Wednesday, May 9, 2012

DISCOVERING MYSELF


Let us suppose for a moment that I am a man of about 25 years. I am not religious and have been leading a materialistic life. I saw people dying left and right from either natural or accidental causes. That forced me to start pondering on many questions. Who am I? What is the purpose of man’s creation? What happens when people die? Where do they go? Is there an afterlife? Do human beings consist of simply a physical body or is there any soul or spirit? What is the origin of this universe, including the earth, sun, moon, stars, and atmosphere? Was this universe created accidentally or by some Divine Being? Newton’s First Law of Motion says “every body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion unless it is compelled by an external force to change its state of rest or motion”. Although man has successfully landed on the moon, he has failed to establish the origin of this universe.

The “Big Bang” theory, our latest explanation for the universe’s origin, fails when compared with Newton’s Laws of Motion. The question raised is: Who made that Bang? The domain of science is contented and limited to the perception of man’s five senses. In the prehistoric times, man started worshipping huge astronomical objects. Sometimes he worshipped the Sun and the Moon at other times. Later, scientists hypothesized that monkeys evolved over a period of time and ultimately developed into modern man. If this is true, why are monkeys still around? Shouldn’t the entire species of monkeys have evolved into man? Why does modern man refuse to accept that he is composed of both an anatomical-body and soul? What is the difference between animals and humans? Although both species eat, drink, and reproduce, man has been given intellect which allows him to think. But, who gave man intellect?

We have to bridge the gap between Materialism and the Unseen World.  Think about human creation from the time of conception to birth. One is surprised by the complicated networks of systems in human body when he learns about them. But, who created this baby from apparently lifeless semen? We take care of our bodies by eating nourishing food but wholly ignore food for our souls. Who created the blanket of air around the earth? What will happen to life on earth in the absence of its invisible atmosphere? If we continue counting the blessings of that Unseen Being, we will appreciate and subsequently thank that Being. Think about who is managing and controlling this universe. The sun, moon, stars, and earth have been moving in an organized pattern since their creation. The Sun’s path has never intersected with the paths of the moon or any other planetary body. The explanation of this phenomenon is that every astrophysical body endures opposing centripetal and centrifugal forces which attract and repel one another.

The aforementioned factors lead us to conclude that there is some Omnipotent Being, called Allah, who is responsible for creating and managing both the universe and life on earth. However, man was not created without a purpose. Allah sent prophets and direction, by means of the Imams and Holy Quran, to guide humanity to lead fuller, more accomplished lives. There is life after death because the soul remains intact upon leaving the mortal body. Moreover, there will be a Day of Judgment when our souls and original bodies will be reunited. On that day, each man’s deeds from this world will be accounted for, where he will be rewarded for his good deeds and punished for his sins.

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