In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.1

Essay on Quran for Men and Women of Understanding. ( وا� ْو�ُل� ُأ

�اِب� �َب �ُل (اَأْل�

So all the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).

And His (Alone) is the Majesty in the heavens and the earth, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

.

(This is) a Book (the Quran) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men and women of understanding may remember

Quran treats the universe as an organic being. A vast and elaborate creation which comes in to being by the word ‘Be’ of God. This essay synthesizes the dilemma of modern day Muslims, in their failures to discover there moorings, by being captivated by the western civilizations world view, and thought processes, its corporate minions, vast military, industrial complexes, phenomenal and dazzling successes, accompanied by abysmal

failures in its inherent greed, its unethical and methodical devouring of the resources of the world. Skepticism abound in the other worldly injunctions, of religion, bordering on illusion. The modern day Muslim unable to reconcile his or her inner storms, growing far greater than the outer ones, appears self destructive at times or resigned to his fate on others. A reflective synthesis of the Quran at this critical juncture embodies a world view of which Iqbal had a rare glimpse in his “Reconstruction of Religious thought in Islam.” “The most remarkable phenomenon of modern history, however, is the enormous rapidity with which the world of Islam is spiritually moving towards the West. There is nothing wrong in this movement, for European culture, on its intellectual side, is only a further development of some of the most important phases of the culture of Islam. Our only fear is that the dazzling exterior of European culture may arrest our movement and we may fail to reach the true inwardness of that culture”.3

Concerning the dangers of getting trapped by the negative influences of this society, indoctrinated by value systems, termed as absolute truths, results in being led to lead a certain pattern of life. As regards the benefits that may accrue to an individual or a society as a whole, at the cost of alienating a lot of other view points, ends in an argument for conflict and war. Though in its essence Islam is a message of peace and harmony, wisdom and knowledge for all mankind, not the racial, ethnic, or tribal prerogative of a select few. God would question all those acting on His behalf as emissaries and guardians, whether they delivered the message of Islam, His message through dialogue, understanding and love or through brute force? In their enthusiasm overstepping the very injunctions of Quran.

In retrospect presenting the Quran no single individual or era is sufficient, to completely understand its message, as its one line instructions blossom into multiple verses containing meanings which when reflected upon, lead to wave upon wave of insurmountable grandeur, dazzling beauty, unmatched eloquence, magnificent splendor, unlimited power, sublime insights, ever lasting knowledge, pristine majesty, unveiling itself through eternity, in its infinite depths, forming a grand mosaic radiating from the early moments of big bang to the past, present and future of any soul, at levels cognizant of its capacity and vigor. Quran mentions “If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid.”4 Each scholar of Quran there is one more learned.

The great misconception among all the three Judea Christian Islamic faiths is the idea of a new religion with its own distinct prophets, nothing is farther from the truth, John (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) son of Zachariah (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), prayed in the Temple of Jerusalem, Jesus (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) son of Mary (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon her) prayed near the sea of Galilee, Mohammad (May Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him ) son of Hazrat Bibi Amina (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon her) praying in the grand mosques of Mecca and Medina did not eclipse the other, but carried the one true message of Islam (Arabic) for submission to the Will of One God. It was only their later day followers who unable to reconcile the dichotomies set in motion by the titanic

forces, in the history of human thought and action, with inherent ulterior motives, veered on tangential courses. The two broad level of enquiries albeit God does not exist, and its all delusional thinking emanating from our minds, as David Hume puts it “The primary religion of mankind arises chiefly from an anxious fear of future events.”5 and secondly again his observation “The whole frame of nature bespeaks an intelligent author and no rational enquirer can, after serious reflection, suspends his belief a moment with regard to the primary principles of genuine Theism and Religion”, lends firm support in one’s life’s experiences, ultimately pertaining to finding the means of an eventual resolution of the dichotomies and contradictions between the inner and the outer self of the I. Men and women of understanding ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� accepting the oneness (Tawhid) of Allah (swt) (ُأalmighty as the only priority, with in their hearts, the rest being the supplications for righteous deeds and piety according to the teachings of Quran and Sunnah.

This (Quran) is a Message for mankind (and a clear proof against them), in order that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is the only One Ilah (God - Allah) - (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and that Ulul Albab ( men and women of understanding) may take heed.7

And receiving,” Hikma “(wisdom).

He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding).8

This article is meant to acknowledge for its esteemed readers that the task outlined above is certainly not easy, if nigh impossible. Imprint psychology plays the foremost role. Veneration for all systems heavenly or man made, are a priori imprinted. Not impervious to the authority of its Creator, we take up the Quran as the only absolute, in the ever changing dominion of God. A pillar to be grasped after all pillars have fallen, an elixir of life, when one’s own shadow has departed. Leaving only tears in the eyes, falling on its leaves.

1. Quran (1:1). 2. Quran (38:29). 3. The Reconstruction of Religious thought in Islam, Mohammad Iqbal. 4. Quran (18:109). 5. Nature of Popular Religion, David Hume 6. Nature of Popular Religion, David Hume. 7. Quran (14:52). 8. Quran (2:269).

SCALING THE HEAVENS

Love is not to be learned from men: it is one of God's gifts and comes of His grace The Mystics of Islam

Everyone who is left far from his source Wishes back the time when he was united with it. Jalal al-Din Rumi.

There is a life in you, search that life,Search the secret jewel in the mountain of your body,Hey you, the passing away friend, look for with all your strength,Whatever you are looking for, look in yourself not around. Jalal al-Din Rumi.. When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has found The Mystics of Islam

If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies you will not find another. Carl Sagan

I like Islam. It is a consistent [or consequential] idea of religion and open-minded. Kurt Godel

Love thy Creator with all thy power and might Matthew 22:37

Sharing the food is to me more important than arguing about beliefs. Jesus, according to the gospels, thought so too. Freeman Dyson.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7.7 Lord, give me what you ask of me and ask me what you will. St Augustine

For an Ego which does not change does not endure. Henri Bergson

It is the nature of the self to manifest itself, In every atom slumbers the might of the self. Mohammad Iqbal

Islam is itself destiny and will not suffer destiny. Dr Mohammad Iqbal R.A The teaching of the Qur’an that life is a process of progressive creation necessitates that each generation, guided but unhampered by the work of its predecessors, should be permitted to solve its own problems. Dr Mohammad Iqbal R.A

In reality Man’s only guide and enlightener is God. Reason and the proofs adduced by reason are unable to direct anyone into the right way. Hazrat Syed Ali Hajveri R.A.

Life is not only Newton, it is also Milton. Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif R.A

Oh God ‘do not give me wealth which makes me proud, do not give me poverty which makes me despair, and do not give me a country that takes away my faith’ Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif R.A

The Destiny is somewhere very close to the quest of the seeker. Dr Arshad Waheed.

If you are in search of Reality, it is impossible to discover it without Quran. Engineer Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood.

Quran is the last book of God, includes messages of all previous Prophets, a refined and beautiful collection of physics and metaphysics. Engineer Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood.

The point is that love will go away if we can't communicate and share meaning. The love between Einstein and Bohr gradually evaporated because they could not communicate. David Bohm

In the beginning of everything we had fireworks of unimaginable beauty. Then there was the explosion followed by the filling of heavens with smoke. We come too late to do more than to visualize the splendor of creation’s birthday. Monsignor Georges Henri Joseph Edouard Lemaitre.

MESSAGES FROM OUTER SPACE

The presence and search for intelligent life on planets in our galaxy and the universe is an endeavor, captivating the minds of philosophers and scientists, transcending caste, creed, race, religions or national divides. NASA formally started a program in 1992, to discover intelligent signals from other earth like worlds, the observations called SETI (Search for extraterrestrial intelligence), were conducted in the radio frequency range. Millions of dollars have been spent to find that one SIGNAL from outer space in the hope would provide mankind with tremendous knowledge from civilizations, far advanced technologically, bearing insights into the great heavens itself. A vast number of people

are engaged in the search to find out, if we are alone or are there other more intelligent beings. Organizations like SETI Institute and the Planetary Society are in the forefront.

Radio Telescope Arecibo. Puerto Rico

Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico by Waleska Ruiz.

The Very Large Array is a group of 27 bowl-shaped radio antennas in the state of New Mexico. Each antenna is 82 feet (25 meters) across. When used together they make one very powerful radio telescope.

Now we have the tools to narrow our search. Earth based radio and optical telescopes in tandem with man made satellites are scanning the sky, in the entire electro magnetic spectrum. New scientific ideas are being developed to look into other alternatives, other systems. The recent advancement in finding extra solar planets every two weeks have given tremendous optimism that one day we might CONTACT. The abundance of elements of what constitute life are brimming in the whole universe. We have already started finding, the factors on the right side of Francis Drakes famous equation.

“N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi • fc • L

Where,

N = The number of civilizations in The Milky Way Galaxy whose electromagnetic emissions are detectable.

R* =The rate of formation of stars suitable for the development of intelligent life.

fp = The fraction of those stars with planetary systems.

ne = The number of planets, per solar system, with an environment suitable for life.

fl = The fraction of suitable planets on which life actually appears.

fi = The fraction of life bearing planets on which intelligent life emerges.

fc = The fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.

L = The length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.

Within the limits of our existing technology, any practical search for distant intelligent life must necessarily be a search for some manifestation of a distant technology. In each of its last four decadal reviews, the National Research Council has emphasized the relevance and importance of searching for evidence of the electromagnetic signature of distant civilizations” .9

Are we alone in the cosmos, or are there other intelligent being or beings. What influence and effect do they have or will have on our daily lives. How did the origin and evolution of the universe and the earth leading to mankind occur?. “The creation of the heavens and earth is far greater than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind do not know it.”.10 What is the nature of Time?. What is non locality and quantum entanglement?. What is consciousness, are all of our strivings towards a Universal Consciousness. Is it possible to communicate with the Universal Consciousness?. Is it possible to communicate with the extraterrestrials with the Will of this Universal Consciousness?

What are the after effects of the new world order?, how are the sweat shops of the worlds transforming the once divine rights of the Kings into the divine rights of the Corporations their greedy cahoots, who under the guise of democracy and human rights are committing the worst atrocities known in history. Is economic emancipation of the poor more fundamental to them then their spiritual yearnings? How can Inter-Galactic space travel be initiated?. Is Dialogue essential to the survival of human species Essential and vital questions of our era. Highly skeptical of phenomenon we cannot see through the telescope, the microscope, the bubble chamber or verified by the Large Hadron Collider. Indirect evidence like an astronomical string shifting the background cosmic radiation slightly, one day could confirm our belief in the string theory. Science has taught us to respect logic and rationality only. Robert Briffault in Rational evolution says. “The last three centuries have witnessed the continuous growth of skepticism, not merely in regard to the dogmas of religions, but in regard to all things which fail to furnish a clear and rational account of themselves”.11

Do scriptures or Noble books like the Torah, Psalms, Bible and Quran qualify as messages not extracted from the human mind, but a product of an unknown source outside the universe. From extra space dimensions or parallel universes, or “supra space”. Lets us take up this challenge and reflect on there relevance and, their unrelenting control on a large portion of mankind. Translations of any book often tend to obscure its meanings from the original text, as some western critics, claim there is no consensus in the verses of the Quran, as one can pretty much read what you wanted into them. Here a leap in Faith occurs, like Supernovae, triggered by intensive reading of the Quran, prayers of a parent, or a soul shattering event, clearing its meaning by the personal Grace of God. Quran is a book of guidance for those striving to find themselves, in the vast cosmic ocean of utter darkness where light is a rarity, transforming to pure Gold in that one instance, one moment in eternity which might never return. A book which unravels and unfolds on the deep recesses, of the heart in the emptiness of the dark night and in the early morning fragrances of dawn. Bringing its reader, closer to the words of its Creator and the Creator Himself. Finding solace and comfort in the intrinsic and unique relations, God grants each soul, numbered exactly, passing from the primeval to higher stages, in the development and evolution of what Mohammad Iqbal defined, the inner Anfus (self) and outer Āfāq (world) experiences. Abdullah Yusuf Ali explains. “Allah’s greatness and infinitude are such that He can create and cherish not only a whole mass, but each individual soul, and He can follow its history and doings until the final Judgement. This shows not only Allah’s glory and omniscience and omnipotence: it also shows the value of each individual soul in His eyes, and lifts individual responsibility right up into relations with Him.”12

Explained in the following verse of the Quran.

Your creation and resurrection are like the creation and resurrection of a single soul.13

The pragmatic world is a world of diversity, like colony of Bees, each individual working for the common good of the whole. Each worthy of God’s grace. It is the human personality both physiologically and psychologically, which, bent on its own destruction, sets limits to attaining, an indestructible personality both here and the hereafter, succumbing to temporary biological satisfactions.

A starting point in the Quran is the immense importance each human being holds with God, and the subsequent need of self control, accompanied by the opening up of torrents

of divine bliss on each soul man or women a spiritual attainment which has no parallels. Provided he or she takes the initiative and maintains that control starting with the humbleness of the heart and a prayer for forgiveness, and for His love and Fiendship. As the Lord the Creator and the Sustainer, the most Gracious and the most Merciful remarks in His own words.

If it had been Our Will, We should have elevated him With Our Signs; but he Inclined to the earth, And followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that Of a dog: if you attack Him, he lolls out his tongue, Or if you leave him alone, He (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude Of those who reject Our Signs; So relate the story; Perchance they may reflect.14

The verses 7-176 mentioned being a simile, carry a very deep message. Over coming the unbridled temptations.

1. The study of modern psychology, helps us in controlling and overcoming the negative traits or the impulses of the reptilian brain/mind still at work, is ultimately based on the knowledge acquired through the theory of natural selection and hence its limitations. In Islam or for that matter in any major Abraham religion this ego/self is at its lowest level with it's urge for greed and lust a hurdle and a hindrance in acquiring the greatest level of spiritual attainment which is Nafs Al Mutminah.(soul at peace). And hence a comparison with a dog in seeing where the first hurdle lies. Nafs Ammarah which prompts to evil. This transformation of the soul is the essential spiritual message of Quran, and for that

matter all the Noble books revealed to the earlier Prophets, while seeking assistance from the study of nature (one example being in studying the characteristics of a dog both negative, and at other times positive, in acting as the protective companion of the dwellers of the cave) and along with that study of History (studying the end of mighty empires which succumbed, to these unbridled temptations under the guise of unremitting freedoms, even altering the language , where calling each other a dog becoming a slang, as synonymous with a friend).

Nature, History, and Shariah accompanied by and including the inner transformation Tazkiyah e Nafs as expressed in the observations of Hazrat Mohammad Iqbal R.A as the three sources of Knowledge in Quran is eloquently defined/combined in the verses of Sura Al Jathiyaah, Sura Al Qaf, Sura Al Fajr.

Aptly described by Karl Jasper ‘everything is an object for us, and it may be the greatest, still it is continually with in an another it is not yet all’.

2. The Quran mentions animals and birds as organized communities just like humans. A sign for those asking for a miracle from God. And those not engaged in their studies in Darul Hikmet/Laboratories as a divine command, as worst still. It is meaningful to note that humans showing characteristics of animals like a dog are called da'bbah a hint at their evolutionary trait/ nature.

The Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane describes da'bbah,‘Anything that walks [or creeps or crawls] upon the earth , an animal that walks or creeps or crawls , discriminating and not discriminating , any animal upon the earth’ including humans in contrast to angels.

For the worst of Beasts In the sight of Allah Are the deaf and the dumb Those who understand not. (8:22)

Hear the Creator calls humans, by using the same word da’bbah or beasts and the worst among them, for not using their intellect, on being deaf and dumb to the guidance and knowledge in Quran. Never caring to use their intellect Aql or fathoming its message, thinking it to be something superstitious. We cannot entirely blame the logical and the gifted who want to take everything on the face value elaborated by the misnomer, we call the scientific method.

Learning about the animals their traits and behavior in the mention of a dog, bee, spider, gnat, camel, and humans too if they do not evolve spiritually remaining Al-Hayawan Natiq a talking animal or a cultured animal. The contemporary studies in genetics on the role of reproduction is pointed as the seminal seed or fluid in various verses one being

mentioned in or Those who do not want to understand, given to an example of a donkey carrying books, having learned Quran in their younger years but never fathoming at the later. Studying and observing birds, DARPA the defense agency in US is trying to make drones easily maneuverable in a forest.

Based on the signs and inspirations derived from Quran an Ulul Albab, can attain a supreme degree of spiritual development, while neither neglecting the power and strength accompanied in their scientific and engineering aspects/folds.

Eloquently described in the following verses:

Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who are God conscious.

This fusion of the ‘study of heavens and earth’ and acquiring ‘Taqwa’ in its highest form is only possible through the inner transformation of the mystical scientist. Attesting to the holographic nature of the universe and the mind conjoined together in the Ulul Albab. One working at the level of sense perception and other at possibly similar or close, to which William James alludes to as the ‘Subliminal selves’. Reading the same book elaborated by the scientist in one and by the Divine in the other.

3. And hence the importance of Reflection and Reason in most if not all (the unseen) at the end.

'We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, laws, etc.) in detail for the people who reflect'. Quran 10:24.

The Lane-Arabic dictionary defines Qom as “A people, or body of persons composing a community”.

This self restraint can not be attained without the Will of Almighty Allah (swt).

Nor come nigh to unlawful sex For it is a shameful (deed) And an evil, opening the road (To other evils). 15

The Almighty forgives all sins, for He knows the secrets and the inner most thoughts and desires of His servants, if they ask for true repentance, Allah the most Gracious and the most Merciful responds with

Shaitan (Satan) threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahsha (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins etc.); whereas Allah promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower

Life resembles a traveler on the land and sea, as the Quran says:

He it is who enables you To traverse through the land And sea; so that you even board Ships—they sail with them With a favorable wind, And they rejoice there at; Then comes a stormy wind And the waves come to them From all sides, and they think They are being overwhelmed: They cry unto Allah, sincerely Offering (their) duty unto Him, Saying, “If Thou dost deliver us From this ,we shall truly Show our gratitude!

But when He delivers them Behold! They transgress Insolently through the earth In defiance of right! O mankind! Your insolence Is against your own souls— An enjoyment of the life Of the Present: in the end, To us is your return, -And We shall show you The truth of all that you did.16

And Again

Or ( Unbelievers’ state) Is like the depth of darkness In a vast deep ocean, Overwhelmed with billow Topped by billow, Topped by (dark) clouds: Depths of darkness, one Above another: if a man Stretches out his hand, He can hardly see it! For any to whom Allah Giveth not light, There is no light! 17

Once Allah (swt), guides to the straight path by His Will as these verses explain, we need to be consistently vigilant from the evil of Satan, the men or women, whom we might try to imitate, for life is all about imitation, processing information and data from all around us. We need Quran and the company of the Aulia Allah(friends of God), and ultimately become Aulia Allah by the Grace of Allah(swt).

Wherewith, Allah guides all Who seek His good pleasure To ways of peace and safety, And lead them out Of darkness, by His Will, Unto the light—guides them To a Path that is Straight 18

These verses trace the history of each soul as it passes through trials and tribulations in the spiritual journey in search for God, in most cases blind, deaf and dumb, in the darkness of night or day with heavy overcast and thunder, lightning letting him or her see the truth for a short duration, then overcome again with doubt and inertia.

Travelers and seafarers, many of whom have physically experienced these phenomena while at sea, now equally apply to spacefarers travelling in the vast oceans of space, in the last 50 years. In a thousand years the solar system would have been colonized. The Oort cloud mined for minerals.

Prophet Mohammad (May peace and blessing of Allah (swt) be upon him), was only a messenger, of God, like any messenger before him. The greatest miracle bestowed upon him is the Quran, the word of Allah (swt). The most successful human being, both on the secular as well as the religious plane, as described by Michael Hart, first among the 100 greatest people who ever lived. When and before success came to him, he chose to live as the poorest of the poor’s, with a house barely high enough to let him in, with having no doors but a sack hanging at the entrance, where in the fire did not burn for days on end to cook food ( notes Dr Abdal Hakim Murad). Do Muslims differentiate among the prophets, certainly not. They all practiced the same message. Jesus ( Pbuh) being elevated by none other then the Creator Himself. These are not mere coincidences, the major hurdle in understanding is either you have this sense or you do not.

“For any to whom Allah Giveth not light, There is no light!” 19

ISLAMIC COSMOLOGY

Intuition and reason are amenable to one and the other only that one lags behind. Gödel’s incompleteness for every evidence comes a counter evidence, every logical entity with a counter logical entity ad infinitum, mere coincidence for the agnostic, but a Divine Plan in the Zahir the exoteric and the Batin the esoteric in a realization towards a Unity by righteous deeds attested in the length and breadth of Quran in serial, relativistic and mystical time, ordering order out of chaos, as Quran says that Batil will be defeated by Haq. It is by the virtue of this Tahqiq inside the heart which when illuminated by Divine Light acting in the Ruh, that transcending knowledge , and true meaning of the word intellect is realized by the realization and actualization as a Sufi saint says

The moment I realized the oneness of God,

The flame of His love shone within me and lead me on.

Constantly it burns in my heart, revealing its mysteries,

This fire of loves burns me from inside with no smoke, fueled by my longing,

I found Him closer than my jugular vein,

My love has brought me face to face with Him. ( Hazrat Sultan Bahu)

Leading to the love of the Ultimate Divine in the heart of the Ulul Albab. Two seemingly separate dimensions to be worked on in the same breath as a single moment, in the unity achieved with the inspiration of the word of God the Quran. Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men and women of understanding. Men and women who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire. Quran (3:190). 20

Islamic cosmology, are Ayaat Ullah, the Signs emanating from the Word of God (Hadith Allah) both in the cosmos, the human and the prophetic revelation the Glorious Quran. What are these signs in the human?. All animals possess extraordinary abilities, the dolphin able to navigate by the sonar, the salmon and pigeons, including the migratory birds using the earth magnetic field to migrate thousands of miles, humans being the only animal in the tree of evolution, besides possessing an advanced cognitive facility having the potential to communicate with a Higher Power.

.

And (Ve people!) In the creation of yourselves and whatever God does to spread animals (throughout the earth) are Signs for a people which believes (in the truth of the Universe). (Reflect on the word Ayaat which is being repeatedly used).

Signs both in the physiological and the psychological arena’s, the human body, brain and the self, a subject of inquiry for men and women of learning of all the great civilization’s from eons ago to the present, equally of interest for the philosopher, physician , and the meta-physician. Advancement in multi-disciplines of Ilm (knowledge) is unraveling layers upon layers of intricate, sophisticated, seemingly endless mystery of these most amazing beings called the homo-sapiens. Able to study the animals scattered on earth and to delve into their own creation. The earth a living and breathing entity supporting a host of species of plants and animals, a precise cardiac rhythm, balancing the eco-systems.

Ha-Mim.

The revelation of the Book is from Allah the Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom.

Verily in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who believe

And in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are Signs for those of assured Faith.

And in the alternation of Night and Day, and the fact that Allah sends down Sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the change of the winds,- are Signs for those that are wise.

Such are the Signs of Allah, which We rehearse to thee in Truth; then in what exposition will they believe after (rejecting) Allah and His Signs?

Humans the recipients of these divine commandants able to ponder the ebb and flow of the oceans, the migration of the blue whales, protecting itself and its offspring’s from the vicious attacks of the killer whales, the plankton rising from the sea floor to the surface , every evening and returning before dawn. The alternation of night and day creating cyclical movements in the jet streams, and ocean currents, modeling the atmosphere.

Algal blooms

Echinoderm Ludia sarsii

Quran mentions the creation of humans as no less in scale as the creation of the heavens and the earth.

The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind, yet most of mankind know not.

Able to acquire a discourse with Allah Almighty through knowledge, inner guidance and a book of revelation.

Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the Samawate (heavens )and on Ardh (earth), and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about Allah, without knowledge and without guidance, and without a Book to enlighten them!(Al Quran 31:20).

Now these Ayaat are gifts of Allah Almighty derived from.

1. Ilm (Knowledge) 2. Hidaya (Illumination of the heart ,Allah the Most Merciful and the Most Kind

personal guidance)3. Quran.

Signs or Ayaats from the above mentioned three sources in their totality constitute Hikmah (wisdom) as described in the following verses

He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding).8

Quran stresses the importance of Ilm , and those pursuing natural phenomena as Alamoon , fearing God the most in the following verses

Seest thou not that Allah sends down rainFrom the sky? With itWe then bring out produceOf various colours.And in the mountainsAre tracts white and red,Of various shades of colour.And black intense in hue.And so amongst menAnd crawling creatures and cattle,Are they are various colours.Those truly fear Allah,Among His Servants,Who have knowledge.(Al Quran 35-27) 23.

Allah Almighty grants guidance through the divine books of revelation starting with Torah, Psalms, Bible and the Quran. All an endeavor for the personal development of a human from instincts acquired through evolution, to a balanced middle way, being waylaid by the fellow traveler to Satan and his friends in this movement towards the Almighty. Every moment riddled by a conglomerate of ideas, even the scholars reading the Divine message, as sectional and mutually exclusive.

This discourse is further elaborated in the following verses Quran 2:255.

Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter . And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. [This Verse 2:255 is called Ayat-ul-Kursi.]

And warning destruction if humans astray.

Do they not look in the dominion of the Samawate (heavens) and the Ardh(earth) and all things that Allah has created, and that it may be that the end of their lives is near? In what message after this will they then believe?

Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson pointing to the ever present danger of the human species being wiped out by a catastrophic event, to the architect of evolution, the co-discoverer Dr Alfred Russel Wallace assigning an Intelligent Power.

Allah the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful constantly creating and sustaining, the infinite universe and earth with His seen and unseen blessings accordingly as to the needs of the recipient and its evolving form, created from nothing to an onward stage in its evolution called the order out of chaos in the life of an individual, a community and the universe. The word of Allah (Kalimat Allah, embedded as the unity of the universe/ body/ brain/mind/soul/Ruh). With reflection in the creation of heavens and earth, the alternation of night and day, the remembrances of God, while standing, sitting and lying, finding laws of nature with understanding a purpose in life, to asking forgiveness from the fire.

Finding laws of nature in the universe, or Ilm (science) constitutes only a part of the whole Islamic cosmology.

Each human having the potential to develop, into an integral interface between the cosmos, a polished heart and the prophetic revelation, receiving guidance from each establishing a continuum. Ayaat Ullah within human the Ahsan Taqweem the most perfect, subtle, intricate and the most complicated creature, bound by all the laws of nature, not just a by product in turn having a cognitive brain. The signs this interface interprets between the seen (Afaq) and the unseen (Anfus) demands the same criterion for checking their validity, as in the Ayaat. (Quran: 17:36). An outer and an inner experience validating the teachings of Quran on this Ulul Albab ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� -the Vice (ُأRegent.

Nothing is worse for a faithful..believer than not deservethe pains he undergoesThe peak of soul’s exaltation is notthe moment everything is satisfactoryThe loving faith is notthe one tried besides various foods…

…and cool pleasant springsThe worshiped and kingdom is for the oneone who’s had a share of a great pain.

.

.

Quran informs us of this unity between thought and intuition in the following verses.

Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who are God conscious.

Where a whole community achieves consciousness of the Creator through reflecting on His Signs in the cosmos and in the microcosm the human heart endowed with Taqwa. As our mystic philosopher, mathematician and poet Professor Wasif Ali Wasif describes.

‘Sahib e Nazar sees this universe like a book of revelation, this is also a book in which there is no doubt, with the same Creator and the same style of creation, Quran contains a description of the universe, and the universe an exegesis and understanding of Quran, one who denies the reality of the universe cannot believe in any divine book. This universe is full of signs of intricate beauty, there recitation constitutes the pastime of these Sahib e Nazar. Sahib e Fikr, and Sahib e Zikr find the real universe through contemplation of these signs. They know that the sustainer of a seed in earth’s darkness, and the revelation of Quran are from the same Being. The Being who creates life in the womb of its mother’.

I would emphasize here that mystical experience has parallels in the scientific inductive method only that it occurs by a mechanism not understood by modern science, the cognitive mind based physiology/psychology. Suppressing and interrupting the usual dreams in the Freudian mode, like an emergency broadcast system, however short to long depending on the contents of the message, passive but very, concise and authoritative unlike any other if one experiences it for the first time, in his or her life. During which the mind of the recipient does not astray. A mystical insight, in a dream like posture or when fully conscious , remains on hold as long as the Grace of God is on hold here I mean His personal guidance, otherwise in the complete absence of His Grace we would not exist , for as the following ayaat/signs mention,

If it had been Our Will, We should have elevated him With Our Signs; but he Inclined to the earth, And followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that Of a dog: if you attack Him, he lolls out his tongue, Or if you leave him alone, He (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude Of those who reject Our Signs; So relate the story; Perchance they may reflect.14

This self restraint can not be attained without the Will of Almighty Allah the subsequent elevation comes after the above verses are acted upon, as actions and deeds constitute the basis of all spiritual attainment. Allah the Mighty and the Most Wise speaks about a person who was physically alive, but psychically dead, in depth of darkness without Divine Guidance and His light, come to life with His Grace, compared to one who will

always remain in the state of death in life never to come out.

Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a light whereby he can walk amongst men, be like him who is in the depths of darkness, from which he can never come out? Thus to those without faith their own deeds seem pleasing.

Every individual man or women has this inherent capacity for such an experience. Though being on hold as I mention above could be for any of the following or more reasons.

1. Shirk 2. Not remembering Allah Almighty constantly.3. Not practicing the injunctions of the Quran.4. Not knowing and obeying the difference between Halal and Haram.5. Disobedience to parents and the rightfully guided.6. Lewd practices, including unlawful sex.7. Devouring and practicing Usury.8. Backbiting, pride, conceit, self-projection, jealousy, hatred, grudges.

The hold lifted for reasons ultimately known to God, but from a human perceptive probably the whole history of an individual being watched by the Almighty, culminates in His Grace, after the merger of both the Shariah and the Taskiyah e Nafs, triggered by intensive reading of Quran or after an incidence of utter grief, and pain, of unusual proportions, the weeping and longing after the departure of a beloved on the earth, transformed into the love of the Almighty Who sustains every soul after death. When the Almighty sees the true repentance and utter helplessness (Ikhlas), in the heart of this forgotten servant, He replaces the wrong doings with the best of what he has done.

So that Allah willTurn off from them(Even) the worst in their deedsAnd give them their rewardAccording to the best Of what they have done.

As the Lord of the World’s interacts every second, with the activity of every soul, and grant’s glad tidings to those recipients He pleases.

In whatever business thou mayest be, and whatever portion thou mayest be reciting from the Qur'an,- and whatever deed ye (mankind) may be doing,- We are witnesses thereof when ye are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record.

Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve;

Those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil;-

For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.

A new journey starts accompanied by the Divine Gift of that self understanding of the Quran on the heart which purifies all sins, at that moment, starting a new beginning with the servant praying.

They say): "Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower."

Though not easy to come and being one of the greatest mysteries, along with self-understanding of the Quran, mystic experience as Muhammad Iqbal say’s is as real as any in the domain of sense-perception, and what William James alludes to ‘One may say truly, I think, that personal religious experience has its root and centre in mystical states of consciousness ….and I think I shall at least succeed in convincing you of the reality of the states in question, and of the paramount importance of their function…. This latter peculiarity connects mystical states with certain definite phenomena of secondary or alternative personality, such as prophetic speech, automatic writing, or the mediumistic trance….Professor Tyndall, in a letter, recalls Tennyson saying of this condition: "By God Almighty! there is no delusion in the matter! It is no nebulous ecstasy, but a state of transcendent wonder, associated with absolute clearness of mind." Memoirs of Alfred Tennyson, ii. 473.’

A hadith of the Prophet reflects on 46 different criterion of Revelation, the only one left being a true dream by Allah the Most Merciful and the Most Gracious, and subsequent division of dreams into those generated by the devil and the conscious/soul/nafs. When a human starts to observe these subtle insights/messages/occurrences/changes/visions, brought into his or her life, by the Grace of Allah (swt), the knower of both the seen and the unseen. It re-integrates such a soul with the light of the Almighty, needing perpetual and constant nourishment through Taqwa.

And when these latter verses ask us to follow only that knowledge, both in the cosmos and in the unseen which satisfy the criterion of being verified by that of ears, eyes and a polished heart.

And pursue not thatOf which thou hastNo knowledge; for

Every act of hearing,Or of seeing,Or of (feeling in) the heartWill be enquired into(On the day of Reckoning).

An emphasis on the empirical in the domain of the sense perception and reliance on observation, in accord with the injunctions of the above verses, although the words (Hadith) of God are always true, for the explicit use of its acme creation, whether in Universe/ Earth or Divine Revelation with Nafs Mutminah/Ulul Albab/Muttaqi/Momin deriving knowledge from Ilham/kashf/Wahy/Hadith Allah or Ayaah in nature. But still challenging to prove otherwise, by creating a similar verse.

(Ve Muhammad)l These Ayaat which We are rehearsing to thee as Truth are the Signs of God. Then (tell me) in what more authentic exposition would they believe after the Words of God and His Signs (deduced from Nature) Quran (45:1-7).

Accordingly to their need here means each point in space-time continuum constitutes a continuous recipient of divine inspiration, changing the inanimate matter, into human consciousness or a divinely inspired bee each demanding a separate inspiration. Each ayaat whether in the divine book of nature or the prophetic revelation, to the inspiration of a friend (Auylia Allah) all a command from Allah Almighty. In moments of rarity I have experienced the following.

1. A light hovering above and the subsequently electrifying the whole body.

2 A vision ‘Those who follow

Behold! In the creationOf the heavens and the earthAnd the alternation Of Night and Day

There are indeed SignsFor those of Understanding.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire."

Will attain Magfirah (Salvation from the hell fire) and following these verses constitute Surat-e-Mustaqeem.’

In an explanation of the above two phenomenon, the first one is described in devotional Sufism as a security clearance of the Self, on its way to discovery.

The second pertains to of the mind’s ability to receive knowledge from different/other levels of consciousness without having to suspend, the cognitive abilities, hence the need for

3.In the way to discovery of the Ultimate Truth, the seeker than finds isolated , unable to share the moments of this discovery, with the friends and family, as everyone is given to their own , busy lives and shortcomings, depending on the psychological makeup of the seeker and the friends around. It is at this moment the ability to guide from one step to another, from one duration to the next, is taken over by the Divine light or Khayal/Intuition. And the seeker starts living through conscious/unconsiouss effort, as the exegeses of the Quran, just as the Prophet did. At this stage the Divine light automatically starts to clear the hurdles one step at a time as defined in the following verses.

