allah’s pleasure (razaa) through service. Are we doing that? Explain the verses which talk about retribution in case of failure to practice the commands.
4. Ramdzan is the month to start practicing this which becomes a habit for the entire year.
5. Deen is not just rituals. It is a religious-socio-political system aiming at equality and peace. Our maqsad is to establish it. Deen can only be established if every person practices it in daily life. To start with, some people with understanding & resources (however meagre) need to create examples for others to follow. If we wait for someone else to start, ‘that someone’ is also waiting for someone else to start. In the waiting game, the prescribed time for us (life) we be over and we will be empty handed. Resources are provided by Allah through some means (zaria) for the same. We need to understand this very clearly.
6. Since zaqat & sadaqat are clearly defined in Quran, start by contributions from self & commit further contributions. Commitment is key for further ongoing efforts.
7. Explain the consequences of not implementing the laws of Allah & his Wisdom.
8. Start the implementation by arriving at consensus that we need to be of benefit to our immediate society and humanity in general.
9. Conclude on what can be done immediately and what actions should be done to start without further delay.
10. First point can be cleanliness drive at two places- One, in and around the masjid for the benefit of congregation and to set an example. People in neighbouring shops & establishments can be enrolled for this ongoing activity (if not immediately, maybe at a later stage). Second, do the same thing in an around our residences.
11. Make a database of all people visiting the masjid. Take their names, addresses, tel. nos., no. of people in family, occupation, whether they have ration card, driving licence & their blood group. Identify the needy ones from this group and others in the community, who are eligible for giving charity.
12. Enrol a doctor for free medical check-up of families. Use charity for medicines & treatment apart from other social activites.
13. Start a class for understanding the Holy Quran and come out with a method of measuring what students have learnt. In this way, the true message will start spreading.
14. Identify other areas of future activities and list down resources required.
15. Make a presentation covering all the above points and share it with people who can contribute resources & support to establish the divine system.
16. Share future plans
a. like establishing a school where free education is imparted to the needy and fees (equal to expenses) are taken from others. It would include education of prescribed curriculum, teaching to read (& most importantly) understand the Holy Quran. All people from society can participate.
b. Tree plantations for benefit of society. Can start from masjid & residences and later involving housing societies.
c. Food collection system for feeding the needy & poor.
d. Starting orphanages, old age homes & homes for supportless widows.
17. Pray for success on this journey of become true muslims.
18. Meet everyday at a convenient time, preferably night, to understand the Quran, the true source of guidance & inspiration. (Surah Muzammil)

This is what I have started to practice recently. I invite brothers and sisters to provide their feedback and suggestions on how we can have a scalable, widely implementable, time bound action plan so that we may die with the satisfaction of a life well utilized.

May we all walk on the true path.

As God Wills

2010-09-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

In the Quran, the term ‘manyyasha’ which is generally interpreted as ‘as He Wills’ is an indicative term. The following thought needs reflection: When Allah created the universe in six periods (stages), He established laws for all things, starting from the atom (or anything smaller) to the celstial bodies. Everything follows this set of rules which are constant. The rules/laws never change. In a way, this is a great gift to mankind. Once we understand these laws, we can use this understanding for our benefit. We have understood and are taking advantage of such rules everyday without even realising it. For example, a farmer understands that there is a sowing season during which he has to sow the seeds to get ample/ optimum yield. This is also a rule/ law of Allah. If he sows at the wrong time, he will not get the result and his efforts will go waste. Hence, when Allah says that He does not wish hardship for us (2:185, 20:2, 22:78), we need to understand he has kept ease for everything. We need to discover that. The process of discovery leads us to the the path of progress1. This imbibes in us the quest to discover more laws of Allah and use them to our benefit.

