The Realm of Khalq
          The realm of Amar is abstract: it is where the ultimate plans, laws, and designs, keeping the overall schemes of the universe, are formed. Allah’s ultimate knowledge and wisdom decides how to arrange them harmoniously.  The second stage of creation manifests itself in the realm of Khalq: here the created objects take concrete form.
        The word Khalq means to weigh and measure the material—to make something out of it by shedding the undesirable parts and balancing the created object harmoniously. Allah is al-bidii and fatarun who first made this universe from nothing. In the second stage, God creates many things by using different measurements and designs from the created material. One pattern is to repeat the first model again and again; the second is to change the proportion and create new objects by adding or subtracting material. Here, the Quran acknowledges that human beings can create things, but they cannot create something from nothing as Allah does.
        The Quran asks in 27:64, “Who originates creation and then repeats it?” The answer, given in 30:11, is that “Allah originates creation; then He repeats it; every step in this process leads to His designated destination.” The word used in the Quran is yueed. It does not simply mean to repeat, but to complete a thing from beginning to end by passing it through various stages of evolution and bringing it to its ultimate destination.   
        Allah is the creator of everything in the universe. This fact is emphasized in the Quran. Moreover, it says in 38:28, “We have not created the heaven and the earth and all that is between them in vain (for destructive purpose).’’ The materialistic view that nature has blindly created this amazing universe by chance, without any purpose, and the universe will come to an end one day is refuted in the Quran.  It says the universe is created by an omnipotent, knowledgeable, and wise Allah with a purpose.
        The Quran uses two terms to explain its meaning exactly.  They are Haqq and Baatil.  Baatil is an effort which produces negative or destructive results. Occasionally it fails to produce any result.  Haqq is something present concretely, as an undeniable solid fact, with constructive results.
         Some philosophers, especially many Hindu religious thinkers, believe that the universe does not exist in reality. It is Maya, or mirage—a deception created by our imagination with the help of the senses.  The Quran says in 14:19, “Dost thou not perceive that Allah has created the heaven and the earth with Haqq.” The same message is repeated in 29:44: “Allah has created the heaven and the earth for a purpose.  In that surely is a sign for the believers.”
        Some Indian philosophers have put forward a strange concept about the creation of the universe.  According to them, the universe is God’s lila ( play); it has only come into existence because Shiva is playing and when he gets tired of it, the universe will vanish. One name for Shiva is Natarajan: the king of players, or a very great player. But the Quran says in 21:16, “We have not created this heaven and the earth and all that is between them in play.”
        Moreover, the Quran invites the wise men and scientists of the universe to critically examine the created universe.   In 67:3-4 it says, “Allah has created several planets one above the other; you will not discover any flaw in them. Look carefully. Do you find any disparity in them? Look again and again; the sight will return to you frustrated and fatigued without finding a rift in the creation of Allah.”
        Allah does not sit idle after the creation of the universe; His laws are operating in the universe.  In 35:1 it is written, “He, according to his law of Mashiyat, adds new additions to his creation when he pleases.”  It is not a blind nature, but a mighty, powerful, and wise personality who is controlling and organizing the affairs of the universe. That is why everything—the sun, moon, stars, and day and night—are working endlessly and harmoniously without a difference of one second.  Every object in His creation is just the right fit for the purpose for which it is created.

The Realm of Amar

The Realm of Amar.

                                The Realm of Amar         Nearly all the religious books the ---Torah, the Bible, the Quran, and many others— talk about the creation of the universe.  Nearly all the explanations are unscientific and take refuge in imagination while describing the creation of the universe; but the Quran gives a very rational view about the creation.          Unlike English, Arabic has many words to describe the various aspects of creation; for example al-bidii is one who creates an object for the first time without following any previous model or example. The use of this word for God means to create something without using any tools or pre-existing material, beyond the limits of time and space. The Quran says in 2:117, "Allah has created this universe from nothing." The other word used for creation is fatarun: one who creates something for the first time. In other words,God is the only originator who has created this mind-boggling universe. The Quran says in 6:14, "Allah is the originator of the heavens and the earth."          When an engineer wants to build a house he goes through many stages. The first and the foremost is forming the will to do so; then he draws a design of how it is to be made and makes a plan. He arranges things in an order. The first stage is abstract, and in the second stage the house takes a concrete shape.  Both these stages are two parts of a continuous process of creation, but they are different in quality.         In the first stage, the creation is in the will and knowledge of God.  Human intellect can only understand the things that fall into its sphere of senses; however, it cannot apprehend that which is beyond them. The human intellect cannot understand the realm of amar. The Quran distinguishes these two stages in verse 7:54: "Take note! That domain of khalk and amar both belong to Allah."         The word amar has many meanings. It is used for the stones which were put to point the way and indicate a significant place in a desert; moreover, the basic meaning of direction is present in all its usage.  When the things are only in the will and knowledge of God, and moving towards the process of becoming, but are still not concrete is known as the realm of amar. The  realm of amar  is infinite, and human intellect is finite; moreover, humans cannot go beyond the data given by the senses, and what is beyond it humans cannot fully understand.         In this universe everything is made according to a plan and is governed by a specific law. The overall planning for the universe is done in the realm of the amar.  We humans can understand the laws that are working in the universe, but we cannot understand why only these laws are made as they are. The overall design is known as Mashiyyat; Allah's ultimate wisdom, keeping the overall program in view, has decided how to make laws; human knowledge is confined to the sensory world, and the realm of amar is beyond its  purview. Our human concern is only to know the working of a law, the 'how' of it, and we cannot find 'why' a law is made in a certain manner.  In reality, the realm of amar, where laws are formed, is beyond human comprehension, but when the laws operate in the physical world we can understand them.  The pre-natural stage, when the laws governing the universe are formed is controlled by laws of mashiyyat, the ultimate divine will, as they take concrete shape, they are known as the laws of nature.            The Quran says in 36:82: "In His realm of amar when He wills anything He says concerning it 'Be!'and 'it is'."  It does not mean that Allah is always saying “Be” for creating anything, it simply means that His will initiates the creative process, which may take thousands of years to complete. The human concept of time (present, past, and future) does not exist for Allah; for Him there is always an eternal now. Therefore, there is no time gap in  “Be” and “It is.”