By the Night as it conceals (the light);

By the Day as it appears in glory;

By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female;-

Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse.

So he who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah),

And (in all sincerity) testifies to the best,-

We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss.

But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient,

And gives the lie to the best,-

We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery;

Nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong (into the Pit).

Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide.

Usually ends up in finding a God appointed guide, a man of limited material means but extremely rich in Gnosis/Taqwa. Under who’s guidance, slowly but surely, this individual undergoes the transmutation of the soul (Tazkiya) to higher realms defined in the following verses, beyond Islam and Iman to the highest stage of Ihsan.

Those who have attained to Iman (faith) and dorighteous deeds incur no blame by partaking of whatever they may have [in the past] so long as they are conscious of Allah and have Iman and do righteous deeds, and continue to being conscious of Allahand have [true] Iman, and then grow ever more conscious of Allah and do [ reach the level ] of Ihsan; and Allah loves those who have attainted to Ihsan. (Al- Mai’dah 5:93).

Here I do not intend to claim, a friendship of Allah the Al Salam and the Al Momin , which is reserved for those whom, He blesses with His Grace, only that I wish and pray for Allah’s friendship. The innate nature of this experience precludes certain conditions some of which I have tried to mention and explain for the lay men and women. Intelligence of the seeker (Salik) has relatively lesser importance and meaning in the spiritual domain for the Almighty not being unjust, although those of superior intelligence can grasp the intricacies of the esoteric, easier and quicker is ultimately based on Almighty’s Divine Grace.

Iqbal mentions Ghazali ‘Ghazālī, finding no hope in analytic thought, moved to mystic experience, and there found an independent content for religion. In this way he succeeded in securing for religion the right to exist independently of science and metaphysics’ a practice still of a multitude in rural and urban areas, spread across the Islamic world, the Sub-continent Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and now spreading across the West, with the message of sages like Rumi, many of these have never ventured outside the teaching of Quran and Sunnah, having no formal education are in conversation with the Almighty. Here I would mention Iqbal, Corbin and Ahmed Afzaal respectively.

‘There is no doubt that the treatment of religious experience, as a source of Divine knowledge, is historically prior to the treatment of other regions of human experience for the same purpose. The Qur’an, recognizing that the empirical attitude is an indispensable stage in the spiritual life of humanity, attaches equal importance to all the regions of human experience as yielding knowledge of the Ultimate Reality which reveals its symbols both within and without.’

Those who are gifted with these symbols both within and without by the Ultimate Reality themselves become a living Ayaat (sign) of God. Reflected in their lives by their becoming a bridge between the seen and the unseen. As aptly described in his Persian poetry by Dr Mohammad Iqbal.

In subsequent chapters I would try to explain the truth of these Persian couplets in the example of a select few friends of Allah Mighty, including the lives of Imam Ja'far al Sadiq R.A, Dr Mohammad Iqbal, Syed Qutb, Allama Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi , Syed Abu Ala Maududi, Dr Israr Ahmed, Maulana Mohammad Ilyas, Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif R.A, Nuclear Engineer Sultan Bashir ud din Mehmood, Dr Arshad Waheed, Shaykh Dr Abdul Hakim Murad, Dr Suheyl Umar, Professor Rafiq Akthar, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, Imtiaz Bohkari Esq.

And Corbin ‘In a similar fashion, the philosophers, from Avicenna to Mulla Sadra, when considering the five states of the intellect, from the 'material'or potential intellect to the intellectus sanctus, admit that in the case of the majority of men the intellect only exists in a potential state, and that the conditions which would enable it to become active are present in a small number of men only. This being so, how could a large number of men, in the sway of their baser impulses, be in a position to form themselves into a single community observing the same law? For al-Biruni, the natural law is the law of the jungle; the antagonism between human beings can be overcome only through a divine Law, made known by a prophet or divine Messenger’.

And again to Ahmed Afzaal reading on the mystical mood.

‘To have a mystical temperament indicates that one’s primary and preferred method of achieving certainty is personal experience, as opposed to philosophical reasoning or acceptance of authoritative pronouncements.’

Islamic cosmology reaches its zenith when signs in nature (Afaq) are deeply studied and reflected upon in conjunction with signs in the Anfus(soul), and the prophetic revelation

the Quran. For where would all the cosmic unfolding, on this gigantic scale be without the observer, the highest Maqaam-e- Mehmood reserved for the one who himself travelled in the night journey Al-Isra in the presence of the Almighty, His last Prophet Muhammad ((sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), who read ayaat both in the universe and Quran, tears overflowing, when on being asked by Bilal R.A why when Allah had forgiven him all of his previous and latter sins he was crying? He replied ‘Should not I be a devotee most grateful?

A hope for his followers of becoming an Auliya Allah a friend of Allah the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, Who forgives again and again, the true repentance of his servants. The servant in turn wakes up in the middle of the night, and discerns the following verses

Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men and women of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses).

In the final analyses due to the extreme personal nature of inner experience, it can only be understood and appreciated by those who are given glad tidings by Allah Subhanu-tala first hand, the Prophets’, Martyr’s, and the friends of God the Auliya/Mutaqeen/Momineen/Ulul Albab/Alamoon etc, not as hearsay differentiating the misgivings of those who do not understand and consider it as heresy.

REVERANCE FOR ALL PROPHETS

The similitude of Jesus Before Allah is that of Adam; He created him from dust, Then said to him: “Be”: And he was.21

One day will Allah Gather the Messengers together, And ask: “What was The response you received (From men to your teaching)?” They will say: “We Have no knowledge: it is Thou Who knowest in full All that is hidden.

Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour To thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee With the holy spirit, So that thou didst speak To the people in infancy And in maturity. Behold! I taught thee The Book and Wisdom, The Law and the Gospel. And behold! thou didst make Out of clay. the figure of a bird, By my leave, And thou didst breath into it, And it becometh a bird By my leave, And thou didst heal those Born blind, and the lepers, By my leave. And behold! thou didst Bring forth the dead By my leave. And behold! I did

Restrain the Children of Israel From (violence to thee) When thou didst show them The clear Signs, And the unbelievers among them Said: “ This is nothing But evident magic.22

Any attempt to resolve this dichotomy between science and reason on the one hand, and theology or Deen ( way of life) as the Quran calls it, is first to resolve the dichotomy between the Prophets, and the differences there followers preach. No man or women, or any creature of His, can deny me His love and mercy. So can no one deny me the love of his Prophets, on a personal note, we revere our fathers, but our mothers, we all love, when my mother passed away, I was devastated, only the love of God, and the love of His prophet Jesus (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), saved me. When I read the verses mentioned above. Who feels more devastated then the true parents when they see in their children, affinities and a belonging for other then God. When I turned 40, she reminded me how Prophet Mohammad (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) received his calling at this age.

Globalization instead of becoming a force for good in the comity of nations is being dragged and preceded on its one track mindset towards a fatal hedonistic and autocratic capitalism, a paradise gained is a paradise lost, as Dr Iqbal laments, ‘In our daily social intercourse we live and move in seclusion, as it were. We do not care to reach the inmost individuality of men. We treat them as mere functions, and approach them from those aspects of their identity which are capable of conceptual treatment. The climax of religious life, however, is the discovery of the ego as an individual deeper than his conceptually describable habitual self-hood”.

Any breakthrough requires each of us to write one’s own experiences, to open a dialogue within, in the silence of the night or in a journey into the wilderness. This is a journey each one of us needs to travel within and without in finding who we are where we came from and where we are going. Those who are dazzled by a Prophet of materialism in Lee Kuan, must seek a Confucius. Captivated by the brilliant diagnosis in treating the malaise affecting the Islamic nations by a Dr Mahathir also requires us to embark in the life and times of the likes of Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif R.A, as progress becomes synonymous with spirit. When he writes,

Quran guides us in the following verses to seek lively hood being an essential part of existence, but warns of an after life besides trade and industry, verse 13:26.

Allah enlarges livelihood for whom He will, and straitened (it for whom He will); and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of the world is but brief comfort as compared with the Hereafter.

This is the right moment when the entire world is coming together due to the advent of the global media and the internet, youtube has given us access to lectures by world’s foremost authority on every subject, we are moving from an unbalanced Globalization to a need for deeper relationship and understanding of the other. A need away from the modern jet fighter and the suicide bomber. In this quest Dr Iqbal again observes ‘The technique of medieval mysticism by which religious life, in its higher manifestations, developed itself both in the East and in the West has now practically failed’ and again ‘Broadly speaking religious life may be divided into three periods. These may be described as the periods of “Faith”, “Thought”, and “Discovery.” In the first period religious life appears as a form of discipline which the individual or a whole people must accept as an unconditional command without any rational understanding of the ultimate meaning and purpose of that command. This attitude may be of great consequence in the social and political history of a people, but is not of much consequence in so far as the individual’s inner growth and expansion are concerned. Perfect submission to discipline is followed by a rational understanding of the discipline and the ultimate source of its authority. In this period religious life seeks its foundation in a kind of metaphysics– a logically consistent view of the world with God as a part of that view. In the third period metaphysics is displaced by psychology, and religious life develops the ambition to come into direct contact with the Ultimate Reality. It is here that religion becomes a matter of personal assimilation of life and power; and the individual achieves a free personality, not by releasing himself from the fetters of the law, but by discovering the ultimate source of the law within the depths of his own consciousness. As in the words of a Muslim Sufi– “no understanding of the Holy Book is possible until it is actually revealed to the believer just as it was revealed to the Prophet.”

The traveler in this journey experiences inner and outer storms, of unparallel nature I may mention the life and times from that of the Prophet to the present have never been conducive to this search. It is only building the Self by means of the Quran and Sunnah, that one can weather the storms. Beginning as a child in transformation to adulthood

(Haywaan Natiq the talking animal) having excessive pride, greed, selfishness, weak by nature, needs the protection of the Almighty.

I would like to start with a quote from Carl Sagan(in a thousand years Muslims will have done their own reflection to a supreme degree in the divine book of nature not having to depend on outside authenticity Be Iznillah) and continue with my thesis on

1. How religions constitute messages from a non human source, totally Independent and Infinite in power. The first step consists in establishing a direct relation with Allah Almighty.

2.And any efforts to find signals from other civilizations constitute, a genuine endeavor in Allah Almighty’s book of nature, guided by His book of revelation the Quran.

"A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge.23

9. Drake Equation, SETI Institute. 10. Quran (40:57). 11. Robert Briffault, Rational Evolution. 12. Exegesis on Quran (31:28) by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. 13. Quran (31:28). 14. Quran (7:176). 15. Quran (17:32). 16. Quran (10:22-23).17. Quran (24:40). 18. Quran (5:16). 19. Quran (24:40). 20 Quran (3:190). 21. Quran (3:59).22.Quran (5:110).23 Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot (1994) p 77.

The first messages we ponder into are from the Quran as signs to be reflected upon.

REVELATIONS FROM DIVINE BOOK OF NATURE.

This Al-Kitab has been revealed to man by God. Exalted in Power and Full of Knowledge.

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This is a settled thing that for those who have faith there are (thousands of) directives (and guidelines) in the heavens and on the earth.

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And (Ve people!) In the creation of yourselves and whatever God does to spread animals (throughout the earth) are Signs for a people which believes (in the truth of the Universe). (Reflect on the word Ayaat which is being repeatedly used).

And (Ve people!). In the alternation of day and night and whatever sustenance (that is water) God sent down from the sky and then with that water gave life to the earth that had died, and in the change of the winds from one side to the other, are (hundreds of) Signs (directives) for a people which possesses wisdom

(Ve Muhammad)l These Ayaat which We are rehearsing to thee as Truth are the Signs of God. Then (tell me) in what more authentic exposition would they believe after the Words of God and His Signs (deduced from Nature). 24 Quran (45:1-7).

The following is a commentary on the above messages by distinguished scholar and scientist Inayat ullah khan.

Sura Jathiyaa (45). This sura is being reproduced along with its coherent and irrefutable translation. In the text of the Sura has repeatedly occurred the extremely significant word "Ayaat". This word has been normally used for the Quranic verses (that is, sentences), However it appears from this Sura that apart from using this word for its verses. 1 The Quran, for the first time has employed. the word Ayaat for knowledge which accrues from the study of things and phenomena of Nature. 2 The second important conclusion evident from the study of this Sura is that for the first time after the previous 71 Suras has it been emphasised that these Ayaat are the Signs of God. A believing. wise people which possesses comprehension and power of reflection must find out these Ayaat from the Book of Nature by intensive research and investigation; it should take them as reality, act upon them and apart from them, should not believe in anything else. 3 The third immense disclosure is that whatever God has created in the heavens and on or in the earth lies conquered for man so that he takes their control and brings them to his use. In, other word, this entire Universe, extending over billions of miles, constitutes man's field of action. 4 The fourth astonishing and, of course encouraging declaration is that Nature is the only truth in the world and God has created the Universe with the

purpose of giving things that exist in it to man as reward for his struggle arid efforts which he makes to know and conquer them…..

Is there any of the foremost Scientists and Knower’s of Nature from the world's most enlightened and dominant nation who, after becoming aware of this standard, would not bow before the Quran and deny its being the greatest and the last Book?.” 25

Here is the ultimate evidence and proof of the Continuity of Divine Revelations, Allah”s words or Hadith’s and His Ayaats in the realm and domain of NATURE, as signs for men and women of understanding ( اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� complementing the Last Book , ( ُأthe Quran in its original and complete form, as revealed on the last Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). Its imperative on all Modern day Islamic scholars, Alamoon(scientists, engineers, doctors, psychologists, astrobiologists, astrophysicists, biochemical theology or spiritual psychologist, and any new disciplines arising from the Cosmos to Collect all such research work, derived in individual capacities or through collective efforts, microfilming and storing it in the nearest Darul Ulloms, Darul Hikmets and Islamic Universities being part of the Adjacent Mosque. Muslim men and women of understanding اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� who reflect, ponder, creating new Ilm ( Knowledge) in the ُأprocess based on these messages or ayaats clearly engage in scientific work in there laboratories, are called the Servant’s of Allah’s (swt).

As the following Quranic sura elaborates.

Here an astrophysicist and astronomer, is challenged to ponder at the Sky.

Do they not look At the sky above them? How We have made it And adorned it, And there are no Flaws in it?

The night sky is full of stars, distant suns of distant civilizations, in distant Galaxies, full of life in which Gods commands "al-amr" descends.

Below Geologists and Botanists are invited to reflect in their own domains of studies in the creation of the earth and mountains, and the growth of plants and vegetables in pairs.

And the earth We have spread it out, And set thereon mountains Standing firm, and producedTherein every kind of Beautiful growth in Pairs.(male and female).

Here God calls all those who observe, ponder, and reflect in the creation of the heavens and earth, mountains and vegetation as his Servants in the act of remembering Him. After the insight they receive from His revelations in Nature.

To be observedAnd commemoratedBy every ServantTurning (to Allah).

And we send downFrom the sky RainCharged with blessingAnd we produce therewithGardens and Grain for harvests;

And tall (and stately)Palm trees, with shootsOf fruit stalks, piledOne over another

As sustenance for (Allah’s) ServantsAnd we give (new) lifeTherewith to land that isDead: thus will be The Resurrection. 26

A cyclical movement, a perpetual cycle of Purpose in life, all creation in the Divine book of nature helping humans develop into an advanced civilization, with Allah’s sustenance engraving continual life cycles, of birth and death. Sweet water from the sky, produce of every kind from the earth, sustaining a species able to ponder the astrophysics of the sky, the geology of the mountains, the botany and zoology of its flora and fauna.

This Purpose in life is the least attention given to in this age of excesses. As the following verses explain that this sustenance also brings a message, of humility as and when humans feel most invincible there comes out of nowhere a calamity of unprecedented proportions. Which the Almighty mentions as His command by day or night.

Verily the likeness of (this) worldly life is as the water (rain) which We send down from the sky, so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth of which men and cattle eat until when the earth is clad with its adornments and is beautified, and its people think that they have all the powers of disposal over it, Our Command reaches it by night or by day and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday! Thus do We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, laws, etc.) in detail for the people who reflect.

The Lane-Arabic dictionary defines Qom as “A people, or body of persons composing a community”.

And the use of the word reflection in the above verse clearly indicates a divine duty for the whole Islamic nation, a word which has been relegated, by the obscurantist preacher, devoid of the essence of Quran, on one hand, and marginalized by the positivist, post modern fellow in the post colonial secular university.

A deconstruction of Macaulay’s intrigue and educational system can only be achieved if we are able to construct a true Islamic welfare society, offering a balanced economic system, quality of life then the west has to offer. For consumerism based democracy breeds, corruption, serving only the interest of the elite at home and there imperial masters abroad.

THE DIVINE MANIFESTO

There are certain verses in the Quran, which have a very clear, concise, meaning like stars and planets in the night sky, seen with unaided eyes. There are others, which can only be understood by deep reflection.

The parable of those whoTake protectors other than AllahIs that of the Spider,Who builds (to itself)A house; but trulyThe flimsiest of housesIs the Spider’s house—If they but knew. Quran (29:41).27

Spider web is the flimsiest of creation, easily damaged by the elements in nature. So is the life of a soul unattended by God’s grace, mercy, and knowledge. The chaos in society and in one’s own life, evil of men and women, fear of poverty and of the unknown, promoting psychiatric illnesses. Human personalities vary in degree from the simple, gullible, weak, less endowed, easily susceptible to suggestions from other than God, to gifted and genetically strong. An inbuilt, strength and simplicity acquired, within the heart. “Nay, here are Signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: and none but the unjust reject Our Signs”, 28 in moments of reflective silence, with prayer, patience, and remembrance. Guidance not limited to the Quran.

Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the Glad Tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward; 29.

But Sunnah, of the life and teachings of the Prophets from Adam (Pbuh), to Abraham (Pbuh), all intervening prophets to Moses (Pbuh), Jesus (Pbuh) to holy prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). Alluding back to the thought mentioned above, that Allah (swt) not only, keeps record of an individual from its birth, life history, death to resurrection both

in the earth and universe, exactly numbered. So does the history of nations, or more aptly the monotheistic religions, from their inception, their doings, their life cycles of growth and decay till the day of resurrection, are monitored and recorded. The Quran mentions the nation of Israel, to be given the status of most favored nation. Then they became arrogant.

He did AforetimeGrant to the ChildrenOf Israel the Book,The Power of Command,And Prophet Hood; We gaveThem for sustenance, thingsGood and pure; and WeFavoured them above the nations.30

And We gave (clear) warningTo the children of Israel

In the Book, that twiceWould they do mischiefOn the earth and be elatedWith mighty arrogance(and twice would they be punished)!31.

Timorously accepting the dictates of law for so long, having fought the Roman legions on the summit of Masada, a heavy veil of arrogance and jealous, self delusion regarding their worldly grandeur and scholarship derived from the wisdom of the revelation, overtook them, like a dark and creeping evil in the depth of night, over several millennia, many of their mentalities became all knowing, and all powerful. The host nations fell for their charm and wealthy insinuations. Inviting the wrath of God, only to recover realizing their error and repenting.

The definition according to God of those nations called strong is their being righteous in deeds and not just in words only. A spider web appears as a weak structure, but its inherent strength has only recently been realized by modern science. As for the individual who develops two kinds of knowledge. One derived from the inner self (Anfus).

We shall show them Our signs In the horizons and in themselves, Till it is clear to them that it is the truth. Suffices it not as to thy Lord, That He is witness over everything?41-53

And becoming a friend of Allah (swt) the only goal of one’s earthly existence.

And you are not (engaged) in any affair, nor do you recite concerning it any portion of the Quran, nor do you do any work but We are witnesses over you when you enter into it, and there does not lie concealed from your Lord the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven, nor any thing less than that nor greater, but it is in a clear book.

No doubt! Verily, the Auliya' of Allah [i.e. those who believe in the Oneness of Allah and fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which he has forbidden), and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve, -

Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane describes Aulia [ i.e friends, and the like].

It is a great misconception in the hearts and minds of most Muslims that only a select elite can attain that status, Allah (swt) elevates any man or women, a plebeian no matter what ever worldly status he or she might have as long as he or she forms a direct communications with Lord of the Worlds through prayers, taqwa, reading the Quran and Sunnah of the last Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) with a goal to understand and reflect, ultimately absorbing into the colors of Allah (swt). What are the colors of Allah (swt) , the divine names, which a human being can absorb into due to his or her being recipient of the divine Ruh. That is the supreme bliss and victory both here and the hereafter.

(We take our) colour from Allah, and who is better than Allah at colouring. We are His worshippers.32

This journey starts with remembering the names of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful while standing, sitting or lying down. Allah the Sovereign free from Blemishes is alive He can hear and see. He reciprocates and responds to the prayers of His servants. The signs of Allah the giver of Peace are manifested in the outer and inner domains of the self of every individual man or women.

On this journey Quran remarks:

It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it).33

O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty?-34

That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew!35

He will forgive you your sins, and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, and to beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eternity: that is indeed the Supreme Achievement.36

The following verse remark.

O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Be mindful of God and put faith in His Messenger. And He will bestow on you a double reward of His grace. He will appoint for you a light by which you shall walk, and He will absolve your faults. God is Forgiving Merciful.37

And the other being knowledge, acquired through science, and sense perception explained by Quran as outer Āfāq (world). God does not regard humans as worthless creatures existing without a purpose, but having a Divine manifesto.

When a Muslim wakes up before dawn, and recites the first pillar of Islam, ašhadu an lā ilāha illá l-Lāhu (wa ashhadu 'anna) Muḥammadan rasūlu l-Lāhi " there is no god except ALLAH and Muhammad is the Messenger of ALLAH. Then he or she, enters into eternity, turning to strength of pure steel, like the silk fiber of a, spider when treated by knowledge.

Darwin bark spider has the toughest silk, twice as any other spider silk and tougher than either steel, ten times tougher than Kevlar. Man made spider silk is stronger than, carbon fiber, Kevlar stronger than steel. Research is in progress, to use, genetically altered, transgenic goat/spider silk and silkworms to produce, arresting cables used in aircraft carriers, artificial ligaments, tendons and bones, manufacturing parachute cables. Ultra strength fabric for different applications, like bullet proof vests. Surgical stitches, skin graft for burn patients etc.

The inherent strength and toughness, both in nature and humans is squandered by the whims of the mighty, in the survival of existence of men and empires, unbalancing the world ecosystems. Unleashing unbridled forces on the lands of the weak and unprotected by the weapons of death and destruction. An individual or whole community, who build their affairs, on the likeness of a spider web, without God as their supreme priority are prone to perish sooner or later.

Verily Allah doth know

Of (everything) whateverThat they call uponBesides Him: and He isExalted (in power), Wise.38

And only Al Alamoon (men and women of knowledge) who use Tafakkur(thinking), Aql(intellect), Tadabbur (contemplation) to comprehend their meanings emphasized here as obtained from the Divine book of nature, and the Divine book of revelation the Quran. When explaining verses one should clearly differentiate between those showing a clear pattern of the use of words like understanding, knowledge and reason as being derived from the Divine book of nature. It is imperative to separate the knowledge of the Ruh(soul) from knowledge derived from sense perception.

And such are the ParablesWe set forth for mankind,But only those understand themWho have knowledge.39?

A perfect balance is achieved when a Muslim learns to recognize signs both within the Divine book of nature, through reflection and practicing piety and achieving God consciousness through the Divine book of revelation.

Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who are God conscious.40

25. Inayat Ullah Khan, Quran and Evolution. 26. Quran (50:7-11). 27. Quran (29:41).28. Quran (29:49).29. (Quran (17:9). 30. Quran (45:15). 31. Quran (17:4). 32. Quran (2:138). 33. Quran (61:9). 34. Quran (61:10). 35. Quran (61:11). 36. Quran (61:12). 37. Quran (57:28). 38. Quran (29:42). 39. Quran (29:43).40. Quran ((10:6).

Let me briefly mention my own personal efforts in this direction, not as a means of self aggrandizement, but a study in the psychology of a seeker of truth, the difficulties ensued in this way, with an ultimate objective of sharing, this knowledge and guiding the next seeker. Having studied Quran in Arabic, at an early age, I was totally ignorant of the Ilm, or Knowledge of the Quran, until at the Punjab University at Lahore, in 1972 age 18, while studying for Bsc Honors in Physics I stumbled on a banner about Tazkirah of Allama Mashriqi. An exegesis on Higher Religions. I would go on to publish my M.S Thesis “On Angular Distribution of Fission Fragments using 1.2 mev proton beam”, at Government College University Lahore,

, Pakistan Center for Advance Studies in Physics.

And writing the following Ayaat on the first page of my thesis.

Behold! In the creationOf the heavens and the earthAnd the alternation Of Night and DayThere are indeed SignsFor those of Understanding.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire."41.

While docked and onboard the International Space Station, a STS-123 Endeavour crew member captures the glowing green beauty of the Aurora Borealis March 21, 2008. Looking northward across the Gulf of Alaska, over a low pressure area (cloud vortex), the aurora brightens the night sky. Rueters/Nasa.

Hazrat Mohammad Iqbal R.A.

Later working as a health physicist. and a nuclear physicist at the DR AQ KHAN research laboratories for the next 15 years, studying nuclear physics at advanced levels, using in the process instruments, like ultra-centrifuges rotating near a 1050 cycles/ second, vacuum pumps, quadrupole mass spectrometers, radiation detectors, high speed oscilloscopes, being inquisitive, worked and moved in different departments of the project.

Dr A.Q. KHAN, NI & Bar, HI. Founding Chairman Khan Research Laboratories.

As I mention above this article is meant not to be autobiographical, but a guide for fellow seeker of truth, especially the modern Muslim youth. We hardly have any access to our unconsciousness mind, which practically runs our lives, with or without our knowing. At times, it seems very hard to tread this path, as perfect harmony and balance is found in a few, and there is always a serious danger being swayed by an apparently competing, logical thought, specially the western model of liberty, freedom, equality, honesty, truthfulness, cleanliness, economic independence, hard work, respect for the privacy of the individual, belief in the judicial system, for those living in their domains. Though recent international events have eroded some of these values, and paranoia seems to have set in. But it is still amazing that the rule of law prevails, for those who

profess different faiths. As one can find a synagogue, a church, and a mosque next to each other, without the sectarian violence seen in Muslim lands. This is invariably built in the psyche of the beholder, whether it is the intelligentsia or the masses. How ever barring a few, most Muslim countries, are struggling to find a place in the community of nations, where rampant corruption, egotistical executives and the Latin-Americanization of institutions have created proxies, resulting in movements like the Arab spring. Fortunately Turkey with its brilliant Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is turning into a progressive, economically viable, modern Muslim state. Democratic nation of Malaysia with its former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad is an archetype role model, propagating wisdom and knowledge in the Islamic world, re-defining and suggesting treatments for the root causes and malaise affecting the Ummah.

Western imperialism, seeking global hegemony carving out new spheres of influences is invariably taking advantage of this tragic divide. Mind full of being a Muslim scientist, became a part in arranging “The Holy Quran and 21st century” conference in Islamabad at the Pakistan Science Foundation in 1991. Organized under the Holy Quran Research Foundation a non-profit organization dedicated to the cause of Islam, under the guidance of great Muslim mystic, electrical engineer and nuclear scientist, Sultan Bashir ud din Mehmood.

Sutlan Bashir ud din Mehmood

Founder Director of the Kahuta Nuclear Enrichment Program and DG Directorate of Nuclear Power, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Founding Chairman Holy Quran Research Foundation. Sitara e Imtiaz.

CREATIVE CO-WORKER IN THE CREATIVE ACTIVITY OF GODGod is no more an archivist unfolding an infinite sequence he had designed once and forever. He continues the labour of creation throughout time…..Ilya Progogine.42

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1309.The creation of order out of chaos is one of the greatest mysteries bounding on the seen and unseen, in the realm of physics and meta-physics unfolding in the arrow of TIME. Quantum processes are interconnecting, operating at levels of the string, characterized by various quantum numbers, such as n the principal quantum number, L orbital quantum numbers, M(L) magnetic quantum numbers, M(S) spin quantum numbers. Vibrational modes of the string are like the harmonics or notes of a violin, each note playing out a different sub atomic particle, with characteristic spin, mass, etc. Characterized by what Freeman Dyson (belonging to a rare class of western scientist including Isaac Newton,

whom having a concrete grasp of the ultimate reality, to Alfred Wallace Russell, Freeman Dyson a partial glimpse in context of liturgical theology and modern Analytical Thomism), postulating three levels of mind, having, a free will to choose, first at the subatomic level, like a uranium atom, decaying randomly, secondly to the mind of men and women, acted upon by quantum processes capable of making existential choices, finally to the universal mind. Is Free will a psychological phenomenon, within the arrow of time, unable to reconcile, with Einstein’s equations of time. Equations predicting no past, present or future, to a free will in serial (psychological) time unidirectional in nature. Are the choices men and women make, good or bad relative to the frames of references. A universal conscious rolling out the dice, a global wave function, accompanied with manifold relations and histories.

These assertions of quantum physics in the realm and domain of metaphysics do tender to scientism and speculation, and at times appear apologetic but a verse from the Quran speak of Allah (swt) encompassing the heavens and the earth with His knowledge ILM.. And the verses in the Divine book of nature as His words.

It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] command descends among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.

And (Ve people!). In the alternation of day and night and whatever sustenance (that is water) God sent down from the sky and then with that water gave life to the earth that had died, and in the change of the winds from one side to the other, are (hundreds of) Signs (directives) for a people which possesses wisdom

(Ve Muhammad)l These Ayaat which We are rehearsing to thee as Truth are the Signs of God. Then (tell me) in what more authentic exposition would they believe after the Words of God and His Signs (deduced from Nature). 24 Quran (45:1-7).

Here whole communities of those who reflect and ponder on the Signs in nature are called people of wisdom and intellect. And that Allah(swt) has encompassed all things in knowledge.

As to the nature of this Divine ILM, Quran is the best guide, with the verses.

And pursue not thatOf which thou hastNo knowledge; forEvery act of hearing,Or of seeing,Or of (feeling in) the heartWill be enquired into(On the day of Reckoning).

Knowledge is to be gained by using; the senses acquired by humans through natural selection or more aptly directed evolution. Anything not verifiable by these faculties or the modern day instruments an extension of these senses, in the realm of the unseen, does not constitute Knowledge. With the exception of God, his angels, the knowledge of ‘Nafs’ Arabic for soul, Ruh and what He hides from His creation. Here it may be argued that knowledge of the Divine is unlimited and of its creation limited. In the following verse again Allah(swt) speaks about the inquiry in to His being, with knowledge ILM.

Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about Allah, without knowledge and without guidance, and without a Book to enlighten them!

The word “science” which has lead to a schism, in thought is a recent phenomenon, this study and practice was always acquainted with and, as being essentially encompassed by the laws from the Divine book of nature, where everything stemmed from, sense perception for God calls “Hearing” “Sight” and Intellect as His gifts enlightened by Divine guidance and books of revelation. The subtle insight here is the ability to recognize, the manifestation of facts termed as “as scientific” in the Quran, were present in the earlier texts, though not fully elaborated to a degree and precision. Newton held to

these views but has not been given his due, due to the Catholic Church and its insistence on Trinity, which he despised and kept it as a closely guarded secret through out his life.

The word “science” takes a misguided direction in its definition in the post modern phenomenology of different cultures and religious life as practiced and experienced universally. Quran calls research, and reflection in nature as the, speech or words (Hadith) of God, the Bible calls it as His Handiwork, in contrast to the secular. This marginalized and separated the signs manifested in nature from those manifested in the soul, it is only working in conjunction the two achieve the status of inspiration (Wahy).

The modalities and true definition of Intellect Aql, knowledge Ilm, in context to the modern scientific world view and the Divine seems to have drifted apart in contemporary western thought. The epitome of all Knowledge seems to emanate in the following verses.

Behold! In the creationOf the heavens and the earthAnd the alternation Of Night and DayThere are indeed SignsFor those of Understanding.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire."41.

Not so long ago science was synonymous with the belief in a divine presence and inspiration as Christopher Hitchens argues in “Does Science make belief in God obsolete?.

“Until about 1832, when it first seems to have become established as a noun and a concept, the term “scientist” had no really independent meaning. “Science” meant “knowledge” in much the same way as “physic” meant medicine, and those who conducted experiments or organized field expeditions or managed laboratories were known as “natural philosophers.” To these gentlemen (for they were mainly gentlemen) the belief in a divine presence or inspiration was often merely assumed to be a part of the natural order, in rather the same way as it was assumed—or actually insisted upon—that a teacher at Cambridge University swear an oath to be an ordained Christian minis-ter. For Sir Isaac Newton—an enthusiastic alchemist, a despiser of the doctrine of the Trinity, and a fanatical anti-Papist—the main clues to the cosmos were to be found in Scripture. Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen, was a devout Unitarian as well as a believer in the phlogiston theory. Alfred Russel Wallace, to whom we owe much of what we know about evolution and natural selection, delighted in nothing more than a session of ectoplasmic or spiritual communion with the departed.”

Though Quran is clear on this for intellect is actualizations of the Divine commandants ( Amr) realized by the RUH in the inner being , experienced in the spiritual awakening whether engaged in Jihad against all forms of aggression, or as missionaries, or in excessive remembrance of God, and while contemplating the intricacies of the heavens and the earth, or practicing all righteous, deeds mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, exemplified in the life and words Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad(Pbuh).

We have only recently started to inquire into Parallel universes. A clue to their existence is eluded in the following verse. With many universes and as many earths. For the existence of paradise is mentioned as having an expanse similar to the universe we live in. And all encompassed by His knowledge (ILM).

The dominant religious traditions often allude to the phenomenon of wholeness and interconnectedness of various parts of the cosmos, being integrated to perform their vital functions at the micro as well macro levels in nature. As for the ultimate reality, there is no before and after, exterior of interior. The Creator of Loh Mahfuz the divine tablet unfolding an unfinished product, a teleological movement hidden and not understood by the recesses of present day science OR for that matter any future science stems from God’s Plan himself. Which both partially determined and partially discrete, is acting within His Sunna, as described by Dr M.B Altaie.