Very often, a devout person finds that he keeps on supplicating for something, waiting that Allah will answer and he will be miraculously given whatever he asked for. But he does not get it. While another person who may be an atheist achieves the same objective. The question arises in the devout mind is why belief is not yielding results. However, in this situation, another rule is discovered. Belief or unbelief has no direct connection with results2. A person whether devout or not, on discovering the law of Allah, ACTS to create the circumstances necessary to derive the result. This may be understood by another example. A child is conceived only when the male sperms are able to seed a female ovum. There are certain days during the ovulation cycle when fertilization cannot happen. This is the rule set by Allah discovered and proven through medical research and now well known to people. Allah’s Will is to make this happen in a given set of circumstances. Thus, it can be understood that ‘sha’a’ or ‘will’ of Allah is actually the law of Allah. In 41:9-12, Allah describes the creation of heavens and the earth. He is the ‘sustainer’ of the heavens & earth which are made obedient to Him (subjected to His Laws) and the celestial bodies described as ‘lamps made secure’ (they do not clash in their orbits, as they are subject to pre-ordained paths and speed). ALLAH’S WILL ACTUALLY MANIFESTS ITSELF IN HIS UNCHANGING LAWS. The universe is in complete harmony because at every moment, Allah’s Laws are being abided.

Through this ‘sha’a’ of Allah, the message to us is absolutely clear that harmony and perfection can be achieved only by following the laws of Allah. Unlike everything else in the universe, man has been been given the free will. The moon has no option other than rotating & revolving around the earth. However, man has all the options he wants with the freedom to do anything he wants. Yet, there is Allah’s law which gurantees him results, whether good or bad, depending on the action. Since the celestial bodies or minute atoms or birds or animals do not have free will, they do not need any set of guidelines. Man needs guidelines to understand his role in the universe and the impact of his actions. Through the example of the harmonious universe, the understanding has been conveyed to man that following Allah’s laws is the only way to accomplish the purpose of his existence and ensure the peace & harmony that needs to be established using his free will. The guidance is in the Holy Quran, through which the above described insights are derived. Thus, we understand that according to the ‘sha’a/will/law’ of Allah, our success lies in understanding & implementing the Quran. The question is, are we (except a fractional minority) truly doing it?

20:2 We have not bestowed upon you this Qur’an to cause you any hardship.

22:78 Strive hard in God’s cause, with all the striving that is due to Him. It is He Who has elected you to carry the message and has placed no hardship in religion, the Creed of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you “Submitters” in the bygone days and now in this revelation - That the messenger may be a witness for you and you be witnesses for all mankind! (You shall be the watchers over people that no community oppresses the other.) So, establish the Divine System and set up the Just Economic Order, and hold fast unto God. He is your Lord Supreme, and how excellent is this Giver of support!

1 Attribute of Rahim: “Rahim” refers to the Provider for those who strive and struggle for this providence of nourishment, protection and development.
Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003 2nd reprint. It gives the explanation of Imam Thalabee on Rahim:“It is God's desire to do good to the deserving thereof;”

2 Action which is supported by strong belief yields better results than action without belief. The operative word is action. This is another law of Allah which becomes becomes evident by reflecting on 8:65-66

Which wolf will win?

2010-06-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Read somewhere, copied here:

An elder Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life.

He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me...It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too."

They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied..."The one I feed."

Searching God!

2010-06-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

Found interesting, copied here:

A boy used to wander off to forest every day and spend some time there.

His father concerned and curious asked him: why do you go to the forest every day?

The boy replied: I go there to find God.

The father said: that's splendid, but why go to the forest. God is the same everywhere.

The son replied: God is, but I am not.

Linguistic richness

2010-06-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

The one thing that separates mankind from other species is the ability to think. However, this ability would be of hardly any use if we didn't have the skill to communicate what we think. The need to express our thoughts & feelings have led us to develop languages since early civilizations. No wonder, a philosopher has said that to know a civilization it's language must be studied. And he was very right.

Words don't just describe the names of objects or places. Words actually are meant to convey highly developed concepts and ideas. The meaning that words of any language carry, demonstrates the power of the language. The depth & clarity of the meaning that is conveyed shows the intellectual & conceptual capacity of the people. The ability to express comprehensively, complex ideas per word and using effective combinations of such words to convey newer & finer concepts leads to brilliant eloquence. At the same time, economy of words ensures uncluttered delivery.

However, to grasp the exact meaning that is conveyed; to understand such renderings, requires similar conceptual and intellectual ability along with classic understanding of the language. I realized this when I was reading about arabic language. Arabic poetry is considered to be the most eloquent and expressive. A single word can convey different shades of meaning depending on the context. At many times, the word may embody all meanings ascribed to it and strikes the mind with blissful impact. The same is especially true for the arabic Quran. That is why translators find it very difficult to encapsulate the meanings without compromising the impact.

I find modern english to be lacking in this richness. An example will suffice. Consider the word God in english. I am choosing this word because all civilizations have believed in God and have expressed this in their language.

According to merriam webster's:
Main Entry: God
Pronunciation: \ˈgäd also ˈgȯd\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German got god
Date: before 12th century
1 capitalized : the supreme or ultimate reality: as a : the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe b Christian Science : the incorporeal divine Principle ruling over all as eternal Spirit : infinite Mind
2 : a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship; specifically : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
3 : a person or thing of supreme value
4 : a powerful ruler

Now, let's see the meaning in arabic. The closest word that resembles God is Rabb:
Rabb: Master; Chief; Determiner; Provider; Sustainer; Perfecter; Rewarder; Ruler; Creator; Maintainer; Reposer of properties; Lord of nature; Developer; Former of rules and laws of the growth; Regulariser; Fosterer of a thing in such a manner as to make it attain one condition after another until it reaches its goal of completion. The word Rabb conveys not only the idea of fostering, bringing up or nourishing but also that of regulating, completing, accomplishing, cherishing, sustaining and bringing to maturity and evolution from the earliest state to that of the highest perfection. Rabb also means the originator of things and their combiner to create new forms and it means also the lawgiver who frames laws under which he propounds the shape which things must assume and the ratio and proportion in which various ingredients must combine with each other. He is the arranger of the different stages through which they have to pass on their way to perfection and completion. He sees to the necessary provisions for them in their journey. He is the Lord who puts things on the way of perfection. The word Rabb thus signifies many processes which every entity passes through its course of creation and evolution before it reaches its final development.

These meanings have not been forced and thrust upon this word. The lexicons of Arabic language speak of all of them when they give the detailed meanings of the root Rabb.

In both the languages compared, the meaning is a secular one. However, the richness of expression and detail is undoubtedly brilliant in arabic. No wonder, when words combine, they form new expressions and convey deeper meanings. Also, due to this property of arabic, since equivalent expressions in other languages can only be made in long sentences, it is very difficult to translate without losing it's original splendor, meaning and impact.

Debate on "Now, do we need God?"

2010-06-01T01:03:00.000-07:00

A few readers on Times of India requested a blog to continue the discussion on "Now, do we need God?". The discussion so far is copied below. Although it is difficult to find time on weekdays, I'll make sincere attempts to respond as soon as possible.

Now, do we need God?

Amit Bhattacharya, 28 May 2010, 12:19 AM IST

Last week, a US geneticist announced a breakthrough of profound implications. The maverick J Craig Venter and his team said they had succeeded in 'creating' life through a bacterial genome built entirely in the lab.

Pause for a moment to consider the feat. A set of synthetic genes, made bit by bit from laboratory chemicals, was inserted into a bacterial cell – and voila, the cell not only lived but also replicated! The implications of the work are fascinating: Apart from the gains in biotechnology, about which scientific opinion is split, the achievement shows it's possible to 'duplicate' life synthetically.