‘One may rightly suggest that the objects of the world do have some intrinsic nature; and yet there can be no clear reason why this nature should constitute a stand-alone property, when we take into consideration the fact that quantum physics has demonstrated the fluctuating character of all the physical quantities. Here the principle of continual re-creation proposed by kala’m comes into play. Fluctuations are caused by continual re-creation, justifying at the same time the divine intervention which drives the world through its constantly re-created properties’.

And again

‘So in the Islamic view, laws of nature are the laws for nature sustained by God in accordance with His sunna, His ‘way’ with creation. The law is the rule and the breach is an allowed unpredictable exception. This is indeed in conformity with the stipulations of quantum mechanics.

One final point is due. The laws of physics are, in fact, our realizations of how the world will act; in no way do these laws necessarily express the true and actual divine algorithms. These laws are our algorithms for the world. Therefore I would say that we are far from conceiving how the ‘mind of God’ works; we are far from being able to ‘catch God at work.’

Even if we did send Unto them Angels, And the dead did speak Unto them, and We gathered Together all things before Their very eyes, they are not The ones to believe, Unless it is in Allah’s Plan. But most of them Ignore (the truth).44

Unless as the Quran says,

Everyone is guarded and protected on all sides by the order of God. God does not change the condition of a nation unless it changes what is in its heart. When God wants to punish a people, there is no way to escape from it and no one besides God will protect them from it.45

Laws of maximum diversity, operating in diverse fames or dimensions, all unidirectional in time. A pragmatic world of men and women, working with in their genetic composition, behavior accorded in childhood to transition in adulthood. Is there a Law of free will with exertions of existential choices, results achieved and varying for the less

endowed (according the vicissitudes of the Bell curve) to the more advanced intellects? Limited will for some, to almost unlimited for others, depending on their disposition, becoming agents (or servants depending on the definition with in their frames of references) of a higher purpose. Sometimes self aware, and assisted in their efforts from, bringing into reality an unfinished product inching in apparently miniscule degree, from a meaning less universe to a higher order, both in intelligence and diversity.

Like the following verses warn us of keep doing our duty, being patient and overlooking the people who want us harm, until God command takes its course.

Many of the people of the book desire to turn you anyhow back to unbelief. They wish this out of the envy of their hearts though the Truth has become quiet clear to them. Yet, you should show forbearance and forgiveness to them till’ Allah Himself enforces His judgment.

A mystic having this to say “Destiny is the prison and chain of the ignorant. Understand that destiny like the water of the Nile: Water before the faithful, blood before the unbeliever”.

And again

“People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature, liberty of thought becomes a method of converting men into animals.” Mohammad Iqbal.

A mystical time and space, and a scientific time and space, how do we reconcile the two? A leader of the Balkan confederation opted for the kingdom of God, when given a choice to fight Murat the Sultan of the Turks. Islam spreading in the west for the next 500 years. A similar choice given to Babur in the east seeking “divine favour by abjuring liquor, breaking the wine vessels and pouring the wine down a well. His followers responded both to this act and his stirring exhortation stood their ground at Khanua”. Islam would spread in the east again for the next 500 years.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,  Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor WitShall lure it back to cancel half a Line,  Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it. Omar Khayyam

Freeman Dyson remarks:

“It is true that we emerged in the universe by chance, but the idea of chance is itself only a cover for our ignorance. I do not feel like an alien in this universe. The more I examine the universe and study the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe in some sense must have known that we were coming .”

And again.

”There is a strict lack of determination in the microscopic world, so I think that may not be a coincidence that looks something like free will, I am not saying that electron actually has a consciousness, of a kind that we have, but it probably has the rudiments of a consciousness. In some rudimentary sense, every atom has a mind and then the brain is simply some sort of an apparatus for amplifying the molecules, amplifying the choices that are made by individual molecules, and converting them unto a scale of human beings. That seems to me very plausible that the existence of quantum mechanics has something to do with the existence of human consciousness, of course that point of view is very unpopular among biologist, most biologist think quantum mechanics, has nothing to do with it, but anyway I beg to differ. That this traditional God is sort of outside of space and time He sees everything, understands everything, knows everything and He is also omnipotent. But my God is different he is part of the universe, he evolves with the universe, he dos not know what is going to happen, so his knowledge increases as time goes on, and so he is in doubt just as we are, and of course our contributions are in fact his growth, and he grows through the contributions of creatures like us.”

There have been many individuals like Alfred Wallace Russell, PierreTeilhard de Chardin and Freeman Dyson, who by reading the scripture in the book of nature have sensed a divine purpose, but there knowledge remains partial and incomplete, in the absence of understanding and deep reflection on the verses of Quran.

In what the German poet Goethe achieved after reading the Quran:

“Jesus felt pure and calmly thoughtOnly the One God;Who made himself to be a godOffends his holy will.And thus the right(ness) has to shineWhat Mahomet also achieved;Only by the term of the OneHe mastered the whole world”.

And again on his dislike of the Christian cross:

"And now you come with a sign ... which among all others I mostly dislike.All this modern nonsenseYou are going to bring me to Schiras!Should I, in all its stiffness,Sing of two crossed wooden pieces?"

"Whether the Koran is of eternity? I don't question that!... That it is the book of books I believe out of the muslim's duty."

"Stupid that everyone in his caseIs praising his particular opinion!If Islam means submission to God,We all live and die in Islam."

This lack of a complete understanding on the part of Dr Freeman Dyson, stems from the persistence in his thought form, of attaching every phenomenon associated with the Ultimate Reality as an act in serial time, bound by the laws of the spatial world and sense- experience being the only mode of receiving the whole truth. Unaccustomed to mystical experiences, he ventures to capture God as a Divine being moving from a state of constant imperfection to a blind perfection. In contrast to what Dr Goethe and Dr Mohammad Iqbal, would have us realize about the works of the Divine.

‘Change, therefore, in the sense of a movement from an imperfect to a relatively perfect state, or vice versa, is obviously inapplicable to His life. But change in this sense is not the only possible form of life. A deeper insight into our conscious experience shows that beneath the appearance of serial duration there is true duration. The Ultimate Ego exists in pure duration wherein change ceases to be a succession of varying attitudes, and reveals its true character as continuous creation, “untouched by weariness” and unseizable “by slumber or sleep”.  Dr Mohammad Iqbal.

This act of free will invoking exisistential choices in the domains of both nature and the human are simply acts of the Divine Will (Amr), the sunnah of Allah Subahan-Hu. An act, deed, and action acquiring ever more freedom, as the creative activity of the created assimilates the Habits of the Creator. As we assimilate the mathematics without and the light of the creator within. This duality is acquired in a Darulhikmet catering to the needs

of both the exoteric and the esoteric. However God is not unjust, He gives an illiterate (accordingly in the western terminology and world view of knowledge) secrets of the universe, knowledge of the Nafs (soul) not accessible to an Einstein. There is nothing shocking, as the world literature of all the major religions testify to their mystics. Isaac Newton had many mystical experiences, believed in One God, considered Trinity as a later day falsification. Believing Christianity went astray in the 4th century A.D.

“For Sir Isaac Newton—an enthusiastic alchemist, a despiser of the doctrine of the Trinity, and a fanatical anti-Papist—the main clues to the cosmos were to be found in Scripture.”As noted by Christopher Hichens.

Maximum diversity including, chance, chaos, natural selection, including ignorance and determinism, fine tuning, randomness and knowledge, all playing their part as parts of the whole. The mechanics or law if I can take the liberty to use the word, of free will an arrow in time solved with the solution of the riddle of time.

What does the Lord of the Universe Himself says in the Quran?.

Yea, unto Allah belong All things in the heavens And on earth, and enough Is Allah to carry through All affairs.46

The final word is with Allah (swt) to Him we return, who knows all the mysteries in the heavens and the earth.

Say: “The (Quran) was sent downBy Him Who knowsThe Mystery (that is ) in the heavens

And the earth: verily HeIs Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”47

It is in context of the following verses of the Quran that I have alluded to the ideal free will where men and women of understanding having assimilated all the virtues and habits of an Ulul Albab participate as friends of Allah (swt) in His creative endeavors. All our activity whether being a student, teacher, research worker, reading any portion of the Quran, doing any righteous deed like praying, distributing charity to the poor, helping our neighbor is monitored by God. In the age of communication with the fear of the Big Brother (the authority of the government of the day and its surveillance agencies) humans are reminded about an authority, which surpasses them all. And again as and when we are reminded to be true to the constitution of earthly governments, hold to all its covenants. So are we reminded that friends of God (the Aulia Allah) remain steadfast with all their the convents ( Uqd) made with the only Super power in the Universe, acting without any fear, and constantly refraining from evil, so as being given a choice a free will. If they make an honest mistake, and realize it they repent and ask for forgiveness.

And you are not (engaged) in any affair, nor do you recite concerning it any portion of the Quran, nor do you do any work but We are witnesses over you when you enter into it, and there does not lie concealed from your Lord the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven, nor any thing less than that nor greater, but it is in a clear book.

No doubt! Verily, the Auliya' of Allah [i.e. those who believe in the Oneness of Allah and fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which he has forbidden), and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve, -

As again our poet philosopher and mathematician Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif R.A remarks.

‘Man may make his way through the vastness of the sky, he may knock at the heaven’s gate, he may unravel the mysteries of the universe. He is free to do so. But ultimately there comes a stage when his freedom and latitude are instrumental in bringing him a message of constraint and even the free man who soars high in the sky is compelled to land on earth and thereafter is swallowed by earth. We have no choice at the beginning and none at the end. Only the span in between consists of freedom. So how much freedom do we have?’

And again,

‘We are free indeed but it is a very circumscribed freedom. We can’t step out of its circumscription. We are fenced in by the earth and sky. Similarly we are fenced in by our circumstances and our thinking. We can’t get out of our own self. We can’t outgrow our stature. We can’t overstep our limits. The frontier of gain and loss is the limit of our deeds.’

And in the words of Iqbal

Thus the element of guidance and directive control in the ego’s activity clearly shows that the ego is a free personal causality. He shares in the life and freedom of the Ultimate Ego who, by permitting the emergence of a finite ego, capable of private initiative, has limited

this freedom of His own free will. This freedom of conscious behavior follows from the view of ego-activity which the Qur’an takes. There are verses which are unmistakably clear on this point:

And say: The truth is from your Lord: Let him, then, who will, believe; and let him who will, be an unbeliever. (18: 29).

If ye do well to your own behoof will ye do well; and if ye do evil against yourselves will ye do it. (17: 7).

Indeed Islam recognizes a very important fact of human psychology, i.e. the rise and fall of the power to act freely, and is anxious to retain the power to act freely as a constant and undiminished factor in the life of the ego. The timing of the daily prayer which, according to the Qur’an, restores “self-possession” to the ego by bringing it into closer touch with the ultimate source of life and freedom, is intended to save the ego from the mechanizing effects of sleep and business. Prayer in Islam is the ego’s escape from mechanism to freedom.’

A choice for some withering out to dust and bones, never to arise again, assuming as such, other’ bending Pascal wager to their whims.

‘God is, or He is not.” But to which side shall we incline? Reason can decide nothing here. There is an infinite chaos which separated us. A game is being played at the extremity of this infinite distance where heads or tails will turn up... Which will you choose then? Let us see. Since you must choose, let us see which interests you least. You have two things to lose, the true and the good; and two things to stake, your reason and your will, your knowledge and your happiness; and your nature has two things to shun, error and misery. Your reason is no more shocked in choosing one rather than the other, since you must of necessity choose... But your happiness? Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is... If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.

And to some inspired with a force of changing the directions of the world, in every instant of human history and the future, attaining an everlasting personality here and in the hereafter, all the Prophets being in this class, The unity of the message of Islam reaches its zenith in the following verses of the Quran.

Those who believe (in the Qur’an).

Those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),

And the Sabians and the Christians---Any who believe in Allah

And the Last Day

And work righteousness---

On them shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.48

Eminent Muslim scholar Syed Abu Ala Maududi commenting on the above verses remarks. “ The context in which this verse occurs shows that the Qur’an is not laying down here the details of the creed and righteous deeds, which one should believe and practice in order to earn salvation. These things have been described in their proper places. Here, the object is to refute the self delusion of the Jews that salvation was their sole monopoly. They were suffering from the delusion that they had some special relationship with God; therefore whoever belonged to their race would go straight to Heaven, irrespective of his creed and deeds, and all other people were born to become fuel of Hell. To remove this misunderstanding of theirs Allah declares that salvation does not depend upon one’s connections with any group but on one’s right beliefs and good deeds. Whoever goes before Allah with these provisions will find will find his reward with Him, for Allah’s judgment will be based on one’s real worth and not on the census registers.”

For why would God want to protect the houses of worship of the Jews, Christian and the Muslims?

To those against whom War is made, permission Is given (to fight), because They are wronged---and verily, Allah is Most powerful For their aid--

(They are) those who haveBeen expelled from their homesIn defiance of right—(For no cause) exceptThat they say, “Our LordIs Allah “. Had not AllahChecked one set of peopleBy means of anotherThere would surely have beenPulled down monasteries, Churches,

Synagogues, and mosques, in WhichThe name of Allah is CommemoratedIn abundant measure.. Allah willCertainly aid those whoAid His (cause)---for verilyAllah is Full of strength,Exalted in Might.(Able to enforce His Will).49

The addition of Jihad in reference to war, is a war of self defense, as the above verses, the word of the Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of its creation, gives permission to those who have been wrong fully evicted from there homes, for believing in One true God.

.

Those who leave their homes in the cause of Allah, and are then slain or die,- On them will Allah bestow verily a goodly Provision: Truly Allah is He Who bestows the best provision.50

Culminating in the life ( seerat un nabi), of the perfect man, (insan e kamil) Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). For Allah’s (swt) inspirations acts in the movement of every atom, the smallest particle, ultimately to the quintessential processes, manifested in the creation out of nothing, order out of chaos, laws of maximum diversity, evolution and natural selection, in the life of both the mathematical and the biological, the divinely inspired bee, to men and women inspired and guided by the soul (Ruh) within , and asymptotic intelligence moving and growing in the direction of the Omega point, here the Islamic Omega point points to the ultimate reality Allah (swt) as the Quran mentions:

…. to God we belong and to Him shall we return.51

And again

And that to your Lord (Allah) is the End (Return of everything).52

More like an ensemble of gas particles acted upon by statistical laws to the, ensemble of 7 billion people, acted upon by the divine light. The seeker’s of this light are few and far between. Quran says:

Eta Carinae, Hubble Telescope.

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things.53.

Its re-intregtrating with this light that men and women experience, the blessings of the LORD OF THE WORLDS. The cherisher and sustainer, the first and the last, the inwards and the outwards. Whose light permeates the entire universe at every instant. For the World would collapse and be destroyed without the continuous sustenance from this light. Light upon Light illuminating the heart and soul of every man and woman of Faith.

Quran further elaborates.

It is Allah Who sustains the heavens and the earth, lest they cease (to function): and if they should fail, there is none - not one - can sustain them thereafter: Verily He is Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.54

When the Muezzin calls for prayers in the early morning hours before the rose pink light of dawn. When the congregation stand for the prayers. When the reader of the Quran, reads with weeping eyes.

A Guide and a Message To men and women of Understanding.55

Patiently, then , persevere: For the promise of Allah Is true: and ask forgiveness For thy fault, and celebrate The praises of thy Lord In the evening And in the morning.56

When a Muslim leaves his home in search for knowledge in distant lands, to bring Dawah ullah, the message of love, harmony, peace to all mankind, and reads with weeping eyes.

Ye are the best Of Peoples, evolved For mankind, Enjoining what is right, Forbidding what is wrong, And believing in Allah. If only the People of the Book Had faith, it were best For them: among them Are some who have faith, But most of them Are perverted transgressors.57

When a Castaway, a drug addict undergoing rehab, a prisoner awaiting the gallows, a women of ill repute trampled by unjust economic forces, low in the deck of, circumstances, some one who gives up every hope, contemplating suicide, repents due to an affliction, despair, loss of a loved one, to Allah(swt), ask for His forgiveness. Considers the need of God as the all supreme SUPERPOWER, reads with his or her sincerest heart the following verses of the Quran.

And your Lord says: “Call on Me; I Will answer your (Prayer): But those who are Too arrogant to serve Me Will surely find themselves In Hell---in humiliation!.58

Becomes a Sufi, in transition to becoming a اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل� in Allah’s way, eloquently ُأ

elaborated by a Muslim saint Professor Rafiq Akhtar. “ Sufi’s were different kind of people, In the varieties of specializations, many people extrapolated new methods, in which Sufism was of a unique character, I cannot infer, that either due to a personal tragedy, accidental love, death of a mother or father, Due to an incident, and very rarely due to search for knowledge, some people deviated from the norms of the society and contemplated a new path to believe in God, to discover God. The real definition of Tasawuf in not, that it was nominated by the Ashari, or nurtured under the influence of the Greek Philosophy, or some speculated influence of the ideas of orient and the occident, no such thing happened.”

“The definition of Sufism is very simple, when a man or a woman decides, at an appropriate age, the significance and meaning of First priority in his or her life, as God is a Sufi (mystic).”

“Ladies and gentlemen, when an urge arises in the heart of someone to give correct preference to ones priorities in life. And then selects God as the First preference and priority, is a Sufi. It is been one our greatest misfortunes, we always judged reality based on excellence. We saw it when it had already achieved its eminence. We saw Tasawuf and the Sufi, when Sheikh Abdul Qadir had reached the highest stations in the spiritual life, that of Qutub-Ul-Aqtab. We saw Ali Bin Usman when he was ranked Qutub-Ul-Aqtab, and sent to land of Hind. There must have been a time when this sheikh of his era, would have started his first teachings. Like you and me, he must have desired and taken the first step. Must have been a youth, and struggled with his basic instincts. Would have changed the centers of accountability, and in this conflict of power and soul, made errors. And asked for forgiveness from his Lord. What else is the beginning of every soul, an error, and what else are rewards but a repentance, rest are the rituals of religion.”59

Quran possesses and unveils, its signs in the heart of this seeker of God, mysteries in the vast cosmic ocean, open up to, this traveler in his or her life’s journey, becoming his or her destiny.

Quran say’s

This is scripture that We have revealed to you (O Prophet) full of lasting bliss that they may ponder its messages and that people of understanding may take them to the heart.60

.

41. Quran (3:190). 42. “God is no more an archivist unfolding an infinite sequence he had designed once and forever. He continues the labor of creation throughout time”, proposes I. Prigogine (The Rediscovery of Time, in Science and Complexity, Sara Nash editor, Science Reviews, Northwood, Great Britain, 1985. 43. Quran (6:111). 44. Quran (13:11). 45. Quran 4:132). 46. Quran (25:6). 47. Quran (5:69). 48. Quran (22:39-40).49. Quran (22:58). 50. (Quran 53:42). 51. Quran 24:35). 52. Quran (35:41). 53. Quran (40:54). 54. Quran (40:55). 55. Quran (3:110). 56. Quran (40:60). 57. Professor Rafiq Akhtar, Haqiqat Muntazar, translation by author of this article 58 Quran (38:29).

God beautiful signs reflected in the majesty of snow covered mountain peaks, green pastures with variety of plants and fruit trees. The ever changing seasons with first signs of spring bringing joy and bliss to the onlookers.

The second highest peak in the world K-2.

The dew falling on the colored petals.

Nay, here are Signs Self-evident in the hearts Of those endowed with knowledge And none but the unjust Reject Our Signs

And yet they say, “Why are not miracles bestowed upon him from his Lord?” Say,“These verses are in themselves miraculous signs concerning God and with Himare the miracles (that you can see in the Universe). As for me, I am but a plainwarner (drawing your attention to His signs and to the consequences of your actions.)”

Why! Is it not enough of a miracle for them that We have bestowed upon you this Bookthat is conveyed to them? For, herein is grace, a reminder, and it is a giver of eminence to people who accept it.

The servants of Allah who reads and recites His names in their Hearts

The Most Beautiful NamesBelong to Allah:So call on Him by them;But shun such men asUse profanity in His names:For what they do, they willSoon be requited.

And again

Allah! There is no GodBut He! To Him belongThe Most Beautiful Names.

All the universe, the heavens and the earth at the command of Almighty Allah(swt), becomes his co-worker.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL AND QURAN

We have not yet detected an extraterrestrial signal. From its

inception in the 1959 paper by physicists Giuseppe Cocconi and Phillip Morrison who together wrote that the frequency of 1420 MHz which corresponds to 21-centimeter line of neutral hydrogen would be a good starting point to make contact with extraterrestrial civilization.

“It is reasonable to expect that sensitive receivers for this frequency will be made at an early stage of the development of radio astronomy. That would be the expectation of operators of the assumed source, and the present state of terrestrial instruments indeed justifies the expectation.” They further stated.“The reader may wish to consign these speculations wholly to the domain of science fiction. We submit, rather, that the foregoing line of argument demonstrates that the presence of interstellar signals is entirely consistent with all we now know, and that if signals are present the means of detecting them is now to hand. Few will deny the profound importance practical and philosophical which the detection of interstellar communications would have. We therefore feel that a discriminating search for signals deserves a considerable effort. The probability of success is difficult to estimate but if we never search the chance of success is zero.”9Cocconi and Morrison's paper started a debate which will continue till humans or their

evolved forms survive doing science and in the process colonize, other star systems and galaxies.

On the existence of extraterrestrial life

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of whatever living creatures (da'bbah) He has spread forth in both.10

The Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane describes da'bbah, ‘Anything that walks [or creeps or crawls] upon the earth , an animal that walks or creeps or crawls , discriminating and not discriminating , any animal upon the earth’ including humans in contrast to angels.

For the worst of Beasts In the sight of AllahAre the deaf and the dumbThose who understand not. (8:22)

Here as in all the verses of Quran, God’s signs need to be observed, reflected, pondered and acted upon after being deciphered by men and women of understanding ( وا� ْو�ُل

� ُأ�اِب� �َب �ُل .Warning those who do not reflect on these signs as dweller’s of fire.(اَأْل�

But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be companions of the Fire; they shall abide therein.

Living creations are spread, throughout the expanse of the heavens and the earth. This verse embodies us to seek the means of communicating with creatures in the heavens called his Servants. How else could live creatures in the heavens, appear as signs. Muslim’s have passed by many signs that the west now seems very certain about their truth. Origins of both the universe and humankind alluded in different verses. Topics that were ones considered as hearsay are now being taught about in the curricula. On 5th December 2011 NASA announced the discovery of a planet similar to the earth as the “First planet in the habitable zone of a sun-like star, Kepler-22b. It's 2.4 times the size of the Earth, it's in an orbital period (or year) of 290 days, a little bit shorter than the Earth's, it's a little bit closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, 15 percent closer”. Thomas Wright would be excited.

Not one of the beings in the Heavens and the earthBut must come to (Allah).Most Gracious as a servant.He does take an account of them (all), and hath numbered them (all) exactly. (Al Quran 19-93-94).11

The use of word (da'bbah) is often mentioned in the Quran for animals or beasts, referring to humans as well. In one verse admonishing those who do not use reason.

For the worst of Beasts In the sight of AllahAre the deaf and the dumbThose who understand not 8-22

And again:

For the worst of the beastsIn the sight of AllahAre those who reject Him:They will not believe.

In the following verses the number 7 in the Semitic languages refers to unlimited, or many, connoting multiplicity, in creation of seven heavens and a similar number of earths. With a reference to Divine Guidance Amr (Arabic for command) appearing for the inhabitants of those earths..

Allah is He WhoCreated seven HeavensAnd of the EarthA similar numberThrough the midst

Of them (all) descendsHis Commands: that ye mayKnow that Allah has powerOver all things, and thatAllah comprehends all thingsIn (His) Knowledge.

The forgoing verses explicitly mention intelligent life in outer space, scattered throughout the cosmos. We find complex organic materials the precursor of life everywhere in the universe. The enigma with revelations or messages from the Supreme Intelligence, being whom we call Allah, God, The Eternal One, or by any other name, is that there is no instrument in the scientific laboratory (Professor Bertrand Russell denied the existence of God on lack of reason or evidences, asked what would he do if he found God, after he died, he said he would quote lack of evidence) to communicate with, and authenticate his presence, no empirical data confirming or denying his infinite power and wisdom. Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about Allah, without knowledge and without guidance, and without a Book to enlighten them!(Al Quran 31:20).12 Here dispute or more aptly a study about Allah envisions a Dialectical principle encompassing knowledge of Allah, derived from words of Allah in the Divine book of nature, (is were we find the empirical data of His presence, a simple example is in the combination of the products of matter and energy from the , rain, wind, sunlight, distance of the earth from the sun an aberration of the inverse square law, an almost perfect circular motion with only a four million miles of variation, to alternation of night and day, creation of the water cycle and other recycling natural cycles, to Van Allen belts to the right tilt of the earth relative to the sun, the balance in the other solar systems, eventually to the gluing of the galaxy by dark matter etc, seen and unseen bounties in exceeding measure , maintaining the temperatures range with in which the humans can survive, as I observe the temperature fluctuations for the past 24 hours, on my desktop computer from the weather channel in Pembroke Pines Florida, I observe a fluctuation of 10 degree on the average, at any day of the week, exceptions not with standing). It is this change in perspective of a modern Muslim from science in its excessiveness or what is termed as scientism, to a Divine book of nature, with its own men and women of knowledge and intellect is not emphasized in any religion except Islam. Looking towards one of the three sources mentioned in the verses above to seek His presence. The center of all action and will moves from the scientific laboratory to the Qalb illuminated by Hadith of Allah (swt) in the

1. Divine book of nature.

Ve Muhammad)l These Ayaat which We are rehearsing to thee as Truth are the Signs of God. Then (tell me) in what more authentic exposition would they believe after the Words of God and His Signs (deduced from Nature).

It is He who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and determined it by stations, that you might know the number of the years and the reckoning. God created that not save with the truth, distinguishing the signs to a people who know.

The Milky Way galaxy rolling out time and direction in this part, to a precision of unparallel magnitude and complexity, seemingly without a free will. A Laplace would render perturbation theory for this symmetry, an Isaac Newton a Divine presence. A free will and choice for both.

First mosque named Ulul Albab Mosque, Unnes.

Alif Lam RaThese are the AyatOf the Book of Wisdom.

This (Quran) is a guidance. And those who disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord, for them there is a painful torment of Rijz (a severe kind of punishment). Quran: 45-11.

Here Rijz a psychological state of a fragmented mind and consciousness, ever fluctuating between doubt and faith, is called a severe punishment. The lane Arabic dictionary defines the Arabic word Rjis, with different meanings one being doubt, “they are in a state of confusion and perturbation in respect of their affair or case”. It maybe mentioned the removal of Rijz comes with ‘Shariah accompanied by Tazkiyah e nafs’ or the tightening of the knot of the ego as Hazrat Mohammad Iqbal R.A mentions in the chapter on ‘Is Religion Possible’ in his book ‘Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.’

I have included a chapter on ‘Shariah accompanied by Tazkiyah e nafs’ under the guidance of Dr Azhar Waheed, coming out of a series of lectures delivered by him on both.

The time is right to gain back the naming rights, and stop being apologetic. With a use of such terms as:

1 Darul Hikmet2 Yaqaloon3 Ilm4 Ulul Ulbab5 Aql6 Alamoon or Alim

A critic could claim it to be pseudo knowledge or science in disguise. But it is not a matter of knowledge or science it is in fact a matter of priority. When Allah (swt) the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful is the only priority and He commands us to view and act on certain things the way He wants, it is He, Who is the inheritor.

It is We Who will inheritThe earth, and all beingsThereon : to Us will theyAll be returned.

Quran remarks:

Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.

2. His personal Guidance, (Infinite possibilities exist in Allah ( swt) guiding His creation. One being the outpouring of ideas and thoughts manifested in inspirational poetry and writings, while studying the Quran, other being the occasional opening of a page and the related message from the Quran, or a book of a rightly guided under the extremity of despair or the sincerest urge of a seeker of Divine truth, or unusual moments of clarity and understanding under the passion and the fire burning in the Heart to find Allah (swt) and in the process becoming friend of Allah (swt) the most gracious the most merciful. .

The third source being a

3. Book (scripture) to gain knowledge about Him, where Allah in His infinite mercy encourages His creation to seek Him.

They have not estimated Allah His Rightful Estimate; Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.

And in the process creating new knowledge hitherto unknown to men or women. Would a present or a future super human race be able to do that it’s, hard to contemplate at our present level of technological progress and intelligence. Having already envisioned the tear and rupture in the fabric of space and time, after controlling hydel energy, wind and steam powers, harnessing electro-magnetism, solar energy, nuclear forces, conquering Hyper space seems to be the next, albeit when, we don’t know. On Oct 29th 2011

neutrino’s, elementary particles were found to travel faster then the speed of light as announced at CERN a few months later the news was retracted, indicating a much more peaceful resolution in realm of science as contrasted with religion. As we progress from the type I to type II and III or more civilizations, will we have more answers, as we or our evolved forms start doing Astro-Engineering of the Divine book of nature ( Be iznillah by the Will of God). Physics transforming into Meta-physics in the Human Phenomenon.

However as we slowly move towards Astro-Engineering ( Be iznillah, by the Will of God) the cosmos, men and women of faith are increasingly being manipulated and forced (knowingly or unknowingly) to play by the rules of science. This sometimes seems to apparently challenge, the Creator Himself or playing God according to others. A Satanic metaphor repeated through ages.

(Remember also) Qarun, Pharaoh, and Haman: there came to them Moses with Clear Signs, but they behaved with insolence on the earth; yet they could not overreach (Us). And

(Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay."

What does Quran say in the verses. “Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth”. As Allah delegates more and more of His power and knowledge to its creation, enabling it to control all the things in the heavens and on earth one day, it will definitely be a test of faith, the duty of its creation is to humbly praise the lord by praying the following..

And that those on whomKnowledge has been bestowed may learnThat the Qur’an) is the truthFrom thy Lord, and that theyMay believe therein, and their HeartsMay be made humbly (open)To it: for verily Allah isThe Guide of those who believe,To the Straight Way.

Some of the modern scientific challenges appear in the form of1. Genetics with. Cloning, creation of synthetic life.2. Ultra-sound3. Theory of Evolution.4. Rapid acceleration of the Universe.

Having delegated the naming rights to the west, we need to go back to our foundations, and start calling cosmos as the Divine book of nature and the scientists as ( وا� ْو�ُل

� ُأ�اِب� �َب �ُل .(اَأْل�

Allah the First and the Last in Quran states that

Surely God -- He has knowledge of the Hour; He sends down the rain; He knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it shall earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it shall die. Surely God is All-knowing, All-aware.

The word INDAHU describes “in possession”, of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent the knowledge of the following

1. The knowledge of the Hour.2. The knowledge where Rain will fall.3. What is in mother’s womb?4. What each soul will earn tomorrow.5. Of each soul what land it will die.

Which He can by His Will and Permission accord to humans if He so Wishes (Be-Iznillah). He challenges His creatures the humans to create, where He so Wishes (Be-Iznillah).

Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!

He calls Himself the best of creators, besides others namely Humans and Jinn to; and calls them to create a single verse of the Quran, or get back what a gnat flies away with, attending to the incapacity of both the challenger and the challenged. The challenge apparently posed by Modern Science is both the reflection of the Almighty’s power and plan to bring His acme creation, to a level in strength and ability granting him a status from the lowest of the low to the Vice-regent/ Co-worker and in the process Conqueror

the entire Universe. If the Master Plan is not visible so is the shortsightedness. Some times a verse which modern science appears to challenge has a solution is pairs as everything else created in Pairs. Either the verse creates an incentive for humans to duplicate and achieve same brilliance, as manifested in the verse or the reminder of the Ultimate Fate in the Hands of the Best Creator. Quran, exhorts to reflect on this order emerging out of chaos as not created without a Purpose and Truth (Haq).

What appears as an unbridled evolution, is the unity in diversity leading to infinite levels of advancements in knowledge, culminating in face to face meeting with the Almighty, an end which will take unlimited amount of time and resources.

Arabic-English lexicon by Edward William Lane, describes. “( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل� persons ,(ُأ

of understanding. ( Labib), a person of understanding, or intelligence. Hence ( Lub) of a man (understanding, intellect, intelligence and mind). Aql the understanding that is put into the heart of a man so called because it is the choicest or best part of him, or it is not so called unless it is pure from cupidity or lust and foul imaginations and therefore has a more special sense than Aql. Lubab, lub what is pure, or, best part of anything thing.”

These people of intelligence and understanding achieving the purification of the soul by practicing Taqwa are also called Muttaqeen, the true believers. Obeying both Allah (swt) and the His messenger Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh).

And obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) that you may obtain mercy.

Asking forgiveness of their Lord as the following verses remark.

And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqun.

Those who spend in the cause of Allah (swt) both in adversity and in prosperity. Overcome anger; forgive others for the love of Allah the Al-Rehman and Al-Rahim.

Those who spend [in Allah's Cause - deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the gooddoers).

Those having committed a shameful act seek Allah (swt) repentance, and forgivness..

And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allah - And do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know.

For such, the reward is Forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allah's Orders).

DEFINATION AND CORRECT MEANINGS OF THE WORD ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل� .(ُأ

Quran does render the correct premises in the word, ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل� a title granted by (ُأ

none other than the Creator and Sustainer Allah (swt) Himself, Lord of the seen and unseen, as the epitome of all understanding, modern scientism, excludes domains of experience beyond sense perception, limits human intellect (Aql ) in its search of the Providence. The unity of the message of Quran for men and women of understanding is in essence the oneness of God. (Tawhid). It is not preordained for it can lead to shirk, but an actualization of the self or ego achieved in the hearts of the ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� by the (ُأGrace and Will of Allah (swt). The two acts of this Will of the Almighty, the inward

(Batin) and the outward (Zahir), the Creator of things in pairs is reflected by the Ruh of the insane al kamil, the divine vicergent (naib). As the definition of the word ( وا� ْو�ُل

� ُأ�اِب� �َب �ُل -symbolizes. Leading to the hadith of the Prophet of Islam, ‘Takhallaqu bi (اَأْل�akhlaq Allah’, ‘Create in yourself the attributes of God.’ Fortified with

1. Tawhid

This (Quran) is a Message for mankind (and a clear proof against them), in order that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is the only One Ilah (God - Allah) - (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and that Ulul Albab( men and women of understanding) may take heed.