Of course, the 'life' that Venter created was the simplest of bacterium called Mycoplasma mycoides. This one-celled organism has just around 500 genes (compare that with 25,000 genes in the human genome). And Venter only created the bacterium's genome – the cell's control station. Building an entire cell from scratch is a different proposition, far more complicated and requiring tools we simply don't have at the moment. But Venter's work reinforces the possibility of putting together 'life' in the lab – at least in theory – and it again shows that fundamentally life is an aggregation of complex chemicals, arranged in particularly complicated ways that allow for replication.

Now, where does that leave the role of God? Over the past few centuries, the space for a Creator of life and the Universe has been steadily shrinking. First, the invention of the telescope and the work of pioneers like Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler opened up the skies to critical inquiry, eventually leaving no physical space for heaven and hell (Remember Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev's famous quote, “Gagarin flew into space, but didn't see any God there”?).

Later developments have joined many other dots, showing that the Universe follows laws of physics and is made of elements we can identify. There are now seriously consistent theories that seek to explain the Universe's beginnings and possible end.

The next incursion into God's domain was made in the 19th century, when Darwin propounded the theory of evolution and Mendel opened up the field of genetics. The modern versions of these theories explain how life began and evolved on Earth – again leaving little room for 'Special Creation'.

Now with the possibility, albeit in the distant future, of artificially creating the basic unit of life – the cell – bottom-up in the lab, humans stand on the edge of another paradigm.

It's a great irony of our times, therefore, that even as the physical space for God has shrunk remarkably, spiritually, He has more than held his turf. Today, the need for God in people's lives remains as great as ever. If anything, religiosity seems to be on the upsurge in most parts of the world.

This blog doesn't aim to prove or disprove God's existence (the two sides will probably continue to talk past each for as long as one can imagine). It only seeks to point out that the intellectual disconnect between science and spirituality is perhaps greater today than ever before.

Naushad says:

May 29,2010 at 01:01 AM IST

I don't know what you mean by special creation.

An intellectual needs to see through the prism of reason rather than the prism of mythology. A western thinker has rightly said that if you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you would have to reinvent the whole universe.

When we talk about creation, we talk about something original, which has no precedent. All else is imitation. An imitator can be just that, an imitator, not a creator. The pseudo intelligentia needs to understand this.

God does not work on whims & fancies. These are human tendencies. God has framed operating laws which we call laws of nature, physical laws, universal truths etc.. Hence, each metal has a specific property. Metals & minerals are available in nature in quantities which correspond to human needs. Intelligent logistics, isn't it? The number of days in a year are precisely constant, all cosmic bodies move in their orbits without accidents or chaos, etc etc..

Just open your eyes to understand how God operates. The earth is the giant laboratory where He manifests his will through his unchanging laws. So, as a natural progression of his laws, life got created through chemical reaction of naturally occuring substances like clay & water and progressed into different species. Time, space & matter are God's creation and he is not constrained by them. So if evolution occured in a space of several millenia by human standards, the duration is of no consequence to God because He is everlasting & time is his creation. If He had whims & fancies than we would have gravity one day & no gravity on another day. But God's design is a consistent one.

What I mean to convey is that we may imitate some of God's ways, but we will always depend on God for everything. Even the know-how is provided by Him. If mankind understands this, than all science will lead us closer to God. After all, science can only discover what is already there. It can't create the unprecedented.

Hope this makes sense.

(Reply to Naushad)- Amit Bhattacharya says:

May 29,2010 at 01:48 AM IST

naushad, it makes perfect sense, except for the fact that you have laid out God's project (of having created a Universe with rules etc) without giving an iota of proof that it's Him who has done all this and it didn't happen by chance. In other words, in your hypothesis you are presupposing the existance of a creator. That's putting the horse before the cart. This is what enlightened athiests will tell you.
The point I was making through the blog is that we live at a time when the dichotomy between science and spirituality is greater than ever before. In the pre-industrial age, belief in God was natural, because it was consistent with our view of the world. Even science and mathematics of the time served the ends of religion.
The development of science rocked this consistent world. Today, we believe in God DESPITE science -- be it due to tradition, religion or our individual convictions.

(Reply to Amit Bhattacharya)- Naushad says:

May 29,2010 at 10:58 AM IST

Hi Amit,

In Einstein's words, "The universe is too organized to be the result of an accident". The tradition & religion that you refer to is based on beliefs of forefathers which people internalize in childhood & never question in adult life. Hence we have a set of medieval beliefs which are inconsistent with contemporary human knowledge. In fact, almost all so-called religions are a dogma propagated & accepted without undergoing the lens of reason & intellect. That is why we have anthromorphic depictions of God. To most people, God is nothing more than a deity to worship & bribe, out of need or greed.

That is why we have a clash of religious beliefs and modern science. What I am saying is that there is a definite existence of a supreme power & a set of laws which govern the happenings in the universe. We have only started to understand many of these laws. When we discover these, we call it science. For our convenience we have classified these into different disciplines like astronomy, geology, biology, etc. When we say Newton's law, the atheists accept, but when we say God's law, many still reject. The fact remains that Newton only 'discovered' it, he did not 'create' the laws of gravity.

An enlightened mind will understand that any event doesn't occur on it's own. An external stimulus required. The big bang would also have happened due to a stimulus. The what & how is yet beyond our current level of understanding. Many of the 'theories' in science are also just theories. I would not include them in the domain of true scientific knowledge until they are proven. Till then, they are hypothesis at best. Yet, these theories are accepted and worked-on by the scientific community.

If this is so, then the enlightened atheists should also turn their minds to study the universal force that controls everything with precision, which is sadly deityfied by sellers of dogma, who in turn stop a large part of mankind to truely discover God through science & reflection.

(Reply to Naushad)- Richa says:

May 29,2010 at 06:57 PM IST

Well said Naushad. I was trying to make a similar point above but you have chosen better words and explained it in a better manner.

(Reply to Naushad)- ihara says:

May 29,2010 at 08:46 PM IST

I agree Naushad that we humans used to either discover or invent, but in the "synthetic life" experiment, they have prepared a self-replicating living thing using non-living materials. This is definitely a 'creation of life'. You said 'God has framed universal laws...God created species through chemical reaction using clay, water...Time is His creation', these are something that science, atheists reject. How do you know that its created by God? How did He do that? We should honestly accept that we do not know, rather than assuming it to be God.I agree that everything needs a stimulus, but for big bang, there can be a possibility of happening without any stimulus also, we do not know that honestly. Everything that exists in this universe is bounded by some laws, even God must be bounded by some laws, if not, then prove it.

(Reply to Naushad)- Varun says:

May 29,2010 at 11:40 PM IST

Naushad...As a scientist, I shall try to refute some of arguments

1) Einstein did say that the universe is too organized to be the result of an accident. But Einstein was very skeptical of a lot of things, which are actually true. For instance, Einstein also said the following about Quantum mechanics "God doesn't play dice" referring to the probability of an electron existing in a given point in space. But it is true. Subatomic particles can exist in several places at the same time. Would you then call such a universe "organized"? Besides the universe is not a clock (as Newton envisioned it to be).

2) Your argument of the big bang requiring a stimulus (by which you surely mean that God created the Big Bang begs the question "What or Who created God" and "What created the being that created God" and ad infinitum. You cannot rebuke my question by saying "God is all powerful" and beyond our understanding, because you will be making an argument from belief and furthermore the argument is a stop gap argument that prevents one from observation because no matter how long and how hard I look (or experiment) I cannot find God since he's beyond my senses (BUT I must take it for granted that he does exist). As a scientist, I cannot do that.

3) When you say "theory", you once again fall into a very common trap. When a scientist refers to something as a "theory", then he/she is referring to a hypothesis that has been scientifically tested and accounts for a large body of evidence. We know Darwin was right. Yet we still call his ideas the "theory of evolution". Do you think it's false, just because it's called a theory? I don't think so.