2. Hikmah

He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding.)7

3. Two kinds of verses in the Quran. A) Have clear meanings. B) Having hidden meanings or not yet understood because knowledge has not advanced to that level.

He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding).

4. Endowed with Knowledge and Taqwa , without pride, and false ego, choose the right meaning of the words.

Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.

For Quran warns those who invent false Hadith, or words in the following verse.

But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty.

5. Revelations (Hadith, words of Allah) in the divine book of nature and the divine books revealed to the Prophets.

Behold! In the creationOf the heavens and the earthAnd the alternation Of Night and DayThere are indeed SignsFor those of Understanding.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Qur'an, 3: 191)

Hubble Telescope

Grand Mosque at Mecca

6. Understanding, reflecting and pondering on the meanings in the verses of the Quran. A book full of wisdom, knowledge, insights about the universe and a spiritual guide for men and women of understanding within. A book full of blessings, like the other books of God including Torah, Psalms and the Bible which preceded it.

It is a blessed Book which We have revealed for you so that you will reflect upon its verses and so the people of understanding will take heed.

7. The other lesson for men and women of understanding is that, after they have read the Quran, they have to constantly actualize, and practice living in peace and harmony, within their community, be an example for all.

.

Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Not equal are AlKhabith (all that is evil and bad as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.) and AtTaiyib (all that is good as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), even though the abundance of Al-Khabith (evil) may please you." So fear Allah much [(abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], O Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding) in order that you may be successful.

8. Hereafter is the final destination of every man and women of understanding.

Allah has prepared for them a severe torment. So fear Allah and keep your duty to Him, O Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding) who have believed! - Allah has indeed sent down to you a Reminder (this Quran).

9. Those that reflect and acquire Allah Mercy and Blessings through prayers in the depth of nights, contemplating on signs in Nature, Quran and the Qalb.

Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses).

Supernova remnant 0509-67.5, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small galaxy about 170,000 light-years from Earth.

A bizarre comet-like X-pattern of filamentary structures circling about 90 million miles from Earth. It is believed the object was created by the collision of two asteroids..

An image of a crater on an object called 8405 Asbolus, a 48 mile-wide chunk of ice and dust between Saturn and Uranus.

Several hundred never before seen galaxies are visible in what was the "deepest-ever" view of the universe. Taken in 2009.

A pair of gravitationally interacting galaxies called Arp 147. The left-most galaxy is relatively undisturbed apart from a smooth ring of starlight. It appears nearly on edge to our line of sight. The right- most galaxy, resembling a "zero," exhibits a clumpy, blue ring of intense star formation.

Spiral Galaxy M74, Courtesy STSci.

MEANS AND WAYS OF APPROACH TOWARDS GOD.

There is however for every human being man and women a duty to attain and seek the MEANS of approach to Allah.

O ye who believe Do your duty to Allah Seek the means Of approach unto Him, And strive with might And main in His cause: That ye may prosper.(5:35)

And keep thy soul contentWith those who callOn their Lord morningAnd evening ,seekingHis Face; and let notThine eyes pass beyond them,Seeking the pomp and glitterOf this life; nor obeyAny whose heart WeHave permitted to neglectThe remembrance of Us,One who follows his ownDesires, whose case hasGone beyond all bounds.

1.The first thing then is to seek the five times Salah a day for the sake of Allah(swt). A conversation with the Creator. This is remembrance or Dhikr.

And do thou (O reader!) Bring thy Lord to remembrance In thy (very) soul, With humility and in revererance, Without loudness in words, In the mornings and evenings; And be not thou Of those who are unheedful.

And again those of us who miss prayers,

Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So soon they will meet evil..

2. Charity.

As-Sadaqat (here it means Zakat) are only for the Fuqara' (poor), and Al-Masakin (the poor) and those employed to collect (the funds); and for to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Allah's Cause (i.e. for Mujahidun - those fighting in the holy wars), and for the wayfarer (a traveller who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.

An effort to find and talk to God’s other creations, seems not possible for everyone. But Quran does gives a clue to people of Paradise talking to those in Hell and asking them the cause of their affliction in the following verses.

In Gardens (Paradise) they will ask one another,

About Al-Mujrimun (polytheists, criminals, disbelievers, etc.), (And they will say to them):

"What has caused you to enter Hell?"

They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer their Salat (prayers)

"Nor we used to feed Al-Miskin (the poor);

"And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers .

"And we used to belie the Day of Recompense

"Until there came to us (the death) that is certain."

3. Remembrance of Allah(swt) in the Heart or Qalb., is where the spiritual journey emanates, in search of Al Haqq. For its only attaining the love of Allah what is real, all else is just the inward and outward manifestations of his love. Illuminated by divine names.

Accepting Allah’s PLAN AND WILL introduces a paradigm shift, when a Momin in the way of Allah after undergoing heart wrenching trails and tribulation accepts the Plan and Will of Allah as all Encompassing. Every new traveler on this path has to first answer the question. How can I find God?

Remembering God is the shortest way to Him, the word short may not suffice here as there is a direct connection between the Creator and His creation. He says He is closer than the jugular vein.

It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.

Quran is in fact Allah (swt), word’s and His speech, when we remember Him, through the Quran, we invoke His speech and establish an harmony for split seconds, too however long a two way communication. The creation asking for His mercy and guidance and the Creator responding in kind. The Creator is not unjust or unkind, for those who remember Him, in their own languages, are duly rewarded.

Except those who believe, work righteousness, engage much in the remembrance of Allah, and defend themselves only after they are unjustly attacked. And soon will the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take!

Remembrance is supplemented with the purification of the soul, as the following verses state.

But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts.

This desire to purify the heart from lust, pride, egotism, jealousy, hypocrisy, conceit, grudge; need the company and guidance from an Aulia Allah a friend of the Almighty. Constantly reminding and teaching the Salik(Seeker), Talib (Student), Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding)the intricacies of Quran and Sunnah, with the utmost emphasis on practice/deeds. Bringing into the mantle of the injunctions of Quran and the Seerat of the last Prophet. Along with excessive veneration of this beloved of God.

The first stage is the repentance Taubah (repentance) which lead to Ikhlas( ) by overcoming what Quran calls Naf’s Amara or the lower soul.

"And I free not myself (from the blame). Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

MURAQABA

A contemplation technique practiced with utmost concentration on the Ayaat (signs ) of Quran and Divine names of Allah.

1. One verse for Muraqaba.

Behold! In the creationOf the heavens and the earthAnd the alternation Of Night and DayThere are indeed SignsFor those of Understanding.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire."41.

This creative activity mentioned in the above ayat referrers to men and women of understanding ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� in an act and deed devoted to the commands of Allah. As (ُأthe opening verses of the Quran, introduce and prepare the seeker/beginner who wants to take the first step.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.

It is You we worship and You we ask for help.

Guide us to the straight path,

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.

First determining Allah as the only priority the rest being the supplication for His guidance on the straight path, integrating all our professions as a military scientist, astrophysicist, doctor, engineer, scientist, psychologist, sociologist etc and developing our Soul ( Nafs) constitutes Surat-e-Mustaqeem, while seeking His mercy from the hell fire. These are some of the righteous deeds to be practiced to overcome the gloom and despair I elude later, of how everything around us is set up in a way leading for us to follow only the capitalist system with its inherent greed, in this world shaking endeavor by strengthening the individual and consequently, the whole Islamic community. When namaz becomes a mere ritual, and not as time for reflecting and contemplating on the ayaat being read and conversing with the Creator, the masjid as a place of inactivity, we gravitate to what Iqbal warns in his poem of Asrar-e- Khudi, as those who do not tighten the knot of their self, bring themselves gradually out of favour of God.

And be ye not like those who forgot Allah; and He made them forget their own souls! Such are the rebellious transgressors!

2.

We shall show them Our signs In the horizons and in themselves, Till it is clear to them that it is the truth. Suffices it not as to thy Lord, That He is witness over everything?41-53

The Jihad against our souls is for own well being, for God is free from all needs.

And if any strive (with might and main), they do so for their own souls: for Allah is free of all needs from all creation.

3. Men and Women of understanding who wake up in the night and reflect on the verses of Quran, while invoking Mercy of Allah(swt)

Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men and women of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses). Quran 39-9.

A constant self education at night reflecting upon the verses in Quran with Allah (swt) as the witness leads to knowledge, by which the friends of Allah (swt) are selected and entrusted with the secrets of the Universe, both within the heart and outside.

Here Dr Azhar Waheed, contemporary Muslim mystic and physician guides us to Shariah/Tariqah , the exoteric/esoteric by reminding the golden, imperatives of a Hadi(Guide) in order to understand the intricacies of Quran and Sunna of Prophet Mohammad(sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), and in the process develop that Nafs(ego) which can sustain the shocks of life, of death and the Hereafter(life after death).

This journey from Islam to Iman and finally to Ihsan cannot be undertaken without the Sangat/Darul-Hikmet/Tadabur ul Quran Academy any on of these names constitutes the reflection and the associative power of such a group as contrasted with the a search of an individual, a collection built up slowly of such like minded Ahle Khayal on whom Allah’s mercy and blessing abounds. Reflecting on the Quran and Hadith being mentioned there, including the veneration on the Last Prophet Mohammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam ).

If in the process the level of consciousness of the soul starts to transmute from its lower to higher forms the seeker starts receiving new inspirations of Khayal/intuition/vibes it is imperative to follow what Dr Azhar remarks.

‘ The protection of Khayal is inside Ahle Khayal and not ouside’.

Expressed in what Afzaal Ahmed writes about in the life of Hazrat Mohammad Iqbal R.A.

Iqbal’s approach to the Qur’an is thoroughly experiential-firmly grounded in his life-long practice of reciting the Qur’an and pondering upon its meanings. In this living relationship, Iqbal posed questions to the Qur’an and received answers that not only challenged him but also shaped and directed the yearnings of his soul. In traditional Islamic terms, Iqbal’s approach to the Qur’an was based on personal

realization and insight (tahqiq) as opposed to conformity to authoritative teachings or interpretations (taqlid).

As everyone is not endowed with the intellect or the time to make Qura’n, a book of Tahqiq as opposed to Taqlid, this Tahqiq is undertaken in the lives of the esteemed personalities I have mentioned in reference to the Persian couplet.

‘Bandah e Momin Z Ayaat e Khuda Assat.’ Who have travelled this path of self-knowledge and Taskiyah e Nafs.

I would add to this the example of Dr Israr in his knowledge and teaching’s on what constitutes tasawwuf.

‘The conclusion of this argument has to return to the points that were made at the very outset. As far as the objectives and goals of tasawwuf are concerned, these are in full agreement with Islamic teachings. To put the matter more bluntly, the objectives and goals of tasawwuf are in fact the very core, the essence, and the spirit of Islam. significantly Islam.However, during the course of Muslim history, Sufi thought and practice has deviated from the Prophetic model in terms of the exact methodology to attain these objectives. A critical and objective academic study of Sufism and its comparison to the Prophetic life sufficiently illustrates this point.

And again,

It has been noted that Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (RA) is the most notable example of an individual who manifests aversion towards tasawwuf. However, I still include him among the reformers of Islam. Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (RA) made significant headway in purging the religious practices and beliefs of the Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula of innovative and un-Islamic elements. He also eradicated many of the un-Islamic cultural norms that had taken on the veneer of religiosity among the Arabs. It must also be acknowledged that he made significant achievements in presenting an authentic and purified version of the exoteric and ritualistic dimension of Islam. Therefore, he must be included among the reformers of the Muslim Ummah. However, if we compare his accomplishments to his Indian contemporary, Shah Waliullah Delhvi (RA), it is obvious that there is no comparison between the two. Shah Waliullah accomplished at both the esoteric and exoteric level what Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (RA) could only achieve at the exoteric level. Shah Waliullah’s work in philosophy,spirituality, and social thought is unparalleled by any other thinker from either the classical or the medieval age of Islam. In other words, the work and personality of ShahWaliullah (RA) is much more holistic, integrated, and profound than that of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (RA).

Dr Azhar remarks ‘Transformation by acquiring the habit of pardoning people, one sided, the person you are pardoning both of you are at the same level, status as far humanity is concerned, one who is forgiven thinks you are a fool. Given to sharing food, wealth, time, and effort.’

An impression William James tries to give when he remarks.

‘Other revelations are described as "openings" -- Fox’s, for example, were evidently of the kind known in spiritistic circles of today as "impressions." As all effective initiators of change must needs live to some degree upon this psychopathic level of sudden perception or conviction of new truth, or of impulse to action so obsessive that it must be worked off, I will say nothing more about so very common a phenomenon.

When, in addition to these phenomena of inspiration, we take religious mysticism into the account, when we recall the striking and sudden unifications of a discordant self which we saw in conversion, and when we review the extravagant obsessions of tenderness, purity, and self-severity met with in saintliness, we cannot, I think, avoid the conclusion that in religion we have a department of human nature with unusually close relations to the transmarginal or subliminal region. If the word "subliminal" is offensive to any of you, as smelling too much of psychical research or other aberrations, call it by any other name you please, to distinguish it from the level of full sunlit consciousness. Call this latter the A-region of personality, if you care to, and call the other the B-region. The B-region, then, is obviously the larger part of each of us, for it is the abode of everything that is latent and the reservoir of everything that passes unrecorded or unobserved. It contains, for example, such things as all our momentarily inactive memories, and it harbors the springs of all our obscurely motived passions, impulses, likes, dislikes, and prejudices. Our intuitions, hypotheses, fancies, superstitions, persuasions, convictions, and in general all our non-rational operations, come from it. It is the source of our dreams, and apparently they may return to it. In it arise whatever mystical experiences we may have, and our automatisms, sensory or motor; our life in hypnotic and "hypnoid" conditions, if we are subjects to such conditions; our delusions, fixed ideas, and hysterical accidents, if we are hysteric subjects; our supra-normal cognitions, if such there be, and if we are telepathic subjects. It is also the fountain-head of much that feeds our religion. In persons deep in the religious life, as we have now abundantly seen -- and this is my conclusion -- the door into this region seems unusually wide open; at any rate, experiences making their entrance through that door have had emphatic influence in shaping religious history.’

The diversity of creation in the universe is both a source of faith and disbelief, faith for those who have been blessed with a true guide in a parent a mother a father, a teacher, a friend accordingly as one is in search of this Reality, a Reality which is beyond reason, beyond physics, which reciprocates to the yearning’s of the broken hearted, the down trodden, the weak and the poor , the pale and the unworthy, in the tear’s of the huddled masses, those who share their food even themselves going hungry with those they consider human and not rich or poor, Jews or Christians, Muslims or Hindus, Whites or Blacks, Yellow or Browns . Who’s Mercy and Blessings are showered on those who seek Him in the middle of the night and early morning hours of dawn with love and seldom with reasoning and logic, though the seeker is encouraged to study and watch the splendor and grandeur of the majesty of the Creator in this grand symphony the Cosmos , a symphony elaborated in his book the Qur’an and in the life and teaching’s of the last Prophet Mohammad (On whom God and the angels send their Blessing, asking the humans to do the same) one who called all the previous Prophets as his brother’s culminating in the teaching and practices of what his brother Abraham saw in the stars and the depth of the Cosmos, where entire galaxies are born out of chaos, as seed’s in the quantum fluctuation’s in the birth of the universe, evolving and maturing to create the dwelling’s, the hanging garden’s of ‘Samawat’ without pillar’s that we can see, full of Intelligent beings scattered across , are encouraged to find the Sacred in the alternation of night and day, the movement of the clouds high above, mandating reflection on the creation in the diversity observed in the color of plants, animals and humans, of streaks of red and black in the mountains, heavens and the earth, that is in the study of science, while remembering Allah Almighty standing, sitting and lying down, reciting His names at all times while contemplating the structure of the heavens and the earth, in the process using a radio telescope, or an electron microscope, or a Hubble telescope, to finding a Purpose in life, with praying from the agony of Hell fire.

Radio TelescopeInstrument used to capture, concentrate and analyze radio waves emanating from a celestial body or a region of the celestial sphere.

Diversity also a source of disbelief for others, who see reason and excessive science or scientism, as the only source of knowledge and life as an accident, based on chance and randomness. We need to build a Radio Telescope to study the heavens and the earth as a Divine duty and see how close we live in a world where our end might come at any time in the morning , evening and at all hour’s of the night. Its God Almighty Who protects us till the day of resurrection. The best location to build one could be the foothills of Islamabad or Murree.

The instinct of the bee, working for the common good of the hive, its inherent functions embedded in the genetic code as it strives to gather, honey from the nectar, in the plants and its surrounding, a deterministic process, highly organized and complex, accompanied with their scout and the dancing bees. The survival of a community of 15000 to 80000 bees in a single hive depends on this collective effort and struggle.

The Quran calls its readers to reflect on this phenomenon as signs in nature.

And thy Lord revealed unto the bees, saying: 'Take unto yourselves, of the mountains, houses, and of the trees, and of what they are building.

Then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow the ways of your Lord easy to go upon.' Then comes there forth out of their bellies a drink of diverse hues wherein is healing for men and women. Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect.

.And in the process gaining thousand of insights, with the bee helping in pollination, an act of transferring pollen and seed to fertilizing plants growing, and producing the food we eat, to the study of bees in human longevity. Recently the colony collapse disorder among bee population is creating havoc with food production.

Are humans too suffering from a colony collapse disorder?.

The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most Forgiving!

.

Here Allah (swt) Himself guides to the straight path, men and women of understanding, contemplating, studying nature, and practicing piety.

Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who are God conscious.

Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding.

Niagara Falls, NY. Personal visit to the falls.

This timeless journey of God’s higher purposes unfold every moment in the alternation of night and day, laws of nature regulating order. Energy of the sun sustaining the cyclical movements on earth, water cycles of the oceans and rivers, rain through processes of evaporation and condensation. A visit to the ocean, gives a remarkable insight, into this phenomena, with its salt water, unbearable to drink. Quran mentions:

See ye the water Which ye drink?

Do ye bring it Down (In rain) from the Cloud Or do We?

Were it Our Will, We could make it Salt ( and unpalatable): Then why do ye not Give thanks?

Amazing insights with the whole cycle of life, death and reproduction enunciated, in a few verses, a whole theory of modern Gaia, the earth being a living cell, extrapolated to the whole universe as a living and breathing dynamo, carrying the Will of the Almighty. This insight does not come by reading alone, which can be a catalyst, but by the Divine Grace. Age is no barrier; one does feel an awe and submission, elated to possess these insights by observing the wonders of nature.

Human consciousness is the epitome of all this alternation of night and day, the action at a distance of the various forces of sun, the moon, planets and stars working together to bring rain from the sky, bringing life onto dead earth, sprouting seeds and plants producing food for humans and the grazing animals, in the food chain. All an endless cycle in the service of Human consciousness, as animals posses genetically endowed, pre-programmed, inbuilt powers,. Salmon travelling thousand of miles in the ocean, coming back to breed at the spot, it left

Alluded in the following verses as all species of animals on earth, and birds flying in the sky as forming organized communities. Quran gives pointers, which are directional’s, in thought and action and are never in conflict with science. When I mentioned reason, or science as lagging behind intuition, it does not mean as one being inferior to the other, for both are words (Ayat and Hadith) of God. Both evolve step by step to higher planes of understanding. Only science might take longer, to reach coming in synchronization with scientific truths mentioned in Quran. Both derived from the same Divine book, extending and forming an inner and an outer dimension, with Phd thesis, papers, and equations derived from nature, as complementing those derived from prophetic revelation. Both merging to form men and women of understanding ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� .(ُأSome Islamic scholars wrongly equate sciences derived from nature as vocations, and not words of God. One might assert that science can change any time, but not the laws. All animals on earth and birds in the sky will remain communities no matter whoever tries otherwise. Those seeking testable proof’s need go no further then the following, where its explicitly mentioned that those seeking a miracle, need to look in the communities and nature of animals and birds . I may mention here, God has His own way of giving light to a seeker of truth. It could be from the outer (divine book of nature) or inner (divine book of revelation) or both.

There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.

The study of animals and birds has been a constant endeavor by every civilization past and present, intending to learn from their behavior, skills and powers. Darpa is engaged in copying and genetically altering them for warfare and military, industrial usage. Noble prize have been awarded to Konrad Lorenz, Nikolaas Tinbergen, Karl Von Frisch for studies on their behavior. Quran stresses on this study as a divine command.

Humans too have unlimited potentials that need to be studied. The greatest being their ability to contact and interact with the Ultimate Consciousness. Aptly remarked by Max Planck, “Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve”.

And again.

“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter”.

For this communication is what the lama in the monasteries on the high mountains, the Vedanta philosopher in the temple, the kabbalah practitioner, are trying to achieve a contact with the ultimate reality, which is as some argue God being just, we are not able to Qadr assess His Might.

But for one well versed in the Quran, the intensity OF FIRE, and one of the reality of all realities the hell, as described in Quran sends shudders, and fear, when one realizes how naively we treat ourselves and how this whole system is setup( with the aspirations for wealth, gold ,lust , individual intelligence, genetic makeup, environment, quest for survival, dependence on food , peer pressure of family and friends, pride, envy , urge to become supermen, jealousies makes it almost impossible to achieve salvation) around us to be companions of those who’s fate will be handed in the left hand, we come into this

world , live and depart with all the media blazing, all our companions striving for the capitalist system.

And indeed his or her love of wealth, is intense.

Should we pray for God to turn us into stones?. As the following verses warn mankind.

But those whose good deeds will be lighter (on the scale).

He or she will have their home in Hawiyah (pit, i.e. Hell).

And what will make you know what it is?

(It is) a hot blazing Fire!

Or follow the footsteps of the greatest and the last Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). Here God comes to the rescue of those who follow Quran and Sunnah. To achieve salvation and protection from Hell fire.

Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him))?

And removed from you your burden,

In an Islamic welfare society, each one of us tries to live by a Shariah compliant profession to earn a living. salvation depends on following Seerat-ul-Mustaqeem a righteous path, who’s meaning is well defined and elaborated in the Quran in its various modes , such as Islamic charity, defined in its larger context as serving the needs of the poor, as well as a wide variety of other activities, such as being kind to parents, tied to the rope of Allah(swt) , so does the opening up of the breast (mind), studying , and reflecting on the intricacies/ construction of the universe , with the creation of night and day, all forms of pairs both seen and unseen(Be Iznillah), in humans , plants, animals and matter( positrons and electrons etc) in a duality accompanied with the purification of

consciousness (soul) inside, this unity of matter, mind and soul constitutes Seerat-ul-Mustaqeem in one of its mode.

One’s burden is lightened: On witnessing and experiencing Allah Almighty Sign/Signs directly on the heart.

Which weighed down your back?

Here is the beginning of what Mohammad Iqbal describes ‘In the third period metaphysics is displaced by psychology, and religious life develops the ambition to come into direct contact with the Ultimate Reality. It is here that religion becomes a matter of personal assimilation of life and power; and the individual achieves a free personality, not by releasing himself from the fetters of the law, but by discovering the ultimate source of the law within the depths of his own consciousness. As in the words of a Muslim Sufi– “no understanding of the Holy Book is possible until it is actually revealed to the believer just as it was revealed to the Prophet.”

When a human being comes into direct contact with the Ultimate Reality and is guided by His light, His revelations in the Quran, directly unfold as a living experience in the life of this servant, brought forth from the depths of darkness and sins, worst than the most vicious animal can perpetrate, only the recipient of this Light can feel the gravity of his degradation, from which he is pulled and is bewildered by God’s infinite, Beneficence and Mercy reciting.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Although words like Most, or Infinite hardly suffice in describing, His Grace and Mercy replacing His Wrath.

Only the recipient of this Light can appreciate this transformation from the living death to a new life, by his or her actions/deeds in daily practice depicting an understanding of the Noble Quran as it was actually revealed on the Prophet ( May Allah Peace and Blessings

be upon him). Even literally, receiving an exegesis of the verses directly from the Living Lord of the Worlds, depending on his or her acceptance and spiritual attainment with the Almighty, a manifestation of His Divine Grace.

Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set for him a light (of Belief/Quran) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out? Thus it is made fairseeming to the disbelievers that which they used to do.

It pertains to any human past, present and the future that attains that union with the Light which guides him or her as it guided the Prophet (May Allah peace and blessing be upon him).

Here Iqbal in an urdu couplet insists on receiving Quran as a living reality (Tahqiq) on the heart, instead of learning by committing it to memory, which is in itself a first but not the only step, resulting in transmitted knowledge (Taqlid), which does not help in untying the knots, the mysteries of the Universe, even when guided by the likes of Razi and those who receive Divine Guidance.

Though there are many examples in the Quran about past civilizations, the study of nature and performing righteous deeds, no understanding is complete or understood in depth until every, human being man or women, starts believing himself or herself , as the actual recipient.

Becomes a living example/ participator, understanding the meanings according to the situation passing through your own life at that very moment, whether coping with the death of a loved one, or the birth of a new life, would be bewildered and completely astonished to find a verse for each situation, and according to each situation, the condition being, searching/reading the whole Quran, word by word, line by line, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, finding guidance for ourselves rather than depending on other’s, learning the meanings, by learning Arabic or consulting a dictionary, and acting on these verses as they are meant for us, which in reality they are, and not a relic for, or of the past.

Common sense dictates the Prophet was only acting as a messenger, the message was meant for you and me, and for eternity. I mean not neglecting the guidance meant for the Prophet, after converting to Islam; the next stage is finding Allah Almighty in the early morning hours of dawn, and the stillness of the nights, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night’s and day’s, in graduating from the animal self, to being on the path of discovery the call of Tazkiya e Nafs in transitioning from Nafs Amarah to Nafs ul Mutminah. In each stage becoming a part of God’s Will.

There are no half measures, several paths have to be travelled simultaneously, and the performance of five times mandatory ‘Salah/Namaz’ after becoming a second habit, comes with remembrance of His Names, spread through the length and breath of the Quran.

Books for Reference:

1.Tahfeem ul Quran by Hazrat Syed Abu Al’a Maududi R.A.

2. Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam by Hazrat Mohammad Iqbal R.A.

3. Tazkirah by Hazrat Allama Inayat ullah Khan Mashriqi R.A.

4. Talash e Haqeeqat and Foaz al Azeem by Engineer Sultan Bashir ud din Mehmood.

Electrical engineer and nuclear scientist Sultan Bashir-Ud-Din Mehmood in his book “In Search Of Reality” remarks.

“It is matter of contemplation, when in a backward Arabian desert nation, how could a person (Prophet Mohammad) living 1400 years ago, in a city full of superstitions, and idol worship, who could not read a book, at reaching the age of 40, come up with statements which the sociologists, economist, historians, mathematicians, and scientists have arrived after lengthy and deep studies. Where did this brilliant personality learn all this?”

The above verses mentioned in the studies of animals and all kind of creatures flying in the sky is one such statement, providing, knowledge, and guidance for mankind. It is unfortunate Muslim nations, in quest for power and influence are outmaneuvering each other at the cost of building advanced institutes of sciences where these signs from God can be minutely studied, and PhD thesis and papers published, seminars, conferences conducted along with many other signs in the length and breadth of Quran.

If a Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, and Konrad Lorentz have done exhaustive studies on human evolution, human psychology and animal studies, having far reaching implications on the cultural, social and moral fabric of mankind, similar studies were conducted by Ibn Miskawayh in al-Fawz al-Asghar, Ibn Khaldun in Muqaddima, and Al-Jahiz in Kitab al-Hayawan respectively, based on the signs and inspirations derived from Quran.

Photo synthesis of plants, cloud formations. Driving rains bringing life to the seed, sprouting produce. The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory.

Individuals, communities and nations reading signs and laws of nature in the heavens and earth, with fine tuning and limitations set on these laws by Allah( swt), along with inculcating the virtues and the purification of the heart through but not limited to

a)Prayers b)Charity c) Fasting d) Solitude e) Poverty. f) Silence g) knowledge h.) Elimination of pride, greed, greatness, lust, anger, conceit etc. This journey starts with Ikhlas fine tuning the self, doing away with the above mentioned vices, as Dr Azhar Waheed points to the fact the logical implication of Ikhlas is solitude. This inner contemplation and self accountability implies a personality able to stand the most severest of shocks, most defiantly requiring a teacher.

The Quran is full of Signs, on the holistic nature of the Cosmos as the following verse mentions.

We shall show them Our signs In the horizons and in themselves, Till it is clear to them that it is the truth. Suffices it not as to thy Lord, That He is witness over everything?41-53

To Allah doth belong the dominion Of the heavens and the earth, And it is He who hath power Over all things.(Al Quran 5-120)

Syed Qutb emphatically brings out the essence of Islam. The only SUPER POWER in the Universe and on the earth is Allah(swt). A fusion of harmony and perfect balance is achieved when the inner experience of the Qalb, and the outer experience of knowledge, reason and science work in tandem.” None of this; The Qur'an always appeals to human nature and draws our attention to the signs of God which are within man's soul itself and are all around him. It liberates human nature from superstitions, polishes man's native intelligence to the utmost degree, and opens up windows to the world and makes man appreciate the intricate processes of God's nature.”.

And again. “For all tyranny is the same. The earth belongs to God and must submit purely to God. This cannot be achieved unless the banner of ‘ no diety other than God’ is unfurled across the earth. Man is servant to God alone, and this cannot be maintained except when the banner of ‘no deity other than God’ is raised high.”

We shall show them Our signs In the horizons and in themselves, Till it is clear to them that it is the truth. Suffices it not as to thy Lord, That He is witness over everything?41-53

As Mohammad Iqbal elaborates this union of the inner self and the outer universe eloquently as follows. “The idea, however, does not mean that mystic experience, which qualitatively does not differ from the experience of the prophet, has now ceased to exist as a vital fact. Indeed the Qur’an regards both Anfus (self) and Āfāq (world) as sources of knowledge. God reveals His signs in inner as well as outer experience, and it is the duty of man to judge the knowledge-yielding capacity of all aspects of experience. The idea of finality, therefore, should not be taken to suggest that the ultimate fate of life is complete displacement of emotion by reason. Such a thing is neither possible nor desirable. The intellectual value of the idea is that it tends to create an independent critical attitude towards mystic experience by generating the belief that all personal authority, claiming a supernatural origin, has come to an end in the history of man. This kind of belief is a psychological force which inhibits the growth of such authority. The function of the idea is to open up fresh vistas of knowledge in the domain of man’s inner experience. Just as the first half of the formula of Islam has created and fostered the spirit of a critical observation of man’s outer experience by divesting the forces of Nature of that Divine character with which earlier cultures had clothed them. Mystic experience, then, however unusual and abnormal, must now be regarded by a Muslim as a perfectly natural experience, open to critical scrutiny like other aspects of human experience. This

is clear from the Prophet’s own attitude towards Ibn Sayyād’s psychic experiences. The function of Sufism in Islam has been to systematize mystic experience; though it must be admitted that Ibn Khaldūn was the only Muslim who approached it in a thoroughly scientific spirit.

But inner experience is only one source of human knowledge. According to the Qur’an, there are two other sources of knowledge– Nature and History; and it is in tapping these sources of knowledge that the spirit of Islam is seen at its best. The Qur’an sees signs of the Ultimate Reality in the “sun”, the “moon”, “the lengthening out of shadows”, “the alternation of day and night”, ‘the variety of human colour and tongues”, “the alternation of the days of success and reverse among peoples”– in fact in the whole of Nature as revealed to the sense-perception of man. And the Muslim’s duty is to reflect on these signs and not to pass by them “as if he is dead and blind”, for he “who does not see these signs in this life will remain blind to the realities of the life to come.” This appeal to the concrete combined with the slow realization that, according to the teachings of the Qur’an, the universe is dynamic in its origin, finite and capable of increase, eventually brought Muslim thinkers into conflict with Greek thought which, in the beginning of their intellectual career, they had studied with so much enthusiasm. Not realizing that the spirit of the Qur’an was essentially anti-classical, and putting full confidence in Greek thinkers, their first impulse was to understand the Qur’an in the light of Greek philosophy. In view of the concrete spirit of the Qur’an, and the speculative nature of Greek philosophy which enjoyed theory and was neglectful of fact, this attempt was foredoomed to failure. And it is what follows their failure that brings out the real spirit of the culture of Islam, and lays the foundation of modern culture in some of its most important aspects.”

Quran exhorts the study of history, advising travel to the far corners of earth, in order to learn the laws of rise and fall of nations, to study their archeology, anthropology, sociology etc, just like it does for naturalists and biologist to visit the far corners of the earth and see how God initiated creation. As the following verses elaborate.

In their history verily there is a lesson for Ulul Albab (men and women of understanding). It is no invented story but a confirmation of the existing (Scripture) and a detailed explanation of everything, and a guidance and a mercy for folk who believe.

The Quran exhorts on research of past civilizations and their history including that from the scriptures as a truth and not anything invented or false.

And We sent not before you (as Messengers) any but men, whom We inspired from among the people of townships. Have they not travelled through the earth and seen what was the end of those who were before them? And verily, the home of the Hereafter is the best for those who fear Allah and obey Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds). Do you not then understand?

This study of the three disciplines of Almighty’s Tajali, as manifested through His great strength Al Aziz (power) and His great wisdom Al Hakim culminates in Sura Al Fajr with Divine Guidance directing a human being who once having realized his or her greatest sins chose Hazrat Omar R.A over Abu Jahil after having repented(Tauba) falls in prostration, weeping for the Mercy to remain at all times, every where till death has other plans and starts reflecting on the ‘Al Furqan’ guided, by sometimes randomly opening the pages of the Quran or through the vibes radiating in the ‘Sangat’ of the ‘Aulia’ wakes up at night engaged in Zikr, reading the Quran till dawn, performing the ‘ Salah’ is invited to share the greatest evidences/mysteries in the universe the silent turning of the night into day before his or her very eyes, the disappearance of night and the appearance of a bright new day, just as his or her life changed from sin, to repentance and on to reflecting in the signs in nature, history and the soul.

By the break of Day

Humans are invited to witness the majesty, splendor, grandeur, omnipresence and omnipotence of the Lord as He guides the earth around the sun, turning it slowly around its own orbit as it glides in space. An evidence for those who seek a miracle.

By the Nights twice five;

The first ten nights’s revered in the month of Dhu al Hijjah reserved for praying and meditation.

Here God explicitly mentions men, and not women sent as His messengers, in contrast to the word ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� persons of understanding where there is no stated ,(ُأdistinction between the two.