4) Why must we always assume that God created gravity? Why must we always assume that God should exist just because the physical constants of our universe are fine tuned (to allow life)? Why can't their exist an infinite number of universes?

Why must we believe in God?

(Reply to Amit Bhattacharya)- Sudhakaran says:

May 29,2010 at 01:43 PM IST

Dear Amit, in your piece you stated that 'Over the past few centuries, the space for a Creator of life [...]'. I would like to insert another mode of thinking from the ancient mystical traditions that say that there is no 'creator of life', but 'creator is life'. In that paradigm, Science and mysticism have a common ground for reconciliation. I should also add that many of Naushad's points make incisive sense.

(Reply to Sudhakaran)- Naushad says:

May 30,2010 at 01:58 AM IST

This is for skeptics who want a proof for God's existence.

1. Have you seen, heard, smelt or physically perceived "thought"? Can you prove that something called "thought" exists?

2. By whose wisdom it is that there is particular mathematical sequence found in nature that was discovered by Fibonacci? Is mathematics also a result of an accident?

3. While you read this, the photons reaching your retina interact with protein 11-cis retinal which in turn change shape and fit into another protein rhodopsin. This compound then changes the ionic concentration of the cell resulting into an electrical impulse. This impulse converts into chemical energy at nerve junctions and then again into electrical signal at the next nerve. This way it reaches the center of vision in the brain. The brain then compares this signal to the info in the memory center and finally the signal is interpreted. All this happens in a fraction of a second and you see & process continuous information because this happens on a continuous basis.
Did all this intelligence (even at cellular level) come because of a freak accident or is there an intelligent design implementing a certain precise order?

4. Why does everyone have to die? Do you have a clear, precise answer?

5. If the earth & the moon are closer to each other relative to the sun, why is the moon not under the sun's gravitational effect? Why does it rotate & revolve around the earth instead of the sun while far more distant pluto revolves around the sun? Is there any rationale in this?

Now my point: God (not any deity/idol), the power/intelligence behind everything within & around us, does not manifest Himself in the way deniers of His existence would want to perceive Him. He is unlike His creation. He can only be 'known' by studying everything & anything that exists. Be it cosmic bodies or atoms, all are powered and governed by Him. He can only be known by "reflection". Atheists need to realize that their philosophical premise is flawed.

(Reply to Sudhakaran)- Naushad says:

May 30,2010 at 01:07 PM IST

Varun, the probability of electrons’ existing in space was always there. Did that make the universe chaotic? It only changed our way of understanding. “God does not play dice” means that things don’t happen by chance. They happen as per a design. Einstein’s wisdom could encompass this. Billions of galaxies with zillions of bodies exist without running into each other. If you were to simulate this into computer and change the constants even by nth fraction, there would be utter chaos. This intelligent mathematics in the physical world proves that a powerful intelligence exists.

Modern science is just several decades old. We are still in the nascent stage of discovery & understanding. Your arguments come from a ‘physical science’ standpoint. You ask for physical proof of everything. For you the ‘causing agent’ is not real if it is not physically verifiable or quantifiable, even if it manifests itself in many realities. If I say that Einstein was a great mind and came up with powerful ideas you will accept the statement. His work proved his wisdom & ideas he was physically available to see. But did you see his ‘wisdom’ or ‘ideas’ physically? Were they measurable or quantifiable? If you are getting my point, there is much more beyond the physicality of things. What cannot be proved physically does exist.

You ask ‘who created God’. It is a limitation of our mind that we project our ‘perceived’ reality on everything else. Because we & everything around us is ‘created’, our mind doesn’t accept an idea of eternal, everlasting, always there. For example, we understand wisdom & ideas without sensing them physically, but can you explain these to the most intelligent chimpanzee? You see, there is a limit to his understanding. Do you think that our capacity to understand is limitless? Somewhere, this constrains many people from going beyond the physical. Because you can’t grasp it doesn’t mean that it’s not there.