Arabic-English lexicon by Edward William Lane, describes. “( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل� persons ,(ُأ

of understanding. ( Labib), a person of understanding, or intelligence. Hence ( Lub) of a man (understanding, intellect, intelligence and mind). Aql the understanding that is put into the heart of a man so called because it is the choicest or best part of him, or it is not so called unless it is pure from cupidity or lust and foul imaginations and therefore has a more special sense than Aql. Lubab, lub what is pure, or, best part of anything thing.”

EXAMPLES OF A FEW MEN AND WOMEN OF UNDERSTANDING ( وا� ْو�ُل� ُأ

�اِب� �َب �ُل .(اَأْل�

Here the centrality of the heart is mentioned, which when treated with distinctive features mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), leads to knowledge beyond reason, aptly described, by Hossein Nasr, and the Muslim saints like Imam Ja’far Al- Sadiq (Jabir Ibn Hayan had this to say about his master ‘my master Ja'far as-Sadiq taught me about calcium, evaporation, distillation and crystallization and everything I learned in alchemy was from my master Ja'far as-Sadiq’). Here Jabir refers to Geber, the forerunner of modern chemistry.Ali Hajver , Abdul Qadir Gilani, Ibn Arabi, Imam Ghazali, Allama Iqbal, Allama Inayat ullah khan, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Syed Qutb, Syed Abu Ala Maududi, Professor Wasif Ali Wasif, Dr Israr Ahmed and including all those engaged in spreading the message of Quran in their various capacities with their pen, speech and action, honorable the likes of , Dr Abdul Quadeer Khan Founding Chairman K.R.L , Engineer Sultan Bashir ud din Mehmood Former DG DNP, PAEC, Dr Inam-ur-Rehman Former DG Pieas, Professor Rafiq Akhtar , Dr Allama Tahir ul Qadri, Dr Mujahid Kamran V.C Punjab University. Dr Umar Suheyl DG Iqbal Academy, Dr Muhammad Yousaf Hamza Principal Engineer Pieas, PAEC. Dr Azhar Waheed, Imtiaz Bukhari, Afzaal Ahmed (sang-e-meel publications), Nouman Ali khan and rare western scholars like Dr William Chittick, Dr Abdal Hakim Murad Cambridge university, Dr Annemarie Schimmel, Dr Karen Armstrong.

Dr Hossain Nasr elaborates.“The traditional concept of knowledge is concerned with freedom and deliverance precisely because it relates principal knowledge to the Intellect, not merely to reason, and sees sacred knowledge in rapport with an ever-present Reality which is at once Being and Knowledge, not with a process of accumulation of facts and concepts through time and based on gradual growth and development. Without denying this latter type of knowledge which in fact has existed in all traditional civilizations, tradition emphasizes that central knowledge of the sacred and sacred knowledge which is the royal path toward deliverance from the bondage of all limitation and ignorance,

from the bondage of the outside world which limits us physically and the human psyche which imprisons the immortal soul within us.“While considering the ordinary knowing function of the mind connected with what we receive through the senses and the rational analysis of this empirical data, tradition refuses to limit the role of knowledge to this level, or that of the intelligence to its analytical function. It sees the nobility of the human intellect in its being able to attain that knowledge which is beyond time and becoming, which, rather than engrossing us ever further in the accumulation of details and facts, elevates man to the level of that illimitable Being which is the source of all existents yet beyond them. To know that Being is to know in principle all that exists and hence to become free from the bondage of all limitative existence. Ordinary knowledge is of properties and conditions of things that exist. Although legitimate on its own level, it does not lead to freedom and deliverance. On the contrary, when combined with passion, it can engross man in the web of māyā and, while leading him to ever greater knowledge of details and facts which would appear to be an expansion of his knowledge, in reality imprison him further within the limits of a particular level of cognition and also of existence. The knowledge which delivers, however, is of the root of existence itself. It is based on the fundamental distinction between Ātman and māyā and the knowledge of māyā in the light of Ātman. It is principial knowledge, the Lā ilāha illa‘Llāh, which containing all truth and all knowledge, also delivers from all limitation. To know existence through the piercing light of intelligence is to be free from concern with the limited type of knowledge which engrosses but does not liberate the mind.”

“And they will ask you about the Spirit. Say, The Spirit is by the command of my Lord; you have been given only a little knowledge.”

The kind of knowledge yielding experiences narrated in the traditions of the sages, slowly disappearing, under the weight of scientism. As the following translations of the book “Rohain ki khusboo” by Muslim mystic, electrical engineer and nuclear scientist Bashir ud Mehmood explains.

“It is a moment of great concern for us that in the western world, experiencing a wave of spiritual revival, there arises, a need for us not only to guard against erroneous concepts. But also explain the world of the unseen in the light of the true facts and concepts of Islam. So that they can move from falsehood towards guidance. If we are unable to do that, it is at all possible under the materialistic mindset of the west, that the knowledge of the soul(Ruh), might get entangled in their materialistic approach. And that humankind instead of getting closer to God, move away.”

As explained in the “Mystics of Islam”.

“Sufism is not a system composed of rules or sciences but a moral disposition; i.e. if it were a rule, it could be made one's own by strenuous exertion, and if it were a science, it could be acquired by instruction; but on the contrary it is a disposition, according to the saying, 'Form yourselves on the moral nature of God'; and the moral nature of God cannot be attained either by means of rules or by means of science.”

Dr William Chittick, points the way of approaching the intellectual knowledge (Aqli) by phenomenon of Tahqiq, a word derived from the root (Haq), the esoteric and intellectual knowledge derived from the eye of the heart, rather then the transmitted (Naqli) and exoteric based on imitation (Taqlid). One tested by the time honored traditions, other on the modern explanations of the apologetics. One achieved by actualization in the heart, crucial ingredients, needed for the inner transformation, the self of the I am (heart and the soul of the momin, purged of the lowly desires, love of wealth, fame, status, acquisitions).

A reformation movement needs to be undertaken to curtail excessiveness in all domains of human activity leading to shirk. And to be careful to a repeat of Monasticism as

practiced in Christianity is not accepted in Islam. For the following verses of the Quran warn us.

Then, in succession, We followed them up with (other of) Our Messengers. We caused them to be followed by Jesus son of Mary and gave him the Gospel. And we placed kindness and compassion in the hearts of those who followed him. As for monastic asceticism—We had never ordained it to them. They invented it themselves to seek God’s approval. But then, they did not uphold the Gospel with right observance. And so those who truly believed among them, We gave them their reward. But, a great many of have been drifting away.

Interpretation of the Quran are done by scholars who captivated by their circumstances, their personal feelings , personalities, experiences, political motives, depth of knowledge and understanding , talent and vigor, economic distresses, reason and scientism, political influences tend to sometimes exaggerate one aspect or the other leading to shirk (blasphemy) unknowingly . May Allah (swt ) all praise be to Him, the Creator and Sustainer, the Cherisher and Lord of the Heavens and Earth’s, all the seen and the unseen. Lord of Grace abounding, forgive me for of any of my excesses (Amen). The least it is to be remembered being human with a constant urge to self praise and be praised, hard wired into out genetic structure. We get tempted to be all knowing. It is my personal experience when we meet people with authority, knowledge, wealth, one experiences a brick wall. Usually of very high intelligence these men and women of

unusual talent appear to disregard the other’s viewpoint. Imposing their own will, allowing their personal failings, inner insecurities, trial and tribulations, hidden in the unconscious to be reflected in their actions. This dichotomy can be removed through ijma (consensus) and dialogue.

We have to carefully look into the works of Dr Shabbir Ahmed( though he overlooks the achievements , sacrifices , and the valuable contribution to knowledge by Ulema and the Sufis of Islam). God warns of innovations that lead to the stray path, but says those who did practice monastic asceticism, with the right observance of the Gospel, as giving them their rewards. Allama Inayat Ullah Khan “Maulvi ka ghalat madhab”, Professor Rafiq Akhter’s book “An approach to the Quran” and Syed Abul Ala Maududi Tehfeem ul Quran commentary on chapter 57 verse 27 into the excesses, which have accumulated over the centuries especially in context to Christian Monastic practices having parallel derivatives in Islam.

In the extreme case of committing blasphemy as the followers of Jesus (Pbuh) in their ignorance, attributing Holiness and Divinity to the Holy Bible, Holy Son, etc, finding similar parallels in our calling Quran as Holy Quran, as brother Abu Mussab Wajdi Akkari explains. ‘Holy in the Arabic language is (transliteration) 'Muqaddas' , And Allah ta'Alaa has never referred to the Quran as being, Quran-il-Muqaddas, nor will you find in the reliable books of Sunnah Qurana-il-Muqaddas (The Holy Quran). Allah called the Quran, Quran-il Kareem (Noble Quran), Quran-il Hakeem (The Wise Quran), Quran-il Majid(The Glorious Quran)etc. So in-shaa'Allaah lets refer the Quran according to the names Allah had given it, not simply imitating the Christians without intending to do so. And Allah ta'Ala knows best”.

Their quest for purification, with in Islam is clearly laudable and great a service for the modern Muslim youth. The definition of Sufism applies to having Allah (swt) as the only priority with excessive remembrance

supplementing the five times daily prayers. The human nature given to extravagance sometimes tends to bypass the Shariah in its quest for Tariqah.

All our efforts are to seek and find God, constitute Seerat ul Mustaqeem, a Unity in diversity, in a wide variety of modes and paths/action/deeds/ways, according to our disposition, education and talent cannot ignore the law (Sharia) in any circumstances, the basis of all our strivings. While seeking the Absolute reality through reason and intellect,(Aql) or through love, some sacrificing their most precious possession in nurturing the

tree of truth, with their own blood, giving their lives in the cause of Allah (swt), some as missionaries of Islam, many through all of the above. It should not be our intention to ridicule, or belittle the other. But to understand the message, the word of Allah (swt) the most gracious the most merciful. “As for monastic asceticism—We had never ordained it to them. They invented it themselves to seek God’s approval. But then, they did not uphold the Gospel with right observance. And so those who truly believed among them, We gave them their reward. But, a great many of have been drifting away”. In a subtle way with having a soft corner for these men of learning the verses pertaining to God warning those who practice Monasticism or as some scholars refer it to Sufism in Islam, as explaining those who love Him, but not deviating from the Gospel as the rightly guided, what seems as dichotomous is in fact the diversity in the message of Allah (swt). Here is where a new seeker of truth is bewildered as seeing the tradition, split in different directions. The polemics of various commentators stem from lack of a common thread, of Ijma and Dialogue. Quran warns those who drift seeking God. Excess of everything leads to an unbalance, usually by a thought embedded or ingrained in the unconscious giving impetuous to the will, a harmony and balance between the conscious and unconscious mind is imperative. Those who do not understand the diverse working in nature and Allah’s plan ( Be Iznillah), bringing order out of chaos both in the seen and the unseen tend to create schism. Excessive remembrance of God, upholding the Law (Sharia) while standing sitting, and lying on their sides, are those who truly believe.

Recite (O Muhammad SAW) what has been revealed to you of the Book (the Quran), and perform As-Salat (IqamatasSalat). Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering (praising, etc.) Allah in prayers, etc.]. And Allah knows what you do.

In modern time management paradigm a balance is emphasized. We have to seek this perfection and guidance achieved in the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). Who could have wept more for the love his Lord then the Prophet himself relating an incidence when he wept the whole night until dawn till the early morning prayers as narrated by Aisha RA. “Then, she said, ‘Then he stood up, washed up (for prayer, performed Ghusl) and then stood up in prayer and kept crying until his ‘Hijr (the part of his clothes that covers his lap) became wet, and kept crying until the floor became wet. Then, Bilal came to him to inform him that it was time to start the prayer. When Bilal saw him crying, he said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Do you cry, while Allah has forgiven you your previous and latter sins?’ He said, ‘Should not I be a devotee most grateful? Tonight, Ayat (verses from the Quran) were sent down to me, woe unto he who reads them and does not think about them, “Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always in prayer) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth. [3:190-191].’ This guidance and perfection achieved in the life and teachings of the Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) if practiced sincerely is what Quran refers to those priests and monks in the following verses who are rightly guided, still using the word Rahab, as used in the above verses.

Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Al-Mushrikun (see V.2:105), and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud

And again

And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth. They say, "Our Lord, we have believed, so register us among the witnesses.

Islam is a religion of intentions (Niyah). Those scholars of Islam, who equate Sufism with monastic asceticism, miss the subtleness of the intentions, why would God here praise those same Monks. I am not advocating otherworldliness to a point of neglecting the covenants.

He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to say: All actions are by intention, and every man shall have what he intended.

. If a physicist or a chemist working in a Darul Hikmet, reflecting on the divine book of nature, a doctor devoting selflessly to his profession, a judge giving a right decision even it be against his son, brother or father, a political scientist, a social worker or a leader holding himself or herself as accountable to God and remembering Him at all times, attains the status of Allah’s devotee or servant. Unfortunately for the actions of some, right institutions are blamed. Quran mentions the priests and monks as practicing a truncated version of Judaism and Christianity, as at variance with the true faith.

(Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded [in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)) to worship none but One Ilah (God - Allah) La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Praise and glory be to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)."

And many of these priests and monks hoarded gold, silver, and wealth which they were not entitled.

O you who believe! Verily, there are many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks who devour the wealth of mankind in falsehood, and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah (i.e. Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism). And those who hoard up gold and silver [Al-Kanz: the money, the Zakat of which has not been paid], and spend it not in the Way of Allah, -announce unto them a painful torment.

And again Syed Abu Ala Maududi in his Tehfeem ul Quran remarks.

This verse embodies two directives. The first is that man should not attribute to himself the authority to proclaim things either lawful or unlawful according to his own wishes. Only that which God has held to be lawful is lawful, and only that which God has declared unlawful is unlawful. If men were to declare certain things either lawful or unlawful on their own authority, they would not be following the law of God but their own laws. The second directive is that they should not adopt the course of world-renunciation and abstention from worldly pleasures as the Christian monks, Hindu mendicants, Buddhist bhikshus and illuminist mystics did. Religious-minded and virtuous people have always tended to consider their physical and carnal desires an impediment to spiritual growth. They have considered suffering, deprivation from worldly pleasures and abstention from the means of worldly sustenance to be acts of goodness and indispensable for achieving proximity to God. Even some of the Companions leaned in

this direction. The Prophet (peace be on him) once came to know that some Companions had resolved that they would fast without interruption, that instead of spending the night on their beds they would remain awake praying, that they would consume neither meat nor fat, and would have no (sexual) relations with women. The Prophet (peace be on him) addressed the people on this subject and said: 'I have not been commanded to do so. Even your own self has rights against you. So, fast on certain days and refrain from fasting on others. Stay awake praying at night and also sleep. Look at me; 1 sleep as well as stay awake (praying); sometimes I fast and sometimes I don't. I consume meat as well as fat. Whosoever dislikes my way does not belong to me.' He then added: 'What has happened to people that they have prohibited for themselves women, good food, perfumes, sleep and the pleasures of the world, whereas I have not taught you to become monks and priests. In my religion there is neither abstention from women nor from meat, neither seclusion nor withdrawal. For the purposes of self-control my religion has fasting. As for monasticism, all its benefits can be derived from jihad (struggle in the way of God). Serve God and associate none with Him. Perform Hajj and 'Umrah, establish Prayers, dispense Zakah and observe the fasts of Ramadan. Those who were destroyed before you were destroyed because they were severe with themselves, and when they became severe with themselves God became severe with them as well. It is the remnants of such people who you see in the oratories and hermitages of monks.' (Ibn Kathir, vol. 2, pp. 626 and 628-9 - Ed.).

Only Allah (swt) knows best. May Allah (swt) again forgive me for interpreting the verses on Priests and Monks in parallel with Ulema and Sufis of Islam. According as the verses of Quran explain both their attributes of virtue and vice.

What these scholars are trying to explain, is cleared by the two verses in the Quran.

And most of them believe not in Allah without associating (other as partners) with Him!.(Quran 12:106).

It is imperative to guard against shirk, which can appear in any form and shape. -

Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who are God conscious.

A gibbous moon is visible above Earth's atmosphere, photographed by an STS-128 crew member on the Space Shuttle Discovery, during flight day three activities in this NASA handout photo taken August 30, 2009. REUTERS/NASA/Handout.

A perfect balance, inner harmony and the right direction or path is achieved with reflecting and using knowledge acquired through sense perception, together with practicing piety.

Another misconception in the hearts of those who dread Shirk in any form or shape, Is that out of our zeal for purification, we forget the importance in the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). The parallels in the history and later day developments in Judaism, Christianity and Islam sometimes baffle, the mind, with similar practices arising in context of Shirk. But what does Allah (swt) says about His Prophet.

Verily, those who give Bai'a (pledge) to you (O Muhammad SAW) they are giving Bai'a (pledge) to Allah. The Hand of Allah is over their hands. Then whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks only to his own harm, and whosoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah, He will bestow on him a great reward.

Verily the best Guide, is Allah (swt) the Creator and the, Sustainer, the Lord of the Seen and Unseen, the Wise and the Mighty, the First and the Last, the Rehman and the Rahim.

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No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of Allah: and if any one believes in Allah, (Allah) guides his heart (aright): for Allah knows all things.

Praying for His forgiveness with a weeping eye and softness of the heart in the middle and early morning hours of the night. In the utter darkness of the universe, left only with His Light, The Creator and creation without any intercession.

Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

The Quran says ayah 17-36

And pursue not thatOf which thou hastNo knowledge; forEvery act of hearing,Or of seeing,Or of (feeling in) the heartWill be enquired into(On the day of Reckoning).

Knowledge is gained by using; the senses acquired by humans through natural selection or more aptly directed evolution. God’s gift’s accountable to Him .Anything not verifiable by these faculties or the modern day instruments an extension of these senses, in the realm of the seen or unseen, does not constitute Knowledge. With the exception of God, His angels, the knowledge of Ruh and what He hides from his creation. And merging it with piety or vica versa, the two domains of scholarship from the Quran working in tandem.

Synthetic a priori knowledge and assertions acquired in the Qalb. Quran explains

No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.

And the analytic propositions, deductive truths and empirical values of the a posteriori sense perceptions. Though Kant here misses the essentials of knowledge, as both physics and metaphysics, for a Dr Stephan Hawking or Hazrat Mian Bashir R.A , are relative to their concrete experiences. One having a certainty in the domain of sense perception the laws of physics, the other on the Creator of the universe. A synthesis of both in the life and practices of Nuclear Engineer, Momin and Ulul Albab Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood. .

Continuing on the importance of study of history as mentioned in various verses of the Quran.

Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It (the Quran) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of the Allah's existing Books [the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel) and other Scriptures of Allah] and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a Mercy for the people who believe.

Here the essence of Quran is substantiated by those who delve into these signs with the sincerest of hearts. A book to be lived and acted upon in every moment of ones existence, no sooner as one reads and understands its messages, to the fullest extent of ones vigor and talent. For soul of every person is like a plant in nature, which grows when tendered with light and water, air and soil, and withers away when unattended. Quran a therapeutic balm balancing heart and mind of the insane e kamil with reason being subservient to the Lord of the Worlds within the context of Tawhid. Explained by the friend of Allah (swt) the Sufi saint Abdul Hakim Murad.

“This is the Quran as healing (17:82) a balm for hearts. The scripture seems to apply that our tragedy is an ignorant alienation from the Real, wherein lies all wholeness and appropriateness, and that only Heaven can send down the rain which revives the hearts. Whether it saves through its calligraphy or its cantillation, the Book does not seem to be saving through reason, it does not deny it, but it insists on ‘descending upon your heart’ (2:97), for its Author is not reached by the faculties of perception (6:103).

Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah, confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers.

No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things

Allah (swt) reclaims the heart of such a friend and opens it up to Islam.

Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, So that he has received

Enlightenment from Allah, (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts Are hardened against celebrating The praises of Allah! They Are manifestly wandering (in error)!

Allah(swt) gives the reason for people who do not believe in his Signs, namely Pride and seeking Greatness.

Those who dispute about the signs of Allah without any authority bestowed on them,- there is nothing in their breasts but (the quest of) greatness, which they shall never attain to: seek refuge, then, in Allah: It is He Who hears and sees (all things).

Besides the signs of God, to be reflected upon in the study of nature, there are laws to regulate and conduct the affairs of men and women of understanding. Being of a superior intelligence and free will, as compared to the more inspired BEE and its colony (Inayat ullah describes as labour by intensive regimentation), easily prone to being domesticated by the evil of their fellow beings, under economic, political, social duress. Imitating their beliefs as absolute truths being enslaved in the process under the guise of modern, civilized cultures. Here Syed Qutb has elaborated “In the Shade of the Quran”.

“The Quran was bestowed from on high to Muhammad, God’s Messenger, so that he might, by means of it, establish a state, bring a community into being, organize a society, cultivate minds and consciences and set moral values. The Qur’an was also to set the bonds that would operate within the Muslim community, as also define the international relations the Muslim state might have. All these were to be firmly joined together, so that all their parts would form one coherent whole, stemming from a single source and referring to a single authority. This is, in fact, the nature of religion, as defined by God and practiced by Muslims in the days when they were indeed truly Muslims.”

Quran is the commands of Allah (swt), which He says descends on the earth and the entire universe. Humans given to pride, anger, domination, greed, lust for power, wealth, jealousy, immoral behavior (under stresses and pressures of life, weak by nature) needs guidance.

There is life in the law of Al-Qisas, a lesson for men and women of understanding.

And there is (a saving of) life for you in Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment), O men of understanding, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V.2:2).

The importance of free will also entails and carries a covenant with God, in moral, ethical instructions, legislation on diet, conduct in war and peace, abolition of usury etc, Another important and fundamental question is what the Quran mentions as to the nature

of the heart “Truly there is a reminder in this for anyone who has a heart, or who listens attentively with presence of mind(Quran 50:37).”As Iqbal alludes to his guiding Nietzsche if he were alive.

The “I am” which he seeketh,Lieth beyond philosophy, beyond knowledge.The plant that groweth only from the invisible soil of the heart of man,Groweth not from a mere heap of clay!

Islamic mysticism as it seeks the ultimate reality is a further extension of the mysticism of the followers of original church of Jesus (Pbuh), his ministry in his earthly life. For what it seeks is a possession of the heart of the individual soul, “They shall be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee" (Prov. v. 17), and again

" Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me"(jer. ix. 22,23).

True to these dual teachings of piety and righteous deeds, Dr Ali Shariati the martyr saint elaborates.” As for the Qur'an, it is a book resembling the Torah (Old Testament) which contains social, political, and military precepts, including instructions for conducting a war and capturing as well as the freeing of captives. It is also a book which emphasizes the purification of nature, the piety of the soul, and the exalting ethics of the individual.

As to the prophet Mohammad (PBUH), he was also a man with two profiles (as we see in

the history of celebrities) combined in one spirit. He was a man continuously at war, politically and militarily, with the enemies and the subversive elements of society. His aim was to build a modern society and civilization, while guiding humanity towards a distinct goal. But above all he was devout and virtuous.

Finally, the fruits of the prophet's training are Ali, Abuzar, and Salman. These are among the very few two-dimensional human beings of the world. These were men of politics and war, who struggled for a better existence. They spent a lifetime in the battlefields, military training, scientific inquiry and discussion. They were also virtuous on par with the monks and theosophists of the East. Today, with the information available on his meditations on God, Abuzar is the best guide to knowing the Qur'an. A look at the prophet's companions indicates that all were just, sensitive warriors, and constructive individuals who were concerned with building a better society and establishing justice. Conclusions In Islam man is not subjugated by God, since he is the Lord's associate, friend, trustee, and kinsman on earth. God taught man and all the angels prostrated themselves before him. Thus, such a two-dimensional being needs a religion which can protect him from swinging to either asceticism or worldliness, and continually keep him at an equilibrium. Only a two-dimensional religion is able to give reality to man's great responsibility.”

It is only in context to these teachings, that this essay mentions physics and mathematics, masquerading as and replacing the Ultimate Ego, or its creation the human observer being relegated by the instrument recording the outcome of an experiment in quantum physics, here both the creative activity of God and His Vice-regent act to determine the outcome. God when the human observer did not exist or does not exist. The creative activity of this Ultimate Ego and its creation in the outer horizons and inner manifestations slowly passing from One to the other as more and more of His creation assimilates the Intelligence, Will and Power of the Creator. A unity manifested in the outcome of the creative activity of the Creator and the created. Sense perception and inner intuition actualized into the outcome of its role in the development to the status of Khalifa Phil Ardh, Vice-regent. In practice all human activity whether of a doctor, an engineer or some one engaged in the study of nature, a soldier defending the interest of Islam, is a mystic in the way of Allah (swt).

Dr Chitick mentions.

“True intellectual knowledge is altogether different. It is not achieved by standing on anyone’s shoulders. Only what is known in the depths of the soul, without intermediary, is intellectual in the proper sense of the word. No one can pass such knowledge on to someone else, nor can it be found by reading and study. It must be realized within oneself through a long process of mental training and inner purification.”

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Present day anathema of modern science, subjugating the inner experiences of the heart, relegating the human from its role as vice-regent to the role of a tool making, lower animal, losing all higher strivings, mired in the pleasure of the body at the cost of the soul, for what is body but the evolution and symmetry breaking of the universe from the big bang to the present, having come a long way from being enriched and tossed in the firmament and cores of the stars, fine tuned at each epoch. Each individual a unique and purified gift, needing to survive in the vast emptiness of space and time, itself a gift of these dimensions. Human mind, gradually permeating matter, is finding it difficult to maintain that perfect harmony and equilibrium, which Dr Ali Shariati mentions above. A harmony achieved and perfected in the personality of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh). The Quran becomes externally and internally manifested in the life, teaching and practices of this servant of God. As the following passages illustrate.” Indeed, the Messenger of Allah used to think deeply about the Quran, and he was on an exalted standard in this regard. Ibn ‘Hibban narrated that Ataa’ said, “I and ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Umayr once came to ‘Aaishah. ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Umaayr said, ‘Tell us about the most unusual thing that you have witnessed from the Messenger of Allah. ‘She cried. Then, she said, ‘One night, he stood up—in prayer—and said, ‘ O Aaishah, let me worship my Lord!’ She said, ‘I said, ‘By Allah! I like your being close to me, but I also like what pleases you.” Then, she said, ‘Then he stood up, washed up (for prayer, performed Ghusl) and then stood up in prayer and kept crying until his ‘Hijr (the part of his clothes that covers his lap) became wet, and kept crying until the floor became wet. Then, Bilal came to him to inform him that it was time to start the prayer. When Bilal saw him crying, he said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Do you cry, while Allah has forgiven you your previous and latter sins?’ He said, ‘Should not I be a devotee most grateful? Tonight, Ayat (verses from the Quran) were sent down to me, woe unto he who reads them and does not think about them, “Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always in prayer) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth. [3:190-191].’

[ As-Silsilah As-Sahihah]. This Hadith proves that thinking about these Ayat is an obligation on Muslims.”

Here it is of a crucial importance and utmost necessity for each individual man and women of understanding to comprehend that which is seldom apprehended, by a single soul as a unity. The development and progress in knowledge the above verses introduced were manifested in the history of Islam by such terms as daqiq al-kalam and jalil al-kalam.

By fully advancing amid and practicing the techniques, methods and injunctions of “Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding” we have arrived by reflecting in the Divine book of nature at the Grand unification of the fundamental forces. The other immediate verses,” Those who remember Allah (always in prayer) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides”, have produced men and women of the esoteric. Those who attune themselves to the call of the soul beyond the call of morality and ethics, though not neglecting the later, at that transcendental union with the absolute, with experiences in the heart of the اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� It is time that we start using the Quranic expression in .ُأdescribing both the Scientist and the Sufi as اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� The followers of Ibn .ُأTaymiyya in their quest for purification have done a great service in excelling at the root the law(Shariah), but failed to nurture the flower of Divine essence the signs in the Anfus (self) and outer Āfāq(world). Most Muslim’s unaware of the stations of the Qalb, due to this dichotomy have generated an uncalled for antagonism. Though both the words Scientist and Sufi in their earnestness (ikhlas) define the equilibrium, manifested in the above ayah.

IS DIALOGUE POSSIBLE?

Dialogue among individuals, civil societies, communities, organizations, academia and policymakers, higher religions, nations, and empires, is the most critical and essential ingredient for the survival of human species, in any short and long term ventures on earth and in space. Dialogues are a threat to vested interests, who enjoin for status quo. The wrath of spontaneous outpourings, and revolutions are undertaken under the conditions of extremity in views, of a Pharaoh and a Moses (Pbuh), a Socrates and his accusers, the defenders of Masada and the Roman legions ( “The defenders of Masada simply had to be killed to reinforce an ancient imperialist superpower's reputation of invincibility), a Jesus(Pbuh) and the High Priests, a Mohammad (Pbuh) and the Jahiliyya, a Hussain and a Yazid, a Robespierre and King Louis XVI., a George Washington and a colonial empire. The international serf and the bourgeois, a Syed Qutb and a modern Pharaoh, an Ali Shariati and ignorance, a Nelson Mandela, a Cesar Chaves, a Martin Luther king, and the likes of them, to many to count. History perhaps never changes, but is reborn under new guises, with a new Pharaoh and a new Moses (Pbuh). “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good."[8] They have certain natural rights to property, to liberty and to life. According to this theory the role of government is to recognize and secure these rights. Furthermore government should be carried on by elected representatives.” Ibn Khaldun’s prolegomena viewing latent instabilities a sign of every nation having its days with God

George Bush carried a paper written by Bernard Lewis in one of the conferences leading to attacks on the Middle East and the orient in September 2001, which stressed on inculcating fear and dread in the hearts and minds, of Islam, with the arrogance and might of its war fighter. Bernard Lewis is a prodigious, scholar and thinker, who for one, knows the history, culture, and the ways of Muslim’s, perhaps equal to them if not more. Are the origins in the clash of civilizations, commercial, the inherent greed in men and empires? Or a clash of religions or both.

Clash occurs due to the west and their,

1. Judeo Christian values.2. Freedom and liberty.3. Neo Liberal economy and Capitalist system.4. Rule of law (with in west).

Feeling threatened by the east, especially with Islam and the emerging powers in China, Russia and Iran, which the west considers as the rise of a new imperialism and radical Islam.

The years preceding 1492, were the last when the elect of the three monotheistic faith, had a dialogue in the libraries of Toledo, Seville and Cordoba,

since Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand accepted the surrender of the Muslim monarch, Mohammed XII, when a million books by Muslim scholars were destined to burn, when the edict of the expulsion of Jews went public on 29 April 1492.

The historical document of the Edict of the expulsion of the Jews of Spain(1492).

English translation of a portion of the Edict. “…. since the Christians have engaged in and continue to engage in social interaction and communication they have had means and ways they can to subvert and to steal faithful Christians from our holy Catholic faith and to separate them from it, and to draw them to themselves and subvert them to their own wicked belief and conviction, instructing them in the ceremonies and observances of their law, holding meetings at which they read and teach that which people must hold and believe according to their law, achieving that the Christians and their children be circumcised, and giving them books from which they may read their prayers and declaring to them the fasts that they must keep, and joining with them to read and teach them the history of their law, indicating to them the festivals before they occur, advising them of what in them they are to hold and observe, carrying to them and giving to them from their houses unleavened bread and meats ritually slaughtered, instructing them about the things from which they must refrain, as much in eating as in other things in order to observe their law, and persuading them as much as they can to hold and observe the law of Moses, convincing them that there is no other law or truth except for that one. This proved by many statements and confessions, both from these same Jews and from those who have been perverted and enticed by them, which has redounded to the great injury, detriment, and opprobrium of our holy Catholic faith.”

We have gathered again, this time in the land where she sent her admiral, on 3rd of August 1492 precisely, not knowing in 400 to 500 years, all the three faiths, would be building, their synagogues, their churches , their mosques with the same vigor as then.

God does monitor and records, how His followers and those of His messengers, perform. Time is of no essence to Him, and will continue to watch us, as we and our later generations, become admirals of the universe. A space faring community, destined to carry on the message of One God, unfurling his flag, across eternity. Our next rendezvous could be on a distant planet, in a distant star, in forms and shapes, different, but with the eternal message.

To God belongs all sovereignty over the heavens and the earth and all they contain.

He has the power over all things.” (Verse 10:120).

Time is ripe to sit again, continuing our dialogue where we left. Perhaps we would need the likes of Luis de Torres (a Christian convert from Judaism, under coercion, who spoke Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic to mediate our dialogue), whom Columbus had left behind, to set up a diplomatic mission. Quran would be of immense, study in relations and the dialogue, that could take form and place among the people of the book, the west predominantly, and the Muslim Diaspora.

Mankind was but one nation,But differed (later). Had it notBeen for a wordThat went forth beforeFrom thy Lord, their differencesWould have been settled Between them.

Laws of requital and laws of diversity operating in the affairs of Gods creation, unraveling in the movement and change of time , throughout the cosmos, like a stream, a river of water, overcoming nooks and corners, boulders and mountains, waiting for no one, in its destiny towards a definite purpose, understood by a few

Seest thou not thatAllah sends down rainFrom the sky? With itWe then bring out produceOf various colors.And in the mountainsAre tracts white and red,Of various shades of colour,And black intense in hue.

.And so amongst menAnd crawling creatures and Cattle,Are they of various colours.Those truly fear Allah,Among His Servants,Who have knowledgeFor Allah is Exalted in Might,Oft-Forgiving.

Here again those who scrutinize and reflect (taffakur) on the rain from the sky, the meteorologists and climatologists . Those who delve in agriculture the agronomists. Geologist and geo-physicists, who research, classifying rocks and minerals by their colors. Anthropologists studying human societies, communities, and races. Entomologists, zoologists, veterinarians contemplating (tadabbur ) the behavior of insects, reptiles, mammals all constitute God servant’s in the study of the Divine book of nature, are called Al Alamoon, as those truly fear Him.

Necessitates a whole set of arguments of God challenging His creation of there being not able to rightly estimate Him.

No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him: On the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the Partners they attribute to Him!.

An indication of his Might reflected in the prayers of Moses, on Mount Sinai.

During the appointment, the Lord spoke to Moses. He asked the Lord to show Himself so that he could look at Him. The Lord replied, "You can never see Me. But look at the mountain. If the mountain remains firm only then will you see Me." When the Lord manifested His Glory to the mountain, He turned it into dust and Moses fell down upon his face senseless. After regaining his senses, Moses said, "Lord, You are all Holy. I repent for what I asked you to do and I am the first to believe in You."