You ask, why must we believe in God. I ask, why not?

(Reply to Naushad)- Sudhakaran says:

May 29,2010 at 01:58 AM IST

Very illuminating thoughts. Thank you. I deeply enjoyed your beautiful writing style as well. It is a joy to read deep intelligent analyses situated in rich literary style, elements that your remarks indicate amply.

(Reply to Naushad)- R says:

May 30,2010 at 02:54 AM IST

Your arguments are very well written and so are the responses by few. Enjoyed reading both sides.

(Reply to R)- Varun says:

May 30,2010 at 01:10 PM IST

Naushad...Once again I will try and refute your arguments

1) Your first argument is completely ambiguous. If you are referring to "qualia" (what neuroscientists consider to be a unit of consciousness), then we do have several models that do explain why qualia arises in a neural network, none of which needs God in the picture.

2) Whether mathematics exists independently of the human mind or is a creation of the human mind is a big philosophical debate in itself. Both schools are divided on the opinion. We have no reason to believe that one may be true over the other. You are once again making an argument from belief and not being objective.

3)Yes I'm familiar with the visual pathway. I'm a neuroscientist. But you're making an argument from ignorance. You're talking about irreducible complexity (which was proposed by a creationist named Michael Behe). Behe's argument was that the eye is too well designed to be a result of evolution and must hence indicate the presence of a designer. He also says that if you remove a part of the eye, it stops working. BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE. Evolution explains how an organism, even if it has 1/2 an eye or 1/4 of an eye can still use it. The complexity of the eye comes out of evolution. Read the complete and detailed explanation on my blog
http://lightsabre87.blogspot.com/2009/08/art-of-evolving.html

Once he realized that his eye argument got him nowhere, he shifted to the bacterial flagellum (which was also disposed of by evolutionists in a very elegant way)

4) Why does everyone have to die? Do you want me to answer this in a philosophical or scientific manner. Inside each cell, at the end of each chromosome (strands of DNA if you like) are structures called telomeres. The telomeres are molecular clocks. With each replication of DNA, they shorten in size until at a critical point, any further shortening causes errors in DNA replication. This severely affects the cell leading to massive cell death in all organs.

5) Is there a rationale behind why the moon rotates around the earth and not the Sun despite the sun being more massive. YES of course there is. You forget the fact that even though the sun is more massive, it is very far away from the moon compared to the earth moon distance. Around any object is a volume of space called the Hill sphere where the gravitational force of a less massive object dominates despite the existence of a more massive object that is further away. There is a mathematical derivation for this. The moon lies within the Hill sphere of the earth. In essence actually, the moon also orbits the sun. Since both the earth and the moon lie within the Sun's Hill sphere (and so does Pluto for that matter). It's just that the influence of the earth's Hill sphere causes it to rotate around the earth more than it rotates around the sun.

How can a philosophical premise be flawed? All science and philosophy is based on logic. If our premises were flawed, we wouldn't have made such massive progress in science and philosophy over the centuries

Your final argument once again demonstrates your ignorance and your desperation to believe in God... "He is unlike his creation and can only be known by studying everything that exists around him"...How do you know? Did he tell you that? As I've said over and over again, making arguments from belief does NOT make it true

(Reply to Varun)- Naushad says:

May 30,2010 at 03:37 PM IST

Varun, you are again indulging in the what & how. You are unable to explain why. That's where science hands over to intellectual reason. Once we understand what happens & how it happens, the quest for 'why' brings more answers. Unfortunately for you, the answers to 'why' mostly fall outside the realm of physical science.

Let me also clarify that we cannot reach the 'why' stage unless the 'what, when, how, where' are understood well. That is why I say that all science leads to God. You can explain how & when cells stop replicating leading to death. You cannot explain why.