This is the first incidence of any soul, trying to have a direct vision of the Ultimate. The nearest estimate as to His Gory and Might is the story of Prophet Moses (Pbuh). Quran speaks of the trust, which the mountains could not bear, Humans in their impatience took that challenge, and continue to do till the end times, as Co-workers, Vice-regents.

The signs derived through Intellect and reason the exoteric is balanced in its application, integrating it with the inner spiritual dimension, growth and movement the esoteric. Quran is very clear and concise on the equal importance of both. As both being derived from same root Haq (truth with a purpose) as opposed to Batil (slander without a purpose). Sirat-e-Mustaqeem has wide connotations one being reflecting and achieving salvation through the study, practice and deep understanding of the following verses.

Quran.remarks:

We shall show them Our signs In the horizons and in themselves, Till it is clear to them that it is the truth. Suffices it not as to thy Lord, That He is witness over everything?41-53

And again,

Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men and women of understanding.

Those who remember Allah (always in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.

The finitude of thought often misread as something inconclusive, is contrary to the spirit of the above, mentioned verses. Also explained in depth as follows.

.

No soul can believe, exceptBy the Will of Allah,And He will place Doubt(Or obscurity) on thoseWho will not understand

The lane Arabic dictionary defines the Arabic word Rjis, with different meanings one being doubt, “they are in a state of confusion and perturbation in respect of their affair or case”. Or the illness of the heart, in what Syed Abu Ala Maududi describes as the wrong premises of reasoning in their quintessential search in to the meaning and nature of things.

And let not their speech grieve you. Indeed, honor [due to power] belongs to Allah entirely. He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

Here the speech (thought, knowledge, logic and, reason, of those who do not understand) or the dialectics of those opposed to Quran, are being challenged to face the knowledge and dialectics of God the all Hearing and the all Knowing. It is in reference to these teachings and the correct understanding, of the Quran that many commentators and scholars of Islam have very clearly understood and enumerated the role of reason. I would like to draw attention to a few of their writings. But in he same breath not ignoring the arguments of the likes of Dr Bertrand Russell , Dr Francis Crick, Dr Steven Weinberg, Christopher Hitchens, Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson, Dr Stephen Hawking .The pragmatic way is for both sides to follow what the later remarks.

“It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else. Sometimes it is years before I see the way forward. In the case of information loss and black holes, it was 29 years”.

And again

“The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.”

The implications of belief for a scientist and a member of faith or tradition are quite different, a scientist can review and easily admit his mistakes on presentation of contrary evidence, but a person of faith, whose evidence is based on a divine book or a very personal religious experience, cannot be so convinced. This is the dilemma facing the one of not understanding the other and subsequent clash of civilizations and even clash of religions and religious sects. As I have written in this essay we can only minimize our differences but not eradicate them. This is the inbuilt character of tradition as opposed to science. If Quran presents us evidence as for those asking for a miracle, in the study of animals and birds, organized into vastly complex communities, its not indoctrination. God the Creator and Sustainer is the one Who’s book the Quran provides evidences, of unparallel magnitude. Besides a way to ever greater purification of the soul.

On this news on the 5th July 2012 “Physicist Steven Hawking admits he has lost a bet that the Higgs boson particle would not be found. Hawking says the bet was made with Gordon Kane of Michigan University. 'It seems I have just lost $100', said Hawking with a big smile on his face, after Cern scientists announced their findings on Wednesday.”

A man of faith on a journey in search of reality, how ever long it takes once having been convinced is not following science but a Divine book the Quran. Science is only a subset, we confuse the Ultimate Reality God with science and reason. If it took us so much efforts in finding the God particle (metaphorical sense) that too indirectly, to find God Himself called Laqai-Rabb the ultimate meeting in the Quran would render us to search and exhaust the whole cosmos. As some scholars like Inayat-ullah Khan Mashriqi contend in their translations.

The Ultimate Reality God cannot be seen with our eyes, but by the following.1. Reflecting on the signs in the heavens and earth in a direction from the known to

the unknown.

And how many Signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by? Yet they turn (their faces) away from them!

2 An inner experience through specialized conduct alluded in the Quran.

Following the teachings of His last Prophet Mohammad(Pbuh).

3 Finally by Divine Grace and Attaining what we call Irfan, or Marifa (Gnosis).

(Marufatun) is described in Arabic-English lexicon by Edward William Lane as: Signifying Knowledge, cognition, cognizance, or acquaintance.

(Aref) : It also signifies particularly [Skilled in divine things] possessing knowledge of God, and of His kingdom, and of the way of dealing well with Him.

Referring to the Jews at the time of the advent of Quran, Allah Almighty mentions them as the people of the Book, who would not understand even when they recognized it as the truth. Here it may be mentioned some of their leading authorities converted.

And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them,- although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith,- when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognised, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without Faith.

Let us find the may or may not however long it takes. On a personal note it took me 30 years to find the may from the may not. The greatest obstacles being reason, logic and science (free inquiry).Though well versed in the Quran about its exhortations and dictums in nature. Only the power of Love broke all the chains and inhibitions. However long one contemplates all the mysteries in the cosmos, there is no greater mystery then unveiling, the self-understanding of Quran on the heart of a Muslim, a Sufi, a Momin, a Muttaqi, an Alim, an Aulia Allah, or Ulul Albab.

A Sufi saint mentions in his book Irfan on the preciousness of each moment left in our lives.‘In short, the value and price of this valuable life and its golden breaths will be apprehended after death, when it is lost and the foolish careless man , will cry aloud:--“ Alas for what I wasted in getting near to the God and verily I am one of the great losers.” Therefore , O dear ones ! think highly of the few breaths and moment left to you in this world. Even if one of these is spent in remembrance of God, it is preferable to the kingdom of the whole world.

As Khaquani, a truthful poet, has said :--

“After thirty years of meditation Khaquani learnt the point that a moment with God is far better than the kingdom of Solomon the Prophet.”

Or as Christopher Hitchens offers.

“Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, open mindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake. We do not hold our convictions dogmatically: the disagreement between Professor Stephen Jay Gould and Professor Richard Dawkins, concerning "punctuated evolution" and the unfilled gaps in post-Darwinian theory, is quite wide as well as quite deep, but we shall resolve it by evidence and reasoning and not by mutual excommunication.”

Quran remarks;

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

The Lane Arabic dictionary describes “Taghut, means the idol called Ilat or that called

Aluzi, or whatever is worshipped instead, or to the exclusion of God--------and any head or leader of error and the exorbitant in pride or corruptness, or disbelief or disobedience, of the people of the Scripture.”

What Christopher misses is in the superficial research, with which he approaches the whole of science, reason, metaphysics, and the prophetic revelation. An issue that takes years like any major problem, in physics, mathematics, chemistry etc to solve depending on a certain kind of receptive heart and mind. As to his assertion that the advent of the telescope and the microscope, did a great service in eliminating the dogma, shows the depth of his inquiry. Writing an article or speaking with convincing arguments, logic, and philology in the domains of knowledge beyond senses, requires an inner experience, the unveiling of the Quran, reaching Haqiqat the Ultimate Reality by Tahqiq the realization in the heart, beyond the pale of physics and mathematics for those investigating God intellectually. As for the heart of a plebian, a ship breaker in Gadani on the shores of the Indian Ocean, or a Guyanese’s working in the Rice fields of Berbice, a construction worker on the high rise buildings of Dubai in sweltering heat and offering namaz, giving charity whether monetarily or by their righteous deeds, reading the Quran in the early morning hours constitute people of paradise.

Quran gives guidance to each and every person of every denomination/skill/profession with the wisdom in its leaves spread across its length and breadth whether he or she is finding it in reference to military science, laws of business, human sociology, psychology, science,

Quran uses its own arguments, with an unimaginable depth, some scholars in Islam; prohibit reading the earlier texts and their histories. What I believe is just the opposite, as this book the Quran stresses us to visit far corners of the earth to find out the truth, whether in anthropology, biology or history leading to the continuity and understanding of these messages with increasing conviction. A visit from Jones town, Pa to the Niagara Falls, Ny, shows the proliferation of nuclear reactors and message of God, the churches, scattered in the heart of every town and village in the beautiful valley’s and the green pastures. Science and religion existing together and the best possible method described itself to resolve an argument. Fundamentalism, extremism often used in context to

revolutions, is a relative term; my hero can be your enemy. Though hero worship leads to cults, and the hero starts believing in the concept and in the following dictum, “If you can do anything you will do it” or ”Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely” the sunnat of Allah(swt), is to create diversity at the expanse of divisions, the Mormons attributing a good harvest to divine wisdom when lost in the wilderness in the preservation of their faith, or as Dr Abdus Salam the Pakistani Noble Laureate unifying the forces of nature, praying for unitary and mystical experience from God. It is to this dilemma presented in religions that a like of Christopher’s alludes to “Religion has run out of justifications”.

Quran argues with statements, not attuned to a western mind like Christopher Hitchens, or Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson for if they want a testable prediction.

“But I remain skeptical of the value of revelations gleaned from religious texts as sources of insight to the natural world -- until the day when a person makes a testable prediction that comes true about unknown (or unsuspected) objects or phenomena based on revelation. This has never happened in the history of this effort, yet such predictions represent a fundamental dimension of science as an enterprise.” “A scriptural passage is of no use to the scientist unless it makes a testable prediction of unknown phenomena.  Until that happens, religion will offer no meaningful insight into the operations of the natural world.” Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Then the Quran remarks.

Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

The Cobe satellite mission, and evolutionary biology, is spread with statements to this effect.

Lord of the Worlds, in His wisdom creates and repeats creation, evolutionary biology, supplemented in the “Order and Chaos; The Prigoginian view” giving new insights to the active creative activity of God and the creativity of His co-worker and Vice-regent.

That is because Allah He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (falsehood) And verily, Allah He is the Most High, the Most Great.

If scholars of Quran, use evolution, as a function of natural selection then their followers have to expand it into other fields of inquiry. Creative co-worker(Naib) has to remember what is explained in the following.

“The ultimate source of existence is the Void, the supracosmic Silence, the uncreated and absolutely ineffable Supreme.

The first possible formulation of this source is Universal Mind. Here, too, words fail, for Universal Mind transcends the dichotomies, polarities, and paradoxes that harass the relative world and our finite minds comprehension of it. Insofar as description is attempted, the Vedantic ternary—Infinite Existence, Infinite Intelligence, Infinite Bliss — is as serviceable as any.

God is not limited to his forgoing, “abstract” modes. He can be encountered concretely, as the God of the Old and New Testaments, Buddha, Shiva, or in other modes. These modes do not, however, wear the mantle of ultimacy or provide final answers.

The phenomenal worlds owe their existence to Universal Mind, which Mind does not itself become implicated in their categories. Man, together with the three-dimensional world he experiences, is but one of innumerable modes through which Mind experiences itself. The heavy physicality and seemingly objective finality of man’s material world, its space-time grid and the laws of nature that offer themselves as if they were the sina qua nons of existence itself—all these are in fact highly provisional and relative. Under exceptional circumstances, people can rise to a level of consciousness at which they see that taken together they constitute but one of innumerable sets of limiting constructs that Universal Mind assumes. To saddle that Mind itself with those constructs would be as ridiculous as trying to understand the human mind through the rules of chess.

Created entities tend progressively to lose contact with their original source and the awareness of their pristine identity with it. In the initial stage of this falling away, those entities maintain contact with their source, and the separation is playful, relative, and obviously tentative. An image that illustrates this stage is that of a wave of the ocean. From a certain point of view the wave is a distinct entity—we can speak of it as large, fast-moving, green, and foamy. But its individuation doesn't keep it from belonging to the ocean proper.

At the next stage, created entities assume a partial independence and we can observe the beginnings of cosmic screen work, the Absolute’s assumption of veils that are gossamer-like in the beginning but grow increasingly opaque. Here unity with the source can be temporarily forgotten in the way an actor can forget his own identity as he identifies with the character he depicts.

Eventually the veiling process reaches a point where individuation looks like the normal state of things and the original wholeness is perceived only intuitively and

sporadically. This can be likened to the relationship between cells of a body and the body as a while. Cells are separate entities but function as their body’s parts. Individuation and participation are dialectically combined. Complex biochemical interactions bridge provisional boundaries to ensure the functioning of the organism as a whole.

In the final stage, the separation is practically complete. Liaison with the source is lost sight of and the original identity forgotten. The screen is now all but impermeable, and a radical change of consciousness is required to break through it. A snowflake can serve as a symbol. In outward appearance it doesn’t look like water; to understand that nevertheless it is water we have to get down to H2O.

Human beings who manage to effect the requisite break through find thereafter that life’s polarities paradoxically do and do not exist. This holds for such contraries as matter and spirit, good and evil, permanence and change, heaven and hell, beauty and ugliness, and agony and ecstasy. In the end, there is no difference between subject and object, observer and observed experiencer and experienced, creator and creation..” By Huston Smith in ‘Cleansing the Doors of Perception’.

It is only in managing this requisite break through, that the experience of the unitary or mystical is attended to.

Or Dr Chittick.

“True meaning can never be grasped by dogma, doctrines, theories, or any other mental construct. It can be only found by going beyond the operations of the mind, actualizing the unitary awareness of primordial intelligence that lies beneath the mind and behind the world, and integrating the human self back into its transcendent origin.”

Summing up is what Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad remarks.

“Could it be that the very existence of prophecy, which the scripture proclaims as necessary to man’s salvation, indicates that human reason, unaided, cannot reach truth? Is this the crux of the argument not only between Plato and Aristotle, but between Athens and Jerusalem.”

Quran professes the merger of thought and action, the study of nature (free inquiry, open mindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake) coupled with practices of Law (Shariah) in the vertical dimension synthesized by intuition in the horizontal dimension. Both the horizontal and the vertical dimensions, opening up seen and unseen blessing in the regulating powers of law (Sharia), Ilm (knowledge) and purification of the Ruh. A three dimensional effort, unlocking the secrets of the fourth and more dimensions, where time and space freezes as the tears of this servant of God, who is a fighter on the battlefield against the infidels, a father par excellence, a husband devoted to his family, a son devoted to his parents. What we read, we try to understand, what we try to

understand, we try practice; it’s of utmost importance to realize, that one form of imperialism should not be replaced with another. If we profess our religion to be the religion of peace, we should strive for peace and not war for war sake. Having a rare access in the deepest recesses of human mind, due to social interactions, the internet, and media, the modern world has come very close, for each one of us to see and hear, what the other is thinking and planning. In the psychoanalysis of Hitler, we read.

“From a scientific point of view, therefore, we are forced to consider Hitler, the Fuehrer, not as a personal devil, wicked as his actions and philosophy may be, but as the expression of a state of mind existing in millions of people, not only in Germany but, to a smaller degree, in all civilized countries. To remove Hitler may be a necessary first step, but it would not be the cure. It would be analogous to curing an ulcer without treating the underlying disease. If similar eruptions are to be prevented in the future, we cannot content ourselves with simply removing the overt manifestations of the disease. On the contrary, we must ferret out and seek to correct the underlying factors which produced the unwelcome phenomenon. We must discover the psychological streams which nourish this destructive state of mind in order that we may divert them into channels which will permit a further evolution of our form of civilization.”

How can we have a dialogue when our state of minds differ?. When we read different books. Religions have diversified sects, each interpreting the Divine books differently. Inayat ullah khan in the dialogue and conversation that he had with Hitler only could introduce the message of the Quran, in Tazkirah, which the later read with interest, but who in turn saw Nietzschean superman as the embodiment of all life.

The late 18th century and the early 19th out of the necessity of the changing dynamics in the Lands of Islam, produced men of understanding, with a few women, including the, oriental’s the likes of which the previous generations of Muslims had not seen. Including Jamal ud din Afgani, Syed Ahmed khan, Maulana Mohamrnad Ilyas Khandalvi , Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, Mohammad Iqbal, Inayat ullah Mashriqi ,Syed Abu Ala Maududi, Syed Qutb etc.

No doubt! Verily, to Allah belongs whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth. And those who worship and invoke others besides Allah, in fact they follow not the (Allah's so-called) partners, they follow only a conjecture and they only invent lies.

In the domain of modern thought and philosophy with only sense perception and intellect as a guide, liberty of thought unattended by divine books of revelations, is seeking to formulate its own logic and laws providing principles of ethics and morality speculating as far as understanding can go.

In the domain of religions, things are different with God as the only priority; the first law is as stated. “No soul can believe, except By the Will of Allah”.

The activity of a Muslim to travel the path of an Ulul Albab is not easy without a Director of Tazkia, this Director first becomes an Ulul Albab himself and then guides others. God Consciousness starts with consciousness and reflection of the self and vica versa, as Dr Azhar Waheed notes. And again very subtly observed by Professor Ahmed Rafiq that as with all other educational endeavors, the search for the Almighty can result in the help taken from various teachers. As stated by Ali Hajver taking directions from around 65 men of learning.

This hold for any tradition, past, present and in the future. For as Quran remarks about the people of the book as their books to be confirmed by it.

That which We have revealed to thee of the Book is the Truth,- confirming what was (revealed) before it: for Allah is assuredly- with respect to His Servants - well acquainted and Fully Observant.

And here too Allah(swt) by His grace and mercy grants understanding.

And dispute ye notWith the People of the Book,Except with means better

(Than mere disputation), unlessIt is be with those of themWho inflict wrong (and injury);But say. “We believeIn the revelation which hasCome down to us and in thatWhich came down to you;Our God and your GodIs One; and it is to HimWe bow (in Islam).

The third attempt to invade, as Bernard calls these Muslims migrations to the west. In the 7th century the Muslims rose from the deserts of Arabia, and in a relative short span, of time stretched their empire, from the Pyrenees to the Himalaya. “The Ornament of the World” describes that Golden age in Al Andalusia.

“Most important, however is that Muslims, Christians, and Jews did not have separate cultures based on religious differences but were rather part of a broad and expansive culture that had incorporated elements of all their traditions, a culture that all could and did participate in regardless of their religion. Writing poetry in Arabic was what educated people did, not just Muslims, and when the Jews of Toledo built a synagogue with horseshoe arches they were adopting the signature style of a culture rather than of a religion---indeed those same horseshoe arches, which are the unmistakable of the Great Mosque of Cardoba, were themselves adopted by the early Muslim rulers of Cardoba from the old Visigothic Christian churches..It was, in other words, a culture that rejected religious or political correctness as the basis for any sort of aesthetic or intellectual value.” Any dialogue between power and intellect will suffer the same fate as that between Voltaire and Frederick the Great. But men and women of understanding do we have an obligation, where the above two, personalities failed at, a dialogue?. Is dialogue possible between the strong and the weak? What subsequent history has showed, there is always an inbuilt cultural, political, imperialistic, historical, nationalistic, ethnic and racial divide, a pride, and an argument for war in all religions, all national ideologies, that this divide will persist is unfortunate, we can only reduce its intensity but never overcome the realities for we all have hidden and manifested agenda’s , whether it is the Protocol of the elders of Zion, Bhagavad Gita , Bible or Quran, each of us having our own radicals, each one of us deeply and passionately tied to our beliefs. To the Irish question or Kashmir and Palestinian, issue. As a teacher in USA, I could see a Jewish child age 16, or a Palestinian, a Muslim or Hindu child of the same age, having innocence and a friendly understanding in their eyes, only to be brainwashed later in life.

Islamic people with a population of over 1.6 billion stepping out of their long stupor are preparing to become a responsible and major stake holder, in world affairs. Learning from the west and watching its neighbor in India and China, rise in economic might and political power, are shaping themselves into this ideal and compelling example albeit quietly. United Arabic Emirates, where investments in infrastructure, education, science and technology, trade and industry, merits mention. With the end of foreign occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s imperative that the outpouring of its energies become a source of pride and example par excellence, for Muslims and the rest of the world. Here the lead has to be taken by Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan, of course not in the least by Iraq and Afghanistan themselves.(Humans born free do not like hegemony and control). One should say easy said then done, a dilemma stretching out into centuries past. Instead of fermenting sectarian tensions, and carving out spheres of influences at the cost of the poor and huddled most earning a dollar a day, are less interested in ideologues than making a living and surviving each day. Having heard enough lectures from the west on democracy and freedom, want their genuine socio-economic problems solved. Unfortunately everyone seems to be hiding behind the sheep in the guise of a self righteous wolf, embedded within their own vested self interests. Whether he be a King, an authoritarian self serving democrat,(corrupt to the core, cruel and ruthless), or a hypocrite masquerading as a theologian.

The case being the Madrassa, an institution centuries old providing a major source of funding for the needs of the under fed and under privileged. A stupendous effort is needed to bring this majority into the main stream of knowledge and scholarship, economic activity, business and commerce at the same instant keeping and growing their faith. Taking advantage of these loved one’s of God, many have ended up with devouring wealth. Although a lot others have done an earnest act, inviting and earning the pleasure of the Almighty. A strong middle class is the back bone of a society and a nation, a middle way as induced by traditions of Quran and Sunnah. Illusions and delusions of grandeur aside, pride, leadership, arrogance of some, has to give way and replaced by realism of the majority. The recent events in the Middle East, with their Arab spring, are a major test in point. Having opened the flood gates to change and revolutions is now tending to chaos and anarchy, caught unprepared. Though chaos and anarchy for some, a Divine plan for others.

Almost comical seems to be the devotion and zeal of the followers of those who profess modernity in the context of the current western paradigm of hedonistic absorptions, predatory capitalism, unchecked ambitions, former Disney executive Michael Eisner well said, that after making millions of dollars one day you have a heart attack and you die, to those who seem to be tracing their Islamic roots, unwilling to ponder, on their book, which exhorts otherwise, stigmatized with their own opinions, developing into cults, major under currents ripping each other apart, neither side prepared to listen or to have a dialogue, each a recipient of the absolute truth. Christopher Hitchens must be feeling vindicated.

The situation of post withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan of the sons of Isaac (Pbuh) is not clear either. These progeny of Abraham (Pbuh), having had their bloody day, are

leaving. While the sons of Ishmael (Pbuh) wait in silence studying there options. Their eyes set on the steppe of Central Asian, plains with the secret yearning and intentions of establishing a second Medina.

We me say the great game of Kipling will never end, spilling more sweat and blood, for the opposite side is not sitting idle they too are preparing for the inevitable showdown. Who would be the next victim of the grave- yard of Super powers called Afghanistan?.

What more proof is required as to the statement in the opening narrative? “.Do scriptures or holy books qualify as messages not extracted from the human mind, but a product of an unknown source outside the universe. From extra space dimensions or parallel universes, or “supra space”. Lets us take up this challenge and reflect on there relevance and, their unrelenting control on a large portion of mankind”. The two brothers arguing thousands of years ago, to have their progenies their children at each other throat in the cities, plains and mountains of New York, D.C, London, Iraq ,Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The locations of permanent lights on the Earth's surface are seen in this October 23, 2000 handout image from NASA. This image of Earth's city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) which was originally designed to view clouds by moonlight. The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. REUTERS/NASA/Handout.

All humans resemble each other, with the same aspirations, given to immense love for their children and family, yearning for their security, decency in character, longing for

first class education, food , health and a clean environment, in the process some acquire unbridled strength, becoming stronger then others, in the absence of Divine guidance, tend to fabric unjust wars.

For some all conquests, revolutions end in advanced civilizations, as the rise and fall of nations in world history has taught us. Barring a few most speak in the inevitability of the clash of civilizations as a Law in nature.

Having a personal experience of living in the west for nearly 20 years, one can observe and speak of stupendous, warm-heartedness and generosity reflected in the average middle and lower middle classes; it’s only in the presence of the ultra rich, the Illuminati and the Bilderberg’s dubbed in the “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” by John Perkins and “The Grand Deception: Corporate America and Perpetual War” by Dr Mujahid Kamran, that one finds the global malaise.

The seeker of truth overcomes the valley of doubt, attains to the unveiling of Quran and its essence and mysteries by the Grace of God, an inner experience very personal in nature, , culminating, in the removal of these doubts , for reason alone is insufficient, to grasp the ultimate reality. Reason engages its beholder, in a cyclical movement, precisely a sine wave. Alternating between faith and doubt, a seeker of truth, is exhausted. Again beautifully explained by the Muslim mystic Mohammad Iqbal.

“Religion, in its more advanced forms, rises higher than poetry. It moves from individual to society. In its attitude towards the Ultimate Reality it is opposed to the limitations of man; it enlarges his claims and holds out the prospect of nothing less than a direct vision of Reality. Is it then possible to apply the purely rational method of philosophy to religion? The spirit of philosophy is one of free inquiry. It suspects all authority. Its function is to trace the uncritical assumptions of human thought to their hiding places, and in this pursuit it may finally end in denial or a frank admission of the incapacity of pure reason to reach the Ultimate Reality. The essence of religion, on the other hand, is faith; and faith, like the bird, sees its “trackless way” unattended by intellect which, in the words of the great mystic poet of Islam, “only waylays the living heart of man and robs it of the invisible wealth of life that lies within.” Yet it cannot be denied that faith is more than mere feeling. It has something like a cognitive content, and the existence of rival parties– scholastics and mystics– in the history of religion shows that idea is a vital element in religion. Apart from this, religion on its doctrinal side, as defined by Professor Whitehead, is “a system of general truths which have the effect of transforming character when they are sincerely held and vividly apprehended.” Now, since the transformation and guidance of man’s inner and outer life is the essential aim of religion, it is obvious

that the general truths which it embodies must not remain unsettled. No one would hazard action on the basis of a doubtful principle of conduct. Indeed, in view of its function, religion stands in greater need of a rational foundation of its ultimate principles than even the dogmas of science. Science may ignore a rational metaphysics; indeed, it has ignored it so far. Religion can hardly afford to ignore the search for a reconciliation of the oppositions of experience and a justification of the environment in which humanity finds itself. That is why Professor Whitehead has acutely remarked that “the ages of faith are the ages of rationalism”. But to rationalize faith is not to admit the superiority of philosophy over religion. Philosophy, no doubt, has jurisdiction to judge religion, but what is to be judged is of such a nature that it will not submit to the jurisdiction of philosophy except on its own terms. While sitting in judgement on religion, philosophy cannot give religion an inferior place among its data. Religion is not a departmental affair; it is neither mere thought, nor mere feeling, nor mere action; it is an expression of the whole man. Thus, in the evaluation of religion, philosophy must recognize the central position of religion and has no other alternative but to admit it as something focal in the process of reflective synthesis. Nor is there any reason to suppose that thought and intuition are essentially opposed to each other. They spring up from the same root and complement each other. The one grasps Reality piecemeal, the other grasps it in its wholeness. The one fixes its gaze on the eternal, the other on the temporal aspect of Reality. The one is present enjoyment of the whole of Reality; the other aims at traversing the whole by slowly specifying and closing up the various regions of the whole for exclusive observation. Both are in need of each other for mutual rejuvenation. Both seek visions of the same Reality which reveals itself to them in accordance with their function in life. In fact, intuition, as Bergson rightly says, is only a higher kind of intellect.”

The Quran itself fosters and inculcates the habit of enquiry, in the sphere of thought and scientific discovery.

The Quran says ayah 17-36

And pursue not thatOf which thou hastNo knowledge; forEvery act of hearing,Or of seeing,Or of (feeling in) the heart

Will be enquired into(On the day of Reckoning).

Knowledge is to be gained by using; the senses acquired by humans through natural selection or more aptly directed evolution. Anything not verifiable by these faculties or the modern day instruments an extension of these senses, in the realm of the unseen, does not constitute Knowledge. With the exception of God, his angels, the knowledge of ‘Nafs’ Arabic for soul, Ruh and what He hides from His creation. Recent progress in the techniques of ultra-sound is extending our knowledge which once seemed to be in the realm of unseen a few decades ago. [Be Iznillah by the Will of Allah(swt)].

Allah doth know what every female (womb) doth bear, by how much the wombs fall short (of their time or number) or do exceed. Every single thing is before His sight, in (due) proportion.

Here Allah Subhana-Hu does not say that any one else cannot have this knowledge.

“Most objects on Earth (including the human body) contain measureable contaminating amounts of all of the 88 chemical elements which are detectable in nearly any soil on Earth”. A sign of holistic nature of the universe.

Non locality, quantum entanglement, as increasing amplitude of the sine wave, and then back to the accelerating universe a concept in astrophysics discovered in 1998, and structures extending beyond the boundary, of the observable universe, in the direction of the great attractor, example of decreasing amplitude of the sine wave, a platonic view of the universe with no end ( A metaphorical analogy, of seeking the ultimate reality, on the basis of limitations of science). The resolution of the dichotomy mentioned in introduction to this essay, remains elusive, until we submit to a paradigm shift of watching the progress, of اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� the men and women of understanding as they ُأreflect in the divine book of nature. And find the Hadith Ul Allah (swt) the Words of Allah (swt) as signs. Observing the Ultimate reality, with the aid of this Ilm , He alone

grants, to those whom He calls as his servants, who attain to this status after reflecting on the divine book of nature.

And the earth We have spread it out, And set thereon mountains Standing firm, and producedTherein every kind of Beautiful growth in Pairs.(male and female).

To be observedAnd commemoratedBy every ServantTurning (to Allah).

Whom enlightened, both in the knowledge acquired in nature and in the remembrance of Allah in ‘Nafs and Ruh’ (Arabic for soul) along with His personal guidance, and through wisdom of revelation attained through the Quran achieves the unity, which remains elusive otherwise, for where would those servants go, if He were to stop the rotation of the earth, strike it with an asteroid, (today 14the June 2012 LZ1 missed our earth, discovered a few days ago, the size of a city block, sparring us God knows for how long, while we on earth were preparing to build more nuclear bombs to annihilate each other, don’t we need a collective effort to build an asteroid deflection shield), cave it beneath them. Little do we understand Him?. For here is when God mentions us to look into His kingdom, around them and see how close it is to being annihilated by a rock from the sky or cave in underneath.

Say, "Observe what is in the heavens and earth." But of no avail will be signs or warners to a people who do not believe.

And again

Do they not look in the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all things that Allah has created, and that it may be that the end of their lives is near? In what message after this will they then believe?

Ruh which acts to unite the esoteric and the exoteric. Intellect and intelligence used in our limited sense in every day usage, is the actualization in the Heart of the Ulul Albab the select few by the personal Grace of the Divine being manifested by His Divine name Allah (swt) with reflecting on all the attributes of the subsequent 99 names, acquired through Dikhr and contemplation in nature Fikr

As Dr Chittick mentions in “Science of Cosmos” as Consciousness is not limited, so is the Universal Consciousness,

“Consciousness is not essentially limited; it itself is the subject that perceive limits, boundaries and definitions. Strictly human modalities of being pertain to pure consciousness and pure awareness, the true human selfhood cannot be defined, yet it gives rise to every distinction and differentiation. Those human beings who fully realize

their own selfhood—their innate, unlimited intelligence and consciousness –thereby gain freedom from every constraint.”

And again

"In other words, human beings can aim for “freedom” from their environmental limitations – not just physical limitations, but also social, political, and psychological limitations. Much more profoundly,they can strive for freedom from all limitations and all constraints To do so they need to extirpate what the Buddhists call “the three poisons” – anger, greed, and ignorance."

“As long as human beings take finite things, or a defined and known God, as the object of their quest, they can never know the true and final meaning of the universe and themselves.” Dr William Chittick.

On this portion, Quran elaborates, the words of Allah (swt) with an insight, truly of the proportions of a Supreme Being, manifested by His beautiful names

, He is Allah, than Whom there is no other Allah, the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible. He is the Beneficent, Merciful.

He is Allah than Whom there is La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him.

He is God, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.

This we see realized in the life and teachings of prophets of revelation in their attaining these sublime heights and becoming archetype and role model of the perennial philosopher as well as the contemporary men and women of understanding the “Ulul Albab”.

He it is Who has sent downTo thee the Book;In it are versesBasic or fundamental(Of established meaning);They are the foundation Of the book: othersAre not of well –established meaning. But thoseIn whose hearts is perversity followThe part thereof that is not of Well-established meaning.Seeking discord, and searching For its hidden meanings,But no one knowsIts true meaning except Allah.And those who are firmly GroundedIn knowledge say: “We believe In the Book; the whole of itIs from our Lord; and none Will grasp the messageExcept men of understanding.

There are two types of verses in the Quran, one called Muhakemat, having a very clear and concise, meanings , and the other being Mutashabihat,, none other can grasp, their meanings except God, and men and women of understanding.

1. Mutashabihat are verses in the Quran, which unravel as knowledge progresses in time. Contemplated, when the conditions are ripe, for their understanding, whether they belong to the knowledge of the ‘Nafs’ (Arabic for soul), inner experience or outer horizon annotated by sense perception. A).In the later, sense perception has either not reached, the maturity, or caught up yet, with the scientific

analysis, required to clear there meanings, if these verses pertain to having scientific connation’s, usually accompanied by such words… , but very few understand, or if they only knew, and none will grasp the message except men and women of knowledge. 2. Allah (swt) does not discourage those, having advanced spiritual training, specialization of physical and social sciences called

�اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل� in Arabic, to discover their meanings. If a scientific discovery ُأ

seems to be totally opposite, to what the Quran say’s, then a promethean mind, is too myopic to judge the will and plan of the, creator in the outer domains of the self, manifested in the vast canvas of the cosmos, embedded in the fabric of space and time, God’s creative activity at every moment of His pure duration in Mohammad Iqbal’s words, unveiling piecemeal, at levels of forces, which functions, through the processes of evolution, creative diversity, order emanating out of chaos( Allah’s inspiration). Whole worlds destroyed at the blinking of an eye. Stars hundred of times massive as the sun, exploding in a supernovae within, 30 seconds to produce elements heavier than iron, spreading, across a vast ocean of gas, like rose petals, creating anew far superior permutations and combinations, developing star systems with trillions of earths and civilizations like ours.

Reciting Subhan'Allāh (Arabic الله Glory be to Allah". Estagfirullah" (سبحان(Arabic: إستغفار), "I seek forgiveness from Allah”. Alhamdulillah or ( لله (الحمد"Praise to God”. A Momin, is honored by God, with interpreting His signs, in the realm of the Muhakemat and Mutashabihat. Overcoming the dichotomy of inner self and the outer realm. He has achieved the status of, the divine observer participating with God, who graduated from the status of the beasts. Quran proclaims.