Ditto with moon around the earth. I raised these questions for the skeptics to think beyond the obvious. Obviously you are well informed and have good understanding of natural phenomena. But you seem to have missed the point I am making. I am saying that evolution did occur in the manner we have discovered it. My argument is not anti-evolutionist. My point is that it did not occur on it's own. You cannot discount the natural intelligence in the way things are structured.

By simply turning a blind eye to this & being in vehement denial doesn't justify a stand. Of course, you cannot see the power that we call God by using your faculties of seeing, hearing, smell or touch. But you have the faculty of thinking. When you assimilate the knowledge that you have and ask yourself 'why' repeatedly, you will end up with some answers & more questions. That would be the beginning of a new search.

On the thought question, I did not refer to qualia. My simple point is that something as basic as a 'thought' is beyond the physical realm. Only it's manifestations are visible in actions. Similarly, the power we call God manifests in all things we study. If you are not writing off 'thought' then why is God a figment of imagination for you?

Ultimately, what is the use of knowledge if it does not lead to wisdom? To me, science is a medium towards a more valuable discovery. So where is the question of blind belief?

(Reply to Varun)- Varun says:

May 30,2010 at 06:04 PM IST

Naushad...Well I must say I'm starting to enjoy this debate with you.

I definitely understand the point that you want to get at. I think in the end, all of us want to know the answers to the following.

1) Why do we exist? Is there a special purpose.

2) Why does the Universe exist? Does the universe have a special purpose.

3) If there is a special purpose, then did this creation come about by random chance or from a creator?

For me all these questions are philosophical and not religious. I think the religious god (if one does exist is frivolous in comparison to the philosophical one). Personally I'm an atheist and part of this may stem from being in science for quite a while. I'm not much of a philosopher but from a scientific viewpoint it seems quite unlikely that a supernatural being does exist considering we can explain several natural phenomena without bringing God in. I agree that answering the questions "Do we have a purpose" and "Does the Universe have a purpose" will be the final ones. Perhaps the universe in itself doesn't have any purpose. Perhaps one day we will be able to demonstrate that the universe was created randomly and so were we. Which is why I think in the end Science can answer the question "Does God exist". In my posts, all I tried to point out was that some of your points were simply requiring belief in a supernatural being. The beauty of Nature does not necessarily imply a higher order that created it. You should read Dawkins'book "The Blind Watchmaker"

(Reply to Varun)- Naushad says:

May 31,2010 at 01:28 AM IST

Varun, I can understand where you are coming from on philosophical god & religious god. It appears that your objection to God is more an objection to religion. Allow me to clarify that religion & God are separate. Religions, as we know them, are no more than a set of rituals & dogma. The preachers & advocates of religion have objectified God and ascribe human qualities to him with generous doses of superhuman traits. Thus, we have depictions of 10 handed deities or descriptions of an angry, emotional god who can be manipulated by penance & offerings. There are volumes & volumes of mythology to support this sort of brand building & marketing. Logic & reason have no place in this scheme of things because the foundation is of superstition & blind belief. You are not allowed to question anything and if you dare to, you will be branded blasphemous or apostate. This scheme serves the interests of the priesthood and their elite patrons. This is the product of human creativity gone the wrong way.

I need to emphasize that believing in God doesn’t mean ascribing to a particular set of meaningless rituals, assuming a particular garb or doing some mumbo jumbo. At the same time, I feel the need for a common universal system which can unify mankind and lead us towards peaceful & equitable advancement based on shared values. This requires arriving at the pertinent question you have mentioned- the purpose of life.

Before we can go to this stage, since you are still skeptical about God’s existence, I would like to present certain facts to you in the form of a booklet. Since the posts here are limited to 2000 characters, I cannot put the contents here. You can drop a mail at nosh.prince@gmail.com (I don’t get time to blog. At anytime, such discussion is better) & I’ll send it to you. We will continue our dialogue to the stage of ‘what is my purpose’. This invitation is open for anyone who wants to be part of this discussion.