For the worst of the beastsIn the sight of AllahAre those who reject Him:They will not believe.

to the status of vice-regent, an eternal personality and ego, here and in the hereafter. Prophet Abraham (Pbuh), was one of the first to show this path and achieve, this transition. Abraham realized his telos with a conscience act of existential choices, embedded in a culture of idol worship he moved from a state of denial to annihilation (fanâ') in God. When he began in his research, on the mysteries of the universe, with its dark nights, multitude of stars, the moon with its splendor, the morning sun with its blinding light. A journey however long it took, to reach the ultimate reality. If reason guided him to take the appearance of a star as an object worthy of worship, above the then prevailing inveterate worship of idols.

When the night Covered him over,He saw a star:He said “This is my Lord.”But when it set,He said; “ I love notThose that set.

Doubt appeared in his heart and mind as to the nature of the object, limited by its diminishing powers. A foremost اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� among the Chaldean people, who were ُأcommitted to the study of natural phenomena. Laws of the universe taught to him by none other than the Creator Himself. As the Quran mentions.

So also did We showAbraham the powerAnd the laws of the heavensAnd the earth, that heMight (with understanding)Have certitude.

Resolving the intuitions of the inner self and data acquired through sense perception, questioning his father Azar, about his established religion, breaking the a priori veneration which his clan had for idols.

Lo Abraham said To his father Azar: “Takest thou idols for gods? For I see thee And thy people In manifest error.”

Most minds are imprinted by their parents, close friends, society, political affiliations, rarely an act of conscious choice. Those who do use the prerogative of reason tend toward in two directions, either a complete denial of the ultimate reality, or mired in the study of nature, with fluctuating periodic movements from disbelief to belief and returning to disbelief no sooner as the cyclical discoveries of science and logic pervades their mind, devoid of absolute faith in God, as omnipresent, omniscient. Abraham (May Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him) using his intellect as a starting point became a friend of God, when he had exhausted all the possibilities intellect could offer. For intellect is a limiting factor, ultimately it’s the sincerest intentions, a soul shattering event in the life and the heart of the seeker, that God ultimately unveils His grace and mercy, His secrets upon his friends. Abraham (Pbuh) was the first of the monotheistic faith, to overcome the chain of reasoning, lack of sufficient evidences, doubts to proclaim what the following verse of the Quran exhort its reader.

.

Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who are who are God conscious.

Followers of religions, corrupted the original message and tended toward superstitions, cult and occultism, reader criticism is most valuable and enduring on any treatise, which

reflect, a partial understanding in the domains of knowledge and metaphysics. A metamorphism is achieved when a Muslim learns to recognize signs both within his heart and in the outer domains of the universe. Praying for everlasting understanding and obedience to the Lord of the Worlds.

“Our Lord!” (they say),“Let not our hearts deviateNow after Thou hast guided us,But grant us mercyFrom Thine own Presence;For Thou are the GrantorOf bounties without measure.

The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most Forgiving!

Quran schematizes its structure and style with the following verse.

A. L. R. (This is) a Book, with verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning), further explained in detail,- from One Who is Wise and Well-acquainted (with all things).

It synthesizes its concepts like the rose buds blooming into flowers with multitude of colors and fragrances, enamoring the heart of a true seeker with infinite joy in the garden of peace, happiness and tranquility. Bringing moments of ecstasy and tears. Specially of those engaged in the Dhikr of the Lord of Heavens and the Earth. Those engaged in charity, those smiling with the poor, the Prophet of Islam lived as the poorest of the poor, accepting as brothers and sisters, of all faith.

And while asserting unique deliverance to the mystical and ratiocinative epistemologies as noted by Sufi and Saint Abdal Hakim Murad.

Quran says

And this Quran is not such as could ever be produced by other than Allah (Lord of the heavens and the earth), but it is a confirmation of (the revelation) which was before it [i.e. the Taurat (Torah), and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.], and a full explanation of the Book (i.e. laws and orders, etc, decreed for mankind) - wherein there is no doubt from the the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns,and all that exists).

THE WILL TO REMEMBER GOD

The Contact with the Supreme intelligence accorded only when the Vicegerent (naib) has by Allah(swt) Will searched the far corners of the whole Divine Book of Nature and exhausted all seen and unseen blessings intended for this Direct Contemplation (Mushahadah) seems far reaching, are we progressing in that direction?. Who could have guessed eons ago that an asteroid or heavenly body would strike the earth and produce a tilt enough to start the seasons later on? Or another would wipe out the Dinosaurs and pave the way for us Homo sapiens. Was the blast over Tunguska another in a series of useless encounters with the earth or a planned strike, we have the means to extrapolate to a certain degree and level of what short and long term effects that strike might have had on our lives and the planet. Are we just the wanderers of Carl Sagan for whom the cosmos is the only reality that no one can doubt? ‘The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be’ and again ‘The cosmos is also within us, we’re made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself ‘or the Omega point travelers of Tielhard de Chardin?. Are we the Sahib-e- Haal of Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif R.A where the will to power or triumph of the will is replaced by the Will of God and the will to remember God “One for who’s self-understanding having reached a point where there is no separation, no death, for whom there is no ours and no there’s, who talks to the silence of eternity, who listens to the heart of the atom, one who’s glare encompasses both being and nothingness…. ‘Sahib-e- Haal is where love, intuition, seeking, belief, faith, companionship and above all good fortune dwell….

‘It is important to think that the one whom God sends his blessings had, to pass through orphanage and poverty, its is amazing that the Prophet of Prophets and the leader of them, one who is respected most among entire mankind, has to pass through injured and bleeding from the valley of Taif, God at his side, all that matters is the companionship of God, and relationship with God, not prosperity and wealth’.

Those seeking the elixir of life, a formula for an everlasting salvation and escape from Hell fire, an inner as well as an outer transmutation, need go no further than following Quran, and Sunnah the life of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam ). The Prophet of Islam is praised by none other than the Creator Himself. After the Quran, the example in the life of the Prophet shows the steps to attain the friendship of God (Aulia Allah).

Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.

When he passed away his earthly dwelling he left a grief, described in the words of salutation, by none other than Hazrat Ali R.A.

CONSCIOUSNESS as defined by Hazrat Ali R.A

A Poem by Imam Ali (AS)

Your sickness is within you, though you do not realize

And your cure is within, yet you do not see

You claim that you are nothing but a tiny entity

Yet wrapped up inside of you is the greatest universe

You are the clear book, through whose letters

All that is secret is revealed and made known.

So you have no need for anything outside of you

Your consciousness is within you, though you do not know

This role of being a conscious helper of God and His messengers is what constitutes, a humans understanding of the world outside (Afaq) and the inner dimension (Anfus) as a verse of Quran states. Integrating the two seems the biggest challenge in the world of Globalization. Eloquently described by Professor Wasif Ali Wasif, ‘Sahib e Nazar sees this universe like a book of revelation, this is also a book in which there is no doubt, with the same Creator and the same style of creation, Quran contains a description of the universe, and the universe an exegesis and understanding of Quran, one who denies the reality of the universe cannot believe in any divine book. This universe is full of signs of intricate beauty, there recitation constitutes the pastime of these Sahib e Nazar. Sahib e

Fikr, and Sahib e Zikr find the real universe through contemplation of these signs. They know that the sustainer of a seed in earth’s darkness, and the revelation of Quran are from the same Being. The Being who creates life in the womb of its mother’.

Now this Sahib e Haal, Sahib e Nazar, Sahib e Fikar, Sahib e Zikar is the fully developed conscious, as alluded to by Hazrat Ali R.A , pointing to a purpose and the meaning of creation. .

‘Yet wrapped up inside of you is the greatest universe

You are the clear book, through whose letters

All that is secret is revealed and made known’.

These individuals act as agents and helpers of God, bringing order to His creation according to their abilities and effort obeying the Divine commandments (Amr). The greatest being the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

An observer who observes the quantum processes unraveling in the atom, spends his or her life on the contemplation and recording the birth of a new star, a new planet, a new child, a new equation, a new revelation in God’s book of nature, one who sees Hadith Allah the words and signs of God, with one own eyes, as one continuous revelation in Quran and the universe becomes Sahib-e-Haal or اِب�� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� The will to remember .ُأGod is acquired through His Mercy and Blessing’s showered during prostration in the silence of the night, on men and women of understanding.

Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men and women of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses).

What we mistake for an observer is actually the universe, in a few billion years the drop of ocean full of enzymes and nutrients became he or she that is us, to fathom our origins being in the same proportions as the rest of the elements of the periodic table on earth and sea (notes Dr Inam ur Rehman). What Quran reminds "Are those who know equal to those who know not?"

Ayat Allah

Ayat Ullah are the Hadith (word) of Allah, verses stressing on the acquisition of knowledge one being the creation of Humans, being the sign of Allah (swt). There are continuous, co-relations, from the early moments of the big bang as these verses explain.

To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: "Be," and it is.

As reflected in the primordial plasma, quantum wave functions, and symmetry breakings to the creation of galaxies, stars, planets and Humans.

[These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].

The revelation of the Book (this Quran) is from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

Verily, in the heavens and the earth are signs for the believers.

And in your creation, and what He scattered (through the earth) of moving (living) creatures are signs for people who have Faith with certainty.

(Here its is emphasized Humans along with all the animals, as signs of Allah for those who possess faith, implying the anthropic principle and equal importance to the role of all creatures, in the ecological

balance, with the humans perfected as Ahsan-e-Taqweem, clearly indicating a superior role, in possessing body, mind and a soul. All as signs to be reflected by those of faith, with recognition of the importance of the Soul/Ruh as a steady process of evolution from Nafs e Lawama to Nafs e Mutminah. Verses 91-7,8,9,10.)

And by Nafs (Adam or a person or a soul, etc.), and Him Who perfected him in proportion;

Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him

Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic

Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds).

And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (i.e. disobeys what Allah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, etc. or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds.)

When the verses 45:1-7 above are read in conjunction with verses 91:7-10 the Quran explicitly answers the dialectics of the like of Bertrand Russell who is stated to have remarked, why he should study Quran when it would be like any other religious book. I would like to quote a passage from his book ‘Logic and Mysticism’ when he says. ‘It is my belief that the ethical and religious motives, in spite of the splendidly imaginative systems to which they have given rise, have been on the whole a hindrance to the progress of philosophy, and ought now to be consciously thrust aside by those who wish to discover philosophical truth. Science, originally was entangled in similar motives, and was thereby hindered in its advances. It is, I maintain from science, rather than from ethics and religion, that philosophy should draw its inspiration’.

And again when he ask the question empathically, is there any knowledge which no one doubts about, not an optical illusion.

Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it? This question, which at first sight might not seem difficult, is really one the most difficult that can be asked. When we have realized the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we shall be well launched. When we have realized the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we shall be well launched on the study of philosophy, for philosophy is merely the attempt to answer such ultimate questions, not carelessly and dogmatically, as we do in ordinary life even in the sciences, but critically, after exploring all that makes such questions puzzling, and after realizing all the vagueness and confusion that underlie our ordinary ideas……

And again

In daily life, we assume as certain many things which, on a closer scrutiny, are found to be so full of apparent contradictions that only a great amount of thought enables us to know what it is that we really may believe. In the search for certainty, it is natural to begin with our present experiences, and in some sense; no doubt, knowledge is to be derived from them. But any statement as to what it is that our immediate experiences make us know is very likely to be wrong.

Here Bertrand Russell makes a bold statement, an empirical fact, logical and sense bound. Any claims which belie our sense-data processed by our discursive intellect, lies in the realm of mythical and constitute conjecture.

And in the alternation of night and day, and the provision (rain) that Allah sends down from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the turning about of the winds (i.e. sometimes towards the east or north, and sometimes towards the south or west etc., sometimes bringing glad tidings of rain etc., and sometimes bringing the torment), are signs for a people who understand.

These are the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.) of Allah, which We recite to you (O Muhammad SAW) with truth. Then in which speech after Allah and His Ayat will they believe?

The author of ‘The age of Reason’ able to unravel many a mysteries failed to connect the dots in the absence of Quran…When the world of the unseen starts to unravel by His Grace, consciousness reaches self consciousness and God consciousness. Even if Kant did or did not write the Bismillah before his 1755 thesis, it does show, an attempt can always be made to correct and rewrite philosophy and give a new direction to history as in the life of Dr Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. Cambridge Muslim College will certainly go a long way, in harmonizing the various ecologies, to co-exit peacefully and in harmony with creativity manifested in its infinite possibilities, on achieving a balanced middle way, and lasting relations in goodness with all traditions.

The belief in the same God, Who created the heavens and the earth but without a son is highlighted, as a major doctrinal difference in the following verses. Quran 6-101,103.

The Creator of the heavens and the earth -- how should He have a son, seeing that He has no consort, and He created all things, and He has knowledge of everything?

Having veered from the straight path, the west again, appears to be winning in its Globalization adventure, an imitation of Macaulay and the East India Company’s practices of world domination. where the sun never set, instead of physically conquering , the emphasis now is on controlling the mind. To produce carbon copies, machines working for the good of Dr Frankenstein.

That then is God your Lord; there is no god but He, the Creator of everything. So serve Him, for He is Guardian over everything.

The eyes attain Him not, but He attains the eyes; He is the All-subtle, the All-aware.

These challenge are be taken up, by Helpers of God, when they act by His accord.

We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice. And We sent down iron, wherein is great military might and benefits for the people, and so that Allah may make evident those who support Him and His messengers unseen. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.

Now as some would condone mystical experience or Irfan/Intuiton, as Bida/Innovation how ever unique and individualistic this experience might be it does not render it liable to

suspicion for those who, see it as something to be lived and vividly experienced not read or heard from others. One such experience in reference to Professor Wasif Ali Wasif R.A, narrated by a devotee.

‘I want to relate an incidence which still sends shudder down my spine, even to this day, one day as I was preparing to go to Wasif sahib, when a relative asked me to ask Wasif sahib to pray for the birth of a son. As I entered his office, he was sitting by himself. Before sitting myself, I narrated the request. Even before I had finished heard a very loud voice, which definitely was not Wasif sahib. It felt the walls of the room trembling, by the dread of this voice. ‘Go We have blessed a son’ I kept on standing and do not how much time had passed, then Wasif sahib asked for water from a jug placed on the table. I gave a glass full of water, when Wasif sahib had finished I asked him, Wasif sahib what happened just now. You do not to speak like this; this is not your style. Wasif sahib directed me to the door leading to the house, with his hand and said in Punjabi “Riaz oh app hi bol gya hai meen te daar da mare utha lagya betha see” ‘Riaz He himself spoke, I was myself sitting in that corner with dread’.

On mystical experiences Moses Maimonides remarks:

‘Such persons can never attain to perfection: it is utterly useless to occupy oneself with them on such a subject [as Metaphysics]. For this science is, as you know, different from the science of Medicine and of Geometry, and, from the reason already mentioned, it is not every person who is capable of approaching it. It is impossible for a man to study it successfully without moral preparation; he must acquire the highest degree of uprightness and integrity," for the froward is an abomination to the Lord, but His secret is with the righteous" (Prov. iii. 32).Therefore it was considered inadvisable to teach it to young men; nay, it is impossible for them to comprehend it, on account of the heat of their blood and the flame of youth, which confuses their minds: that heat, which causes all the disorder, must first disappear; they must have become moderate and settled, humble in their hearts, and subdued in their temperament; only then will they be able to arrive at the highest degree of the perception of God, i.e., the study of Metaphysics, which is called Ma'aseh Mercabah Comp. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart" (Ps.xxxiv. 18)" I dwell in the high and lofty place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit: to revive the spirit of thehumble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isa. lvii. 15).’

In the world view of Iqbal, Islam harbors the greatest challenge to Globalization, containing seeds to itself universalize life as a complete force for good, ‘Mystic experience, then, however unusual and abnormal, must now be regarded by a Muslim as a perfectly natural experience, open to critical scrutiny like other aspects of human experience. This is clear from the Prophet’s own attitude towards Ibn Sayyād’s psychic experiences. The function of Sufism in Islam has been to systematize mystic experience; though it must be admitted that Ibn Khaldūn was the only Muslim who approached it in a thoroughly scientific spirit.’

How a human being react here, he reacts as the Quran says

And when it is said to them, "Believe as the people have believed," they say, "Should we believe as the foolish have believed?" Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.

Are we the existentialists of Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus?, or the bearer of Divine Covenant accorded to the Prophets of revelation Abraham(Pbuh), Moses (Pbuh), Jesus(Pbuh), and Mohammad(Pbuh)?.

True Physics is that which will someday succeed in integrating the totality of the human being into a coherent representation of the world….. The Human Phenomenon… By Pierre Teilhard De Chardin.13.

Again his observations..”The history of consciousness and its place in the world remain incomprehensible to anyone who has not seen beforehand that by the unassailable integrity of it as a whole, the cosmos in which we humans find ourselves engaged constitutes a system, a totum, and a quantum: a system in its multiplicity--a totum in its unity—a quantum in its energy; all three moreover, within a boundless contour..”14.

Where the Torah and Bible ends Quran takes over to complete the message of God.

If you are in search of reality, it is impossible to discover it without Quran. Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood.

Quran is the last book of God, includes messages of all previous Prophets, a refined and beautiful collection of physics and metaphysics. Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood.

These messages, of non-human origins evolved piecemeal as scriptures, verses or ayahs of the text of Prophet Abraham, Prophet Moses… the Hereafter is better and longer lasting. This is certainly in the earlier texts, the texts of Ibrahim and Musa. (Al Qur’an, 87:17-19).16. Torah, Psalms of David, Bible and the Quran, entail a code of conduct integrating the dynamics of the times, developing as the human kind socially, rationally and scientifically evolved in the last few thousand years. However each recipient generation of these messages fossilized around what it perceived to be the ultimate or absolute truth, until to everyone surprise came, another message and another messenger. Generating conflicts and wars in the name of religion.

Talking to a pastor at Trinity Broadcasting Network in Miami Florida, I felt perplexed not able to understand the dilemma of God sending different prophets at different

intervals either to confuse us if I may say so, or not understand the mode of His communications. What does God wants us to do, change from being followers of Moses(Pbuh) to followers of Jesus(Pbuh) , to followers of Mohammad(Pbuh), some even claim to the continuation of the revelation, even if their Prophets are Minor Prophets. “The finality of any prophet can be observed with reference to his message as well as with reference to his status. It is possible for a prophet to be final in his message and his status, yet it is also possible for another lesser prophet to come after him without violating his finality. It is this aspect of prophet hood that we are going to thoroughly examine now”.17”Nation of Islam rejects the Muslim belief that Muhammad(Pbuh) was the last prophet. Instead it teaches that Elijah Muhammad was a prophet of Allah, and that Louis Farrahkhan is yet another messenger, sent to deliver a last call to humanity.Islam: Holds that Muhammad (Pbuh) was the very last of all prophets, and that no more prophets would ever arise.18

When the pastor, I referred to above said that the Jews missed Jesus (Pbuh). How can we not claim that they both missed Mohammad (Pbuh)? The first interfaith dialogue that I had in my life, was a short lived one, as I showed the said pastor the Noble Quran, he read it half heartedly, commenting on it as professing a strong claim, in the verse.

This is the Book;In it is guidance sure, without Doubt,To those who fear Allah;

And promptly referred me to a book by Dr William Campbell, and a free Bible, though voicing his concern, of both faiths facing a challenge from the internet, and both faiths somehow professing the superiority of men over women, a patriarchal model. Dialogue is a way of communication, when I communicate with the modern Muslim youth about the ways of the Quran, I am stuck too, like with the pastor, for he is not willing to accept, anything other than the goddess of progress, science, cutting edge technology, unlimited freedom, equal opportunities, liberty, justice, reason and logic west, has to offer for those of us living here. Human psychology is an extremely powerful tool, to any knowledge of the self of men and women; no dialogue is complete without it. The difference between darkness and light a relative term. Imitation seems to be a rule rather an idea, we tend to imitate, like our ancestors long gone. Australopithecus Africanus / Hablis and the Rampithecus before him, were a one nation, under God, working together, to hunt, to gather food, we have come a long way, with our genes mutating into higher and higher

levels of brain power. Given the power full tools of science at one end, and the racial superiority, religious pride, immense technological wealth and power, diminishing us into ever segregated individuals, communities and nations. We tell our stories I too have a tragicomic story to tell, albeit a short one I watched on the television, given in the backdrop of epic struggles, we call the clash of civilizations. In one lecture on the reach of Globalization, Thomas Barnett naval war college professor, was explaining a long drawn out program, to bring the world into one family and culture, a Global village, when a Pakistani brigadier general asked him a question, as to the impact his ideas or that of globalization, would have on the values of religion and culture, in parts of the world he came from. Thomas was quick to cut him short, with explaining how the west too had to go through a similar transition, the religious wars, and the emancipation of women. We are in a state of euphoria, what we call dialogue is in fact a monologue, psychologist Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber in “Why Do Humans Reason? Arguments for an Argumentative Theory,” draw our attention, to the fact that, “Reasoning was not designed to pursue the truth. Reasoning was designed by evolution to help us win arguments. That's why they call it The Argumentative Theory of Reasoning.” And also “our thought processes tend towards confirmation of our own ideas.

I would end with the following observation by David Bohm.

“And it's very important that it happen together, because if one individual changes it will have very little general effect. But if it happens collectively, it means a lot more. If some of us come to the 'truth', so-called, while a lot of people are left out, it's not going to solve the problem. We would have another conflict - just as there is conflict between different parts of the Christian faith of the Mohammedan faith or various others, even though they all believe in the same God, the same prophet or the same Saviour. Thus this whole question of communication and the ability to dialogue, the ability to participate in communication, is crucial”.

In retrospectively assigning the historical knowledge emanating from the meanings of Sufi and the Scientist into the Quranic word Ulul Albab constitutes a modern day effort to redraw both the esoteric and the exoteric into one whole. The Ayaat in chapter 3 verse 190-3 define the essence of those who achieve a purified heart the (Lub) strive to become co-operatives and agents of a Higher power, as assimilating both the character and His creative abilities.

Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding,-

Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire

At the same time keeping their identities for explicit purpose of referencing the data accumulated in both.

It is here that a traditional/modern effort needs to be made to bring the two into communication with each other, in a dialogue between Ibn Rushd and Ibn-Arabi.

The aim of this Dialogue is to ascertain whether a conversation can be established between Reason and Intuition, and the objective being to see if intuition still holds meaning/substance in the post scientific revolution.

The panel includes the following

Moderator:- Author.

Dr Timothy Winter lecturer at Cambridge University school of Divinity.

A Muslim Kalam scholar of the past interpreting views of both Ibn Rushd (Averroes ) and Ibn Arabi.

Moderator: Before we begin this interesting topic we have to initiate an initial enquiry into the meanings linguistic/philosophical and sociological/anthropological of the words Intuition and Reason with reference to the various cultures and customs they were embedded in. Their subsequent development and evolution and the impact these words would have in ultimately transforming the brute (Hawaan Natiq, the talking animal, the proto- human from the depths of ignorance revering cultism/paganism given to human sacrifice to a force for good).

Ultimately in ascertaining there influence on the great men and women of knowledge and understanding the outgrowth of the two and the great civilizations produced a pragmatic test for both.

Intuition and Reason both unfolding the bouquets of scented flowers of knowledge and civilizations starting from antiquity in its transition to the historical middle ages called the dark ages to the present do present an enigma. There being an inherent unease between both the philosopher and the deist on one hand and the theologian and the scientist on the other to come to terms and form a partnership on their onward march to a future progress incorporating both the material and the spiritual, expressed partially in what Carl Sagan say’s.

‘If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies you will not find another.’

For in each and every civilization, claiming to have contributed to the development and progress of these words, both in the metaphorical and literal sense as evidenced in the fruit, produced and their impact on human societies, a need arises too see why each tends to curtail the significance and influence of the other.

Moderator: I have two quotes.

TWO QUOTATIONS:First:"... We are fallible. We cannot expect to foist our wishes on the universe. So a key aspect of science is experiment. Scientists do not trust what is intuitively obvious, because intuitively obvious gets you nowhere. That the Earth is flat was once obvious. I mean, really obvious; obvious! Go out in a flat field and take a look: Is it round or flat? Don't listen to me; go prove it to yourself. That heavier bodies fall faster than light ones was once obvious. That blood-sucking leeches cure disease was once obvious. That some people are naturally and by divine right slaves was once obvious. That the Earth is at the center of the universe was once obvious. You're skeptical? Go out, take a look: Stars rise in the east, set in the west; here we are,

stationary (do you feel the Earth whirling?); we see them going around us. We are at the center; they go around us. ..."

And again

Wonder and Skepticism (from Skeptical Enquirer, 1995)

By Carl Sagan -

Second:

The myth of Adam and Eve:

"Man and woman live in the garden of Eden in complete harmony with each other and with nature. There is peace and no necessity to work; no choice, no freedom, no thinking either. Man is forbidden to eat from tree of knowledge from good and evil. He acts against God`s command, he breaks through the state of harmony with nature which he is a part without transcending it.

From the stand point of traditional religion, which represented authority, this is essentially sin. From the stand point of man, however, this is the beginning of human freedom. Acting against the command of authority, committing a sin, is its positive human aspect, the first act of freedom, that is, first human act.

(The myth reflects material history of man from prehuman stage, when he was one with nature, to human stage)

THE FEAR OF FREEDOM

By Erich Fromm

Dr Timothy Winter:-

Read through a Biblical concordance [says Rashid Rida], and you will never find the word ‘intellect’ [‘aql], or any synonym for this human faculty which raises human beings above the entire animal kingdom, whether it be ‘insight’ [lubb] or ‘intelligence’ [nuha]. This is because this category is never mentioned in either the Old or the New Testament, since it is not a basis for the understanding of religion and its arguments and lessons; neither is the Bible’s religious discourse rationally oriented or based on reason. Similarly absent are the words ‘thinking’ [tafakkur], ‘contemplation’ [tadabbur], and looking at the world, all of which are among the greatest functions of the intellect.

Moderator: Carl Sagan says:

My parents were not scientists. They knew almost nothing about science. But in introducing me simultaneously to skepticism and to wonder, they taught me the two uneasily cohabiting modes of thought that are central to the scientific method. They were only one step out of poverty. But when I announced that I wanted to be an astronomer, I received unqualified support—even if they as (I) had only the most rudimentary idea of what an astronomer does . They never suggested that, all things considered, it might be better to be doctor or lawyer.

And again

‘The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be’

Kalam Scholar:- Never before and never since, on such a scale, has the spectacle been witnessed of the ruling classes throughout the length and breadth of a vast empire given over to frenzied passion for the acquirement of knowledge . Learning seemed to have become with them the chief business of life. Khali’fs and Emirs hurried from their diwans to closet themselves in their libraries and observatories; they neglected their affairs of state—which they in general sorely mismanaged---to attend lectures and converse on mathematical problems with men of science ; caravan laden with manuscripts and botanical specimens plied from Bokhara to the Tigris, from Egypt to Andalusia; embassies were sent to Constantinople and to India for the sole purpose of obtaining books and teachers; a collection of Greek author or a distinguished mathematician was eagerly demanded as the ransom of an empire. To every mosque was attached a school. (Moderator note: A similar fervor can be mapped in the life of a Queen Victoria who was eager to learn the theory of Evolution and to send naturalist’s to every corner of her empire to collect its flower and fauna. Included the bureaucratic cadre who developed it as hobby sending back the specimens to the laboratories of Great Britain) from…Rational Evolution By Robert Briffault.

Moderator :

On the assertion that religion stifle’s progress by Syed Jamal ud din Afghani:

‘In truth, the Muslim religion has tried to stifle science and stop its progress. It has thus succeeded in halting the philosophical or intellectual movement and turning minds from the search for scientific truth. A similar attempt, if I am not mistaken was made by the Christian religion, and the venerated leaders of the Catholic Church have not yet disarmed, so far as I know. They continue to fight energetically against what they call the spirit of vertigo and error. I know all the difficulties that the Muslims will have to surmount to achieve the same degree of civilization, access to truth with help of philosophic and scientific methods being forbidden them.’

CONQUEST OF SPACE AND QURAN.

Is Sagan right when he says. “ We run the danger of fighting to the death on ideological pretexts”.19 Or do we need another Moses Maimonides to write another Guide for the Perplexed. Then to our great surprise comes the Quran, with amazing insights into the world of NATURE, statements, exhorting its reader to study, what we now call science. That everything created in the Universe has a purpose.

Let me quote from an essay by Dr deGrasse Tyson.

“My personal views are entirely pragmatic, and partly resonate with those of Galileo who, during his trial, is credited with saying, "The Bible tells you how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." Galileo further noted, in a 1615 letter to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, "In my mind God wrote two books. The first book is the Bible, where humans can find the answers to their questions on values and morals. The second book of God is the book of nature, which allows humans to use observation and experiment to answer our own questions about the universe.20

Though not a book of science as in the anatomy, of the modern day atheistic scientist, Quran supplements, the Bible by unifying the answers to the questions on values and morals with answers to the origin of the universe, to our origin, our own questions about the universe, very Galileo like. Verses “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”18 of the Genesis, are elaborated, in more detail, predicting advance scientific phenomena only recently discovered. Scattered, like plums in a cake, in the 30 chapters, 114 surah and 6200 ayahs of the Quran.

The Bible underwent numerous changes, the Newton project, a project dedicated to Isaac Newton’s writings describes “Newton also spent an astonishing amount of his time assessing how the simple original truths of Christianity had been corrupted. Picking up a theme central to his work on prophecy, he identified the fourth century cleric Athanasius and his deviant associates the vanguard of those who had introduced (as Newton saw it) the false religion of Catholicism, and in particular, the hideous doctrine of the Holy Trinity”.

Newton praises Arius for his upholding the unity of God, against the mechanizations of Athanasius, with the support of Emperor Constantine. The council of Nice convened in 325 by Constantine himself resulted in the invention of the false doctrine of Holy

Trinity, called to resolve the controversies regarding the concept, nature and meaning of the same, as raised by Arius resulted in his being excommunicated and banished, leading to an ignominious end.

Carl Sagan illustrates in his book ‘Cosmos’ that the Ionian Greek scientist would have worked wonders if the Greek society would have kept on going with libraries as that of Alexandria, where scientists were trying to find the circumference of earth.………..which was Pre- Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon him) and Mohammad (Pbuh), and later, this endeavor would be pursued by Mohammad’s (Pbuh) followers. This was taken up by Muslim scientists beginning with the 4th Caliph Ali in his weekly Friday sermons on the Quran in 6th century A.D, picking up where the Ionians left, emphasizing on the study of nature.19 With 1/8th of the Quran or about 600 verses having examples drawn from Biology, Zoology Geology, Physics etc. Carl Sagan calls science as informed worship in his book The Varieties of Scientific Experience, ironically science or the study of nature is itself a form of worship as the Quran says.

In the study of the heavens and the earth and in alternation of night and day there are signs for men of understanding…..(Al Quran 3-190) 21.

And coupled with instructions on moral values.

Thy Lord hath decreedThat ye worship none but Him,And that ye be kind

To parents, whether oneOr both of them attainOld age in thy life,Say not to them a wordOf contempt, nor repel them,But address themIn term of honour.And, out of kindness,Lower to them the wingOf humility, and say:“My Lord! bestow on themThy mercy even as theyCherished me in childhood. (Al Quran 17-23,24). 22

And again on nature or science.

Seest thou not that Allah sends down rainFrom the sky? With itWe then bring out produceOf various colours.And in the mountainsAre tracts white and red,Of various shades of colour.And black intense in hue.And so amongst menAnd crawling creatures and cattle,Are they are various colours.Those truly fear Allah,Among His Servants,Who have knowledge.(Al Quran 35-27) 23.

Seeing through the mist is of paramount importance, as Karen Armstrong states quoting the Quran.“Verily in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and the succession of night and day and in the ships that speed through the sea, with what is useful to man, and in the water that God sends down from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless ,and causing all manners of living creatures to multiply there on, and in the change of winds, and the clouds that run their appointed courses between sky and the Earth.(in all this)there are messages(ayat) indeed for people who use their reason.2:164

The Koran constantly stresses the need for intelligence in deciphering the “Signs” or “messages” of God. Muslims are not to abdicate their reason but to look at the World attentively and with curiosity, It was this attitude that later enabled Muslims to build a fine tradition of natural science, which has never been seen as a danger to religion as in Christianity.”24.

The following statement defines one of the five key factors, as high level motivations for the exploration of distant space, in building a space ship. A joint collaboration between NASA and DARPA.

“Belief and faith: a search for God or the Divine, a need to explore beyond Earth’s atmosphere as a part of natural theology or as found through religious revelation.” And again;

“Finally, Belief was discussed as a motivation for the exploration of space on the basis of religious thought and belief; one participant observed a distinction in the definition of natural theology, which could be identified as the knowledge of God obtained through any process apart from Divine revelation. In this sense, exploration of outer space could be motivated by either a study of natural theology or as a need found through revelation.”

Unfortunately, unable to attend the conference held in California and neither the seminar in Orlando(a free event inviting everyone who believes in the Conquest of Nature as a higher purpose or the ultimate frontier , only 3 hour drive from Miami). I was able to send this article as an Islamic perspective on Conquest of Space, to the office of DARPA, soliciting proposals on 11-11-2011. In its essence one of its goals is to conquer the heavens and earth, and search for God or the Divine. Exactly what Quran describes, as a challenge to the intellectuals, men and women of faith ( �اِب� �َب �ُل اَأْل� �وا ْو�ُل

� all over. God does , (ُأnot discriminate, if the followers of one of His Prophets slumber, for lack of vision, He does not depend on them. So also warning if none of them, remembers, Him a new creation, will be brought forth, if they do not heed to His signs..

Do you not See That Allah has subjected To your (use) all things In the heavens and on earth, And has made His bounties Flow to you in exceeding Measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men Those who dispute about Allah, Without knoweledge and without Guidance, and without a Book To enlighten them!

Do you not see that Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth? If He will, He can remove you and bring (in your place) a new creation!

Eminent Scholar of both science and divinity Inayat ullah Khan, basing his studies on Quran and nature believed that one day humans will have evolved to such a degree as physically conquer the whole universe. Today Saturday 25th August, 2012, Neil

Armstrong the first man to land on moon, passed away. The journey these servants of God started only God knows, when, where and how it will end. Praise is to the Creator and Sustainer, the Lord of the worlds in Whose, Might and Control all souls arrive. (Subhan -Allah).

Nuclear Engineer Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood,after an in depth study of the Quran amalgamates three principles of the Quran as life saving and world shaking namely zikar,fikar and taskheer, that is remembrance, of Allah , pondering his Signs, and conquest of nature. We have to carefully watch the progress of knowledge in all its domains. Not neglecting one at the expense of the other. An unverifiable sign yet is the existence of the unlimited paths, tracts in the Heavens above us which are being neglected by modern research as the Quran points to.

And We have created above you seven paths, and We are never unmindful of creation.

HatafVI-Ghauri2-IRBM, Pakistan.

The Robotic Arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander carries a scoop of Martian soil bound for the spacecraft's microscope in handout photo released on June 13, 2008.

The space shuttle Discovery lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in this photograph taken on July 4, 2006 and released by NASA July 5, 2006. REUTERS/NASA/Handout.

Ghauri Missile rolls out of assembly hall at workshop at Khan Research Labs.

Pheonix Mars Lander Mission.

"We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself."Carl Sagan

Frosty white water ice clouds and swirling orange dust storms above a vivid rusty

landscape reveal Mars as a dynamic planet in this sharpest view ever obtained by an

Earth-based telescope. The Earth-orbiting Hubble telescope snapped this picture on June

26, when Mars was approximately 43 million miles (68 million km) from Earth -- its

closest approach to our planet since 1988. Hubble can see details as small as 10 miles (16

km) across. Especially striking is the large amount of seasonal dust storm activity seen in

this image. One large storm system is churning high above the northern polar cap [top of

image], and a smaller dust storm cloud can be seen nearby. Another large duststorm is

spilling out of the giant Hellas impact basin in the Southern Hemisphere [lower right].8

Rocky cliffs in the foreground named "Cape Verde" on the left, are seen in this image

taken by Mars Exploration rover released on October 5, 2006.

REUTERS/NASA-JPL/Handout.

Today 11 Nov 2011 National aeronautics and space agency and Department Advanced Research Projects Agency are soliciting studies on a 100 year research plan, for inter stellar travel star ship. The statement issued is the following. “I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION The human history of exploration and grand designs—from Ferdinand Magellan to John Harrison to Roald Amundsen—has been a history of patronage and persistence. Indeed it was sustained investments over decades and sometimes centuries that ultimately yielded the marine chronometer, a passage to India (or several), circumnavigation of the globe, discovery of the poles, and drilling into the Earth’s mantle. For the past half century, the great domain for human exploration has been the cosmos. In a break with the past, however, space exploration has been principally a government-driven enterprise. While not without its spectacular successes, this has not proved—and nor would history suggest

otherwise—an especially promising model for long-term investment into the fundamental challenges associated with a sustained foray into space. Neither the vagaries of the modern fiscal cycle, nor net-present-value calculations over reasonably foreseeable futures, have lent themselves to the kinds of century-long patronage and persistence needed to definitively transform mankind into a space-faring species.”

This article was emailed to Darpa today, to become part of this historical moment of us humans taking a first step towards building a space ship and actually realizing the dream to conquer the universe.

Earth at top, and Jupitor at botton as seen from orbiting mars global suryeor, May 8th

2003.

North and South America were in

view.

100 Year Starship

To see messages related to this one, group messages by conversation.

Office docs | 11/11/11

Reply  ▼

 MOHAMMAD KHAN

To MOHAMMAD KHAN, 100yss@darpa.milHotmail Active View

1 attachment (12.4 MB)

ARTICLE1-...docView onlineDownload(12.4 MB)Download as zipDear Paul Eremenko, DARPA-RA-11-70I hope to find you in the best of health and want to sincerely, congratulate both NASA and DARPA  for this extraordinary effort for the future of SPACE TRAVEL.

I being a member of the Muslim faith, express my deepest wishes for all of you in this historical moment of 11-11-11 today. I am enclosing an article as my faith expresses, its desire for the conquest of space. And also as a part of assistance in fields of Humanities(  higher religions), requested in the document.

Best Regards

Mohammad Imran Khan.

Matter converted into mind, now seeks to penetrate into the vastness and depths of the Cosmos Ocean.

Project Icarus

.

Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, anchored to a foot restraint on the International Space Station's Canadarm2, participates in the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA) August 3, 2005. REUTERS/NASA/Handout.

CREATION OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH AND ORIGINS OF MANKIND

Carl Sagan observes in The Varieties Of Scientific Experience. Now, we can say” Well that’s just because the right words, were not available back, when the first Jewish or Christian or Islamic holy books were written” But clearly that’s not the problem, it is certainly possible in the beautiful metaphors in these books to describe something like the galaxy and the Universe, and isn’t there. It is God of one small world a problem, I believe, that theologians have not adequately addressed.

Quran and all holy books used the language of the recipient nations to, communicate. Hebrew for Prophet Moses(Pbuh). Aramaic for, Prophet Jesus(Pbuh). Arabic or the language of the, Qureshi tribe in which Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) was born, called the {laguat ul quresh}.In keeping with the traditions, customs, cultural constraints, mode of conduct and habits. Wentzel Van Huyssteen observes “I believe the history of ideas of theological reflection shows that theological traditions have been extremely sensitive to the culture(s) in which they were embedded”.

Quran evolves and introduces, new and previously unknown concepts scattered like seeds in its fertile soil, through out its chapters as verses or signs to be reflected upon. Inviting men and women of understanding to ponder in its verses and chapters collect data and in the process become Co-Workers and servants of the Ultimate Reality, becoming infinitely powerful, more and more an image of God, acquiring wisdom and knowledge from the Divine book of nature and the Divine book of revelation the Quran.

And Allah makes the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) plain to you, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Quran 24:18).

For reason is not the final arbitrator between men or women and God, but it’s the love of God, His grace and mercy in the heart of the believer which is the final arbitrator. The love of God, is like a magnifying glass, when His light (Nur) passes through it and falls on the heart of a Momin, it melts and creates a new personality. For this Ego to survive and grow it has to be constantly cleansed in this light at every single moment of his or her existence.Not limited to

1. Remembrance of Allah(swt). 2. Five times prayers. 3. Regular Charity.

(Lit is such a Light) In houses, which Allah Hath permitted to be raised To honour; for the celebration,In them, of His name: In them is He glorified In the mornings andIn the evenings, (again and again)-

By men whom neither Traffic nor merchandise Can divert from the Remembrance Of Allah, nor from regular Prayer, Nor from the practice Of regular Charity: Their (only) fear isFor the Day when Hearts and eyes Will be transformed (In a world wholly new)_

SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE OF MUSLIMS

Quran itself unifies natural theology with examples drawn, from Geology, Astrophysics, Astrobiology, and other sciences as signs of Allah with Amr (commands} on what befits the best human behavior, as distinct from its closely related DNA cousins in the animal world. Essentially finding limits on Darwinism and inferring Fine Tuning and Design at the molecular and astronomical levels.

Thus grew the DAR UL-ULOOMS and DAR AL-HIKMETS (The Home of Science)7. or center of leanings in Spain, Central Asia, Middle East, Africa and all the way to Indonesia, producing the finest scholars and scientists who’s inventions and discoveries in art, literature, medicine and Science were the fore runners of Reformation and Renaissance in the west.

Western scholars accuse Quran of plagiarism, as having been copied from Biblical sources. A reflection, and in an depth study of the Quran reveal it to be a reforming book both for Judaism and Christianity. Former British prime minister Tony Blair remarks speak for themselves..

“I speak with great diffidence and humility as a member of another faith. I am not qualified to make any judgments. But as an outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return Judaism and Christianity to their origins, rather as reformers attempted with the Christian Church centuries later. It is inclusive. It extols science and knowledge and abhors superstition. It is practical and way ahead of its time in attitudes to marriage, women and governance”.

These messages from the scriptures, Torah, Bible and the Quran, have a sense of continuity, a sense of purpose, and history, being derived, from the same source, at intervals of a few hundred to a few thousand of years. More like nature or the universe itself, some times , showing chaos , random destruction, some concepts harder to understand, than others, some to be left for latter generations, with more advanced knowledge to clear there meanings. One Sura starts with the creation of man from Adam (Pbuh), and another exhorting Muslims to visit the far corners of the earth to find out how God originated the first creation. The man in the Galapagos Islands and the other in, Brazilian rainforest of the Amazon river basin and later in The Malay Archipelago were attempting to do the same.

Say “Travel through the earth And see how Allah did Originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation: For Allah has power Over all things.

The Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane describes the Arabic word “Bada” as following.

“He originated the thing; brought it into being or existence; or produces it for the first time, it not having been before.”

1. Now why would travelling be so important, otherwise God creation is the person sitting next to us? We can just observe him or her. Or the birds and animals roaming in our neighborhood would suffice. Some people make statements, like the arm chair academics and generals. Alfred Wallace Russell, went to the far corners, of the earth, prone to infections and diseases, sub human cultures, and see his brother die in the process. Arriving at the same conclusions, as Darwin, but asking further questions about the Creator, who had the mysterious power of growth and reproduction.

2. Challenging 21st century Muslims, naturalists, biologists, zoologists to eliminate and eradicate once for all, or confirm parts of the Darwinian and Wallace notions as Allah’s plan, for them selves by studying the earth, with all its paleontology, geology, and pale anthropology.

It’s amazing how Thomas Malthus writing in. “An essay on the Principal of Population”, had a rare insight bordering on mystical, with his remarks on the past and future, of human kind. Reading God’s mind in earth, nature and the scripture. He influenced both Charles Darwin, and Alfred Wallace, both of whom independently, deduced the principle of natural selection, accompanied with their corollaries’ of survival of the fittest, random mutation, and selective retention. Commenting on his inspiration, the former remarks. “In October 1838... I happened to read for amusement Malthus on Population... it at once struck me that under these circumstances favourable variations would tend to be preserved, and unfavourable ones to be destroyed. The result of this would be the formation of new species." And the co-discoverer Alfred Russell says.” But perhaps the most important book I read was Malthus's Principles of Population... It was the first great work I had yet read treating of any of the problems of philosophical biology, and its main principles remained with me as a permanent possession, and twenty years later gave me the long-sought clue to the effective agent in the evolution of organic species.”

Utilizing all modern day tools. God wants us to visit the far corners of earth as an Amr (command) to find the mystery behind the beginning of life on earth. No other translations can be made of these verses, as the word Originate refers to creation of Mankind, since the next and immediate verse alludes to how Allah’s (swt) will produce a later creation in the Hereafter. Earlier Muslim naturalist like Al Jahiz wrote.

"Animals engage in a struggle for existence: for resources, to avoid being eaten, and to breed. Environmental factors influence organisms to develop new characteristics to ensure survival, thus transforming into new species. Animals that survive to breed can pass on their successful characteristics to offspring."

If naturalist like Charles Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace co-discoverer of natural selection and the Leakey’s could venture in the far corners of the earth, as remote as islands of Galapagos, Brazil , Malay and the wilderness of Africa to read God’s scripture’s by studying the flora and fauna on and Paleontology in the earth . Why could a Muslim research team not do the same? Had we based our research on the Quranic verses in the domain of Nature, centuries ago, we would have rendered a great service to make Quran, the light of the world.

A task taken up elsewhere, inferring natural selection to be a mindless natural process, as the originator of the first creation. Instead of natural selection a law in nature as any other physical law, an agent of change, in the universe and on earth being itself a corollary of the law of maximum diversity and law of creation of order out of chaos, all being the corollaries of the Word of God. The former being diametrically opposed to what the above verse challenges its readers to find out by travelling throughout the earth and discover a Conscious creator. Certainly these naturalists were not planning to over throw the Scriptures, had any ulterior motives both being trained in theology. They reported what they saw. Alfred Wallace Russell’s is the architect of intelligent evolution, belief in common descent that was directed, he writes in his book.

The WORLD OF LIFE A MANIFESTATION OF CREATIVE POWER, DIRECTIVE MIND AND ULTIMATE PURPOSE

“But besides the discussions of these and several other allied subjects, the most prominent feature of my book is that I enter into popular yet critical examinations of those underlying fundamental problems which Darwin purposely excluded from his works as being beyond the scope his inquiry. Such are the nature and causes of life itself; and more especially of its most fundamental and mysterious powers-growth and reproduction.”

And again;

“I first endeavour to show (in Chapter XIV.) by a care-ful consideration of the structure of the bird’s feather; of the marvellous transformations of the higher insects; and more especially of the highly elaborate wing-scales of the Lepidoptera (as easily accessible examples of what is going on in every part of the structure of every living thing), the absolute necessity for organising and directive Life-Principle in order to account for the very possibility of these complex outgrowths. I argue that they necessarily imply first, a Creative Power, which so constituted matter as to render these marvels possible; next, a directive Mind which is demanded at every step of what we term growth, and often look upon as so simple and natural a process as to require no explanation; and, lastly, an ultimate Purpose, in the very existence of the whole vast life-world in all its long course of evolution throughout the eons of geological time. This Purpose, which alone throws

light on many of the mysteries of its mode of evolution, I hold to the development of Man, the one crowning product of the whole cosmic process of life-development; the only being which can to some extent comprehend nature; which can perceive and trace out her modes of action; which can appreciate the hidden forces and motions everywhere at work, an can deduce from them a supreme and over- ruling Mind as their necessary cause.

For those who accept some such view as I have indicated, I show (in chapter XV, and XVI.) how strongly it is supported and enforced by along series of facts and co-relations which can hardly look upon as all purely accidental coincidences. Such are infinitely varied products of living things which serve man’s purposes and man’s alone not only by supplying this material wants, and by gratifying his higher tastes and emotions, but as rendering possible many of those advances in the arts and in science which we claim to be the highest proofs of his superiority to the brutes, as well as of his advancing civlisation.”

Here Alfred insinuates a creative power which directs the affairs of nature to an Ultimate purpose. Being the development of men and women using all the facilities provided by this directive Mind.

Modern man having ceased to live soulfully, in its pursuit of wealth and happiness, is he really modern or a relative of the Toulambi’s, having changed his outer attire. Leaving the Stone Age behind, to pilot space ships instead of canoe’s, set up commerce around the globe instead of scourging for food. What would a Michel Montaigne render were he alive today?

Quran explicitly guides us and makes it very clear, for those endowed with knowledge and Taqwa in understanding Surah 76 Al Insan (Man), Al Dahr (The Time). The evolution of Insan(Man) in Dahr(Time).

Has there not been over Man a long period of Time, when he was nothing - (not even) mentioned?

Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight.

The next steps being elaborated in the length and breadth of the divine books of revelations including the Torah , Gospel and Quran.

From: Psalm 19:1-4

19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the sky displays his handiwork.

19:2 Day after day it speaks out;

night after night it reveals his greatness.

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its voice literally heard.

19:4 Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth;

its words carry to the distant horizon.

In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun

To

In the alternation of night and day, and what God has created in the heavens and the earth surely there are signs for a God fearing people.

There is a continuity of Epic proportions, pointing to a super race of space warriors engaged in the conquest of the universe and endowed with the fear of Allah (swt).

Dr Mohammad Iqbal R.A remarks:

“The naturalism of the Quran is only a recognition of the fact that man is related to nature, and this relation, in view of its possibility as a means of controlling her forces, must be exploited not in the interest of unrighteous desire for domination, but in the nobler interest of a free upward movement of spiritual life. In the interests of securing a complete vision of Reality, therefore , sense-perception must be supplemented by the perception of what the Quran describes as Fuad or Qalb, i.e heart”.

What does the Creator Himself says in the Quran.

Say:”Of your partners’, Can any originate creation And repeat it?” Say: “It is Allah Who originates Creation and repeats it: Then how are ye deluded Away (from the truth)?”

And again

And Allah has created Every animal from water: Of them there are some That creep on their bellies; Some that walk on two legs; And some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills; For verily Allah has power Over all things.

We have indeed sent down Signs that make things manifest: And Allah guides whom He wills To a Way that is straight.

Life forms have modified after having adapted to the changed conditions, brought about in natural environment, climate and means of subsistence.

We find evidence from the fossil records of the earliest living organism in what are defined the Geological era, starting with Precambrian from 4.6 Billion years ago to the present.

Precambrian Time (4.600 million). Earth is formed, continental shields appear, and Fossils are rare with Cyan bacteria (blue –green algae found in still water) the most common organism.

Paleozoic divided into:

4. Cambrian (542 million) Shelled marine, invertebrate appear, trilobites and brachiopods are common. First vertebrate appear, atmosphere reaches the modern O2 (oxygen-rich state).

5. Ordovician (488 million) Echinoderms appear, Brachiopods increases, Trilobites decline, and Graptolites flourish.

6. Devonian (416 million) Age of fishes begins, Amphibians appear, Giant horse tails, Ferns, and seed bearing plants develop.

7. Carboniferous (359-318 million) Amphibians flourish, brachiopods are common, and land is covered with forests and swamps. Coal deposits form and reptiles are common.

8. Permian (299 million) Pangaea comes together and mass extinctions occur ending the Paleozoic era.

9. Mesozoic

Triassic (251 million) Dinosaurs appear, ammonites are common, cycads and conifers are abundant, and mammals appear.

Jurassic (200 million) Dinosaurs are the dominant life form, primitive birds and flying reptiles appear.

Cretaceous (146 million) Flowering plants and modern birds appear, mass extinction mark the end of Mesozoic Era.

Creation from Earth is what the Quran mentions when some humans finding no hope for planet earth’s or their own future, fall into despair, anguish and depression, in the following verses when Noah (Pbuh) replying to God, about his people’s obstinacy and arrogance and of his efforts night and day to warn them of the impending disaster which in the absence of piety would befall on them. God does not change the condition of people, until they repent, and ask His forgiveness.

In the mention of Abraham in the Quran we find him studying the starry heavens, but no such discourse on nature is observed for Noah(Pbuh). Allah(swt) inspires His prophets with knowledge, which could not be obtained otherwise of the past, present and future events.

Creation of Humans is mentioned in diverse stages, along with the evolution of the seven heavens, as here God mentions both humans and the heavens to be formed in diverse stages. Along with creation of the Sun and Moon, and spreading out the earth like a carpet. Another very interesting sign points to creation of humankind like the growth of a tree from earth; perhaps here the mystery of the creation of humans is solved.

‘' Saying, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving;

"' He will send rain to you in abundance;

"' Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers (of flowing water).

"' What is the matter with you, that ye place not your hope for kindness and long-suffering in Allah,

"' Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages?

Here some might allude to the creation in the mother’s womb, but considering the whole narration of verses speaking of great works of Allah(swt) in nature one after another , this verse points in the different direction, of human evolution in stages. In another verse the creation of the heavens and earth is described as a great event, being far greater then the creation of mankind. The creation of the heavens and earth is far greater than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind do not know it. And along with God wanting us to visit the far corners of the earth to study how the first creation was originated. It is the mighty Lord, in His full grace and mercy conveying to all generations past, present and future, secrets of the Universe.

"' See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another,

The Arabic word (Samawate Tebaqan) is defined in the Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane “The Heavens (are composed of stages) one above another.”

"'And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp?

"'And Allah has produced you from the earth growing (gradually),

In Surah 32 verse 7 Allah (swt) describes the creation of everything with perfection foremost being creation of Humans.

It is He Who created everything in the best manner and began the creation of the human being from clay

And made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised

Then He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him the soul (created by Allah for that person), and He gave you hearing (ears), sight (eyes) and hearts. Little is the thanks you give!

Knowledge is the Heritage of all mankind. In the Golden age of Islam, in Andalusia, scholars like, Ibn Rushd inspired, Moses Maimonides and later St Thomas Aquinas with works, as Kitab fasl al-maqal, derived from the knowledge of Quran.

These inspirations blossomed in to the pillars of science, pure reason, abstract mathamatics, logic, technology, higher religions, great edifices, on which the whole superstructure of modern science and culture, is built, after its birth incubation and maturity in the lands of Islam, in cities such as Baghdad circa 800-1100 AD(although we cannot ignore the contributions of other cultures, including the Chinese, Indian, Greek, Chaldean and many more).

The year 1858 is a year when evolution continuing its progression inherent in the tree of life, reached its zenith, producing two men, who independently, of each other, came to the same conclusions, i.e. natural selection being the engine driving our physical and social progress, with one major difference, as nature would have it, in a very subtle way, the men them selves were also the epitome of the split. The two papers each written by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace, and read simultaneously on 1st July, 1958, by Charles Lyell, would open up for debate in two directions or thoughts, in subsequent books, speeches and articles written by the two, one believed that , men and women are just another, animal species, not given to any higher purpose, the other believing them as the product of a special creation, a divine manifestation, though the engine still remaining as natural selection but it is not a single engine driven by nature alone.

This opened a debate, which will continue, till both thoughts are united in a distant future.(depending on which side of the debate one belongs to). The adherents of the first view are Charles Darwin, Alfred Huxley, Stephen Jay Gould many others including Richard Dawkins. The other side represented by none other then Alfred Wallace Russell himself (with books such as The world of life, a collection of arguments from winged birds to wood as perfectly suited for ship building offering insights of a divine purpose to making humans the king pin of evolution from brute to a scientific civilization)), Inayat Ullah Khan and Pierre de Chardin (Inayat Ullah Khan a contemporary of Pierre de Chardin, the two almost came to the same conclusions on human evolution and destiny. With the first enunciating evolution in his books Man’s destiny, Human problem destined to explore the stars, with necessary ingredients already laid out or in the process of creation by the Ultimate Creator. Both Co-workers in this epic Divine Purpose understood by heart of an omnium, al-insan al-kamil and the later with Human Phenomena). The Muslim Responses to Evolution by Professor Abdul Majeed articulates arguments for and against evolution by distinguished Muslim scholars.

And how many Signs In the heavens and the earth Do they pass by? Yet they Turn (their faces) away from them!

Are Muslim scientists prepared to travel to the far corners of the earth in Darwin’s, Alfred Wallace foot steps and reclaim the knowledge derived as their heritage. Quran mentions the birth of Adam (pbuh) as spontaneous and special like Jesus (pbuh), taking place, we need to see how it’s integrated with rest of human kind. For Quran hints at evolution and creation of heavens and earth as an event far greater than that of humankind, as explained in later part of this essay. It took the universe 13.7 billion years, for us to send, advanced satellites and space crafts , to construct our origins.

Allama Inayatullah Khan says, in his book Hadith ul Quran, Allah Almighty has made parts of Quran, seem chaotic like nature itself, with one verse having no relation with the

previous or the next. Like scientist working with data from nature, it’s imperative for scholars of Quran to see and construct the whole puzzle to find meaning full answers.

Allah Almighty essentially used the prevalent Semitic language Arabic or more precisely Laguat ul Quresh, the dialect used by the tribes of Quresh of the 7th century to download its messages, as mentioned above, very strongly using the prevalent traditions, customs, cultural constraints, mode of conduct and habits, certainly overthrowing and unbalancing the modern day analytical and empirical scientist. Let me give just one example the word 7 is used by all the holy books to denote multiplicity or many as the terms billions or trillions and terms like Planck constant did not exist then. Moses Maimonides says in the Guide of the perplexed chapter 29. “As his words, as the light of seven days, the commentators have said that means there by the multiplicity of light, for the Hebrews denote multiplicity by the number seven.”.

The influence Quran would wield on the later generation of Muslims resulted in the religious fervor and zeal with which they pursued knowledge.

Dr Iqbal writes, about the Muslim contribution to Science with references from Robert Briffault’s book in the following passages.“Let me quote a few passages from Briffault’s Making of Humanity.‘. . . it was under their successors at that Oxford school that Roger Bacon learned Arabic and Arabic science. Neither Roger Bacon nor his later namesake has any title to be credited with having introduced the experimental method. Roger Bacon was no more than one of the apostles of Muslim science and method to Christian Europe; and he never wearied of declaring that a knowledge of Arabic and Arabian science was for his contemporaries the only way to true knowledge. Discussions as to who was the originator of the experimental method . . . are part of the colossal misrepresentation of the origins of European civilization. The experimental method of the Arabs was by Bacon’s time widespread and eagerly cultivated throughout Europe’ (pp. 200-01). . . .

‘Science is the most momentous contribution of Arab civilization to the modern world, but its fruits were slow in ripening. Not until long after Moorish culture had sunk back into darkness did the giant to which it had given birth rise in his might. It was not science which brought Europe back to life. Other and manifold influences from the civilization of Islam communicated its first glow to European life’ (p. 202).

‘For although there is not a single aspect of European growth in which the decisive influence of Islamic culture is not traceable, nowhere is it so clear and momentous as in the genesis of that power which constitutes the paramount distinctive force of the modern world, and the supreme source of its victory - natural science and the scientific spirit’ (p. 190).

‘The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it owes its existence. The ancient world was, as we saw, pre-scientific. The astronomy and

mathematics of the Greek were a foreign importation never thoroughly acclimatized in Greek culture. The Greeks systematized, generalized, and theorized, but the patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed and prolonged observation, experimental inquiry, were altogether alien to the Greek temperament. Only in Hellenistic Alexandria was any approach to scientific work conducted in the ancient classical world. What we call science arose in Europe as a result of a new spirit of inquiry, of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of mathematics in a form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and those methods were introduced into the European world by the Arabs’ (p. 191).

The first important point to note about the spirit of Muslim culture then is that, for purposes of knowledge, it fixes its gaze on the concrete, the finite. It is further clear that the birth of the method of observation and experiment in Islam was due not to a compromise with Greek thought but to a prolonged intellectual warfare with it. In fact, the influence of the Greeks who, as Briffault says, were interested chiefly in theory, not in fact, tended rather to obscure the Muslims’ vision of the Qur’«n, and for at least two centuries kept the practical Arab temperament from asserting itself and coming to its own. I want, therefore, definitely to eradicate the misunderstanding that Greek thought, in any way, determined the character of Muslim culture. Part of my argument you have seen; part you will see presently.”

The creation of the heavens and earth is far greater than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind do not know it. (Quran 40:57). 

The heavens and earth on the universal and geological time scales took 13.7 billion years to produce observers or star stuff, as the scientists like to call us, to be able to send satellites carrying advanced instruments into space and construct our Origins. Looking back we infer from the recent discoveries in astrophysics, the singularity or quantum fluctuations of the big bang to the present was a colossal task, both in complexity and time scales. The above message distinctly mentions the word Akbar, in Arabic for greater, larger, immense in estimation , bigger, major, superior, the creation of heavens and earth then the creation of human beings....does this pertains to giving any clues that life forms evolved too, in billions of years.. for if it took some 8 or 9 billions years.(We

keep on changing these numbers as we get more precise instruments and accurate data , as everything was happening in tandem) for the universe to form the milky way galaxy and produce sun from the protosun,

leading to the planetary system including our own earth. Having itself evolved from the solar nebula, the accretion disk and sufficiently cool down, on the surface for us, to forget we live on a molten rock hurtling through space travelling around, the sun at 18.5 miles per second , or 60000 thousand miles an hour and moving with the solar system around, the galactic core once every 225 million galactic years . The basic processes and principles to take root for life forms to evolve, would happen in tandem again for the above information from the Quran as stating that the work of the creation of universe and earth was immense, as compared to human kind, which considering than could not have been, less either. As the literal reading of six days of the Bible or Quran would suggest. Each day reckoned as an Epoch in Geological and Cosmic time scales of billion of years.

It is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all between them, in six Days, and is firmly established on the Throne (of Authority): ye have none, besides Him, to protect or intercede (for you): will ye not then receive admonition?(surah 32-4)

The universe as mentioned above had a beginning some 13.7 billions years ago, in what we now call the Big Bang, smaller than the size of a pinhead,

Elaborating the creation of the Universe and all life forms on earth appears in the following verses.

Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

In The Guide For the Perplexed the famous Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides writes.

“Do not turn away from the opinion according to which the world is new, except because of a demonstration. Now such a demonstration does not exist in nature. Further more the student of this treatise should not engage in criticism because of my using this rhetorical mode of speech in order to support the affirmation of the newness of the world. For Aristotle, the prince of the philosophers in his main writings has likewise used rhetorical speeches in support of his opinion that the world is eternal. In such cases it may truly be said: Shall not our perfect Torah be (worth as much) as their Frivolous talk. If he refers in support of his opinion to the ravings of the Sabians, how can we but refer in support of our opinion to the words of Moses and Abraham and to everything that follows there from?”

Moses Maimonides would have to wait 800 hundred years until, the launch of the COBE and WMAP satellite missions for a demonstration in nature, upholding his opinion that the world is new and not eternal as Aristotle thought.

Figure I

Figure II. An all-sky image of the infant Universe, 380,000 years after the Big Bang, as captured by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. The WMAP image reveals temperature fluctuations (shown as color differences) differing by one-millionth of a degree Celsius. Temperature fluctuations stem from density differences in place soon after the Big Bang, the seeds of galaxies and the vast structure we see today. REUTERS/Handout/NASA-WMAP

Timeline of the expansion of the universe. The light elements were created on the far left of this diagram at the beginning of the universe, and became neutral atoms at around 380,000 years after the big bang. Credit: NASA/WMAP Science Team

Dr deGrasse Tyson describes in his book the Origins, with all the four forces unified into a single force. “At this juncture Einstein general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics describing the large scale and small scale phenomena were indistinguishable, followed by the epoch of inflation accompanied by the splitting of the strong nuclear force and the electroweak force”. “The inflationary era lasted from 10_37 second to 10-33 second after the big bang. During that relatively brief stretch of time, the fabric of space and time expanded faster than light, growing in a billionth of a trillionth of a

trillionth of a second from one hundred billion billion times smaller than the size of proton to about 4 inches.”“ Yes the observable universe once fit within a grape fruit. But what caused the cosmic inflation? Cosmologist has named the culprit a “Phase Transition.” That left behind a specific and observable signature in the cosmic background radiation.”

“With in the hot universe the photons converted to matter and anti-matter particles pairs, with every 1 billions antimatter particles, 1 billion+1 matter particles were born, the universe further cooled with the splitting of the electro-weak force into electromagnetic and weak nuclear force. As the temperature further dropped the photons could not produce matter and anti-matter particles any more resulting in the complete annihilation of both leaving behind one matter particle for every 1 billion photons. In about a three minute period matter converted to protons and neutrons, and combined to form simple nuclei of atoms. Further cooling below a few thousand degree Kelvin, this soup composed of electrons scattering the photons, here and there started to combine with the nuclei to form complete atoms of hydrogen, helium and lithium”.

The universe was now transparent to light, and the left over photons of that era appear as the cosmic back ground radiation discovered by 1965 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

In the first few billion years matter lumped to form galaxies, with suns ten times massive then our star to produce heavy elements under extreme temperature and pressure, later to be scattered in the massive super nova explosions.( Stephen Hawking is amazed at our earth being spared with such a super nova burst and its accompanying high energy gamma rays for the last nearly 4.5 billions, sparing life otherwise to be instantly eliminated as we know it). About 8 or 9 billion years later our sun was formed in the Milky Way galaxy from the dust clouds enriched with these heavy elements. These gas cloud formed the sun and accretion disk around it, which in turn cooled sufficiently to form planets, asteroids and the comets.

Though most water was present in the accretion phase, new research point to asteroids, and icy comets in the outer domains of the solar system contributing to a portion of water in the oceans. The early earth was ejecting enough water vapors from within rising to form clouds in the atmosphere. The surface being so hot that no water could collect there. After millions of years these clouds cooled to form droplets falling to the surface of the earth. Once our star system having produced enough asteroids and comets to continually bombard the planets for several hundred million years gradually decrease, the molten surface of our earth gave rise to liquid oceans, producing complex molecules, the

precursors of simple anaerobic bacteria which in turn, would transform the carbon rich atmosphere at that time into one with sufficient oxygen, paving the way for aerobic organisms to evolve and establish in the sea and on the land.

Quran describes the creation of all life forms from water. Water with its characteristics to dissolve chemicals, retain heat, maintain moderate temperatures, including nutrients permitted biochemical reactions to create and sustain life. Suggesting all life on our planet to be of a common ancestry and origin.

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe? Quran 21:30

The earth surface cooled and water started collecting in the basins. Dissolving minerals from the rocks, to form the salty oceans, evaporating again forming endless cycles of a natural desalination plant. Mentioned in the Quran from a beginning of a few billions years ago, to still happening before our eyes, in every thunder, every rain droplet falling on the earth and producing an aroma.

Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding.

These gigantic works of God are full of signs, In the struggle for existence, we are changing earth’s fine balance, cutting rain forests providing major source of the oxygen we breathe. A saying of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) exhorts us to plant trees.

Do they just waitFor the final fulfillmentOf the event? On the dayThe event is finally fulfilled,Those who disregarded itBefore will say: “The MessengersOf our Lord did indeedBring true (tidings). Have weNo intercessors now to intercedeOn our behalf? Or could weBe sent back? Then should weBehave differently from ourBehaviour in the past.”In fact they will have lostTheir souls, and the thingsThey invented will leaveThem in lurch….Surah 7-53.

Many are the Jinn and menWe have made for Hell:They have hearts wherewith theyUnderstand not, eyes wherewith They see not, and ears wherewithThey hear not. They are Like cattle-nay moreMisguided: for they Are heedless (of warnings).

But those who worship Allah the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, His Mercy encompasses all despair, all depression, all suicidal thoughts, all sins when sincerely repented bringing glad tidings.

So that Allah willTurn off from them(Even) the worst in their deedsAnd give them their rewardAccording to the best Of what they have done.

Those who believe,And work righteousness—Their Lord will guide themBecause of their Faith:Beneath them will flowRivers in Gardens of Bliss

Author Mohammad Imran Khan, B.Sc Physics Punjab, M.Scs Physics Government College University, Lahore. Senior Scientific Officer, Dr A.Q Khan research Laboratories, Pakistan. System Administrator Oasis corporation, Virgin Atlantic airline Miami office, Miami,Fl.

Dr Mujahid Kamran Vice Chancellor Punjab University Lahore.

Dr Inam ur Rehman

Ex-DG PIEAS, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

Author at Kennedy space center, replica of moon rover

With George Ted Sassen , Former Chief Engineer of Spacecraft Operations for Nasa Nsc 1961-1994. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida USA.

List of websites:

1. Darulhikmat.com

2. www.iium.edu.my

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