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            Before the arrival of the Quran, superstition and believe in various imaginative creatures, such as ghosts, sprites, goblins, elves, and genies was common. Human beings had not invented any tools to help themselves; mankind was trying to make a safe and secure way against the formidable forces of nature.  The scientific knowledge was not available, and the imaginative approach dominated the mind of humanity.  With the help of imagination, humans created a realm of powerful gods and goddess. They thought that the household of supernatural powers was run like an ordinary human family, for example, in Greek mythology Zeus is the king of gods. He lived in heaven, but he was always looking for beautiful women on the earth.  Here, the wife and sister of Zeus, was the Queen; she was mercilessly vindictive when it came to her husband’s (many) extramarital adventures.  Zeus ruled the earth from the top of Olympus with many gods and goddesses.

            In Hindu trinity Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.  The female counterparts are Saraswati, the wife of Brahma, Lukshmi, the wife of Vishnu, and Parvati, the wife of Shiva.  Ganapati, who has an elephant’s head, is the son of Shiva and Parvati.  He with his two wives is known as the remover of obstacles.  Indra is the ruler of heaven where he lives with many co-worker gods.

            All these gods and goddesses have human passions and feelings; Indra, the god of heaven is trying to help his son Arjun and begging Vishnu to save him.  Karn the son of Sun god is helped by his father. The Quran says in 6:91 that humans had not measured the power of Allah in its true measure.  In these stories human feelings are ascribed to Allah, but He is much higher and lofty than their imagination. The truth is when humans are talking about Allah they expect something supernatural to happen, whereas, the universe is working through the process of cause and effect and Allah makes no exceptions for any one.

            The entire universe is working according to his immutable laws. The same types of laws are working in the realm of human beings; in other words every human act, without any exception, produces a result.  Every human being has the choice to act as he chooses, but they cannot change the result. If one sows barley, wheat will not grow in his field. What you sow so shall you reap. As one willingly works according to the directions of God, his personality develops and he becomes congruous with the creative program of Allah. This type of relationship between God and humans is only available in the Quran; where an individual willingly becomes an active participant in the creative program of Allah.

            In ancient eastern civilizations and cultures, the relationship between God and an individual is established by worship.  God is king and everyone has to obey his orders; otherwise he will punish them.  Everyone has to ingratiate him/or herself with him by flattery, worship or presents; otherwise he will not help them in the difficult times.   When god is pleased he fulfills the desires of the worshippers; otherwise one has to deal with his anger.

            Western thinkers and scientists have established the kingdom of God in the heaven; there He rums His domain by laws.  They are doing researches on those laws and drawing benefits from these forces of nature. As far as the mundane affairs of the world are concerns they donor want the king of Heaven to interfere.  They want to solve them with the help of intellect. They believe in the kingdom of God in the heaven and not on the earth.

          The advocates of spiritualism and mystics believe they have formed a direct communication with God; they visit and talk with him etc. etc. This concept is not approved by the Quran.  Whatever directions were supposed to be given for the good of humanity are given completely in the Quran; now the only way to establish a relation with God is through the Quran.  The Quran says in 2:136 “If they believe in Allah as you do then they are rightly guided.”  All those who believe in God in their own concocted ways are not registered as believers of God.  

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Allah (God) of the Quran - 4.

            The Quran says in 2:255 that Allah is alive and gives life to everything;   He is not dependent on anything for His existence.  He is the only eternal sovereign authority who is everlasting and self-sustaining.  Moreover, the entire universe runs according to His plan, fulfilling the duties he has directed it to fulfill. Neither sleep nor slumber overtakes Him.  Everything that is in the earth and in the heavens belongs to Him, and He always untiringly takes care of His creation. There is no one who can help and stand with another human, as a witness, except to tell the truth in accordance with His mashiyat.  He alone possesses complete knowledge of the past, present, and future. No one can partake of his knowledge except through the methods prescribed by Him. His control and knowledge encompass the entire universe, from the lowest to the highest levels, which He maintains untiringly.

            The universe is working without a flaw under his laws, but in order to maintain a just society, we humans need laws. The question is how to make just laws.  Human beings are a combination of desires and intellect; when one makes a law it reflects its tilt towards his desires. It is impossible to make a law without taking into consideration the good of someone in view.  It may be a family, tribe, clan, or nation.  The laws for the good of universal humanity are not formed, which leads to strife among nations.

            The other thing we can look to for guidance in life is intellect.  The reason is the best gift given to human beings; with its light humans can see through the darkness of ignorance. The Quran attaches great importance to intellect and thinking.  It says the worse creatures are those who do not think and reason out (8:22). Moreover, in (7:179) the Quran says that those who don’t use their senses to think will reside in hell.

            The power to think and comprehend the laws of nature is in the preview of intellect, but it can’t give a universal law that is impartial and above the differences between cultures, nations, and countries.  Only Allah can provide such guidance, which is known as permanent values.   Intellect, which is the most powerful tool given to humans, can only devise the means to satisfy the desires of its master.  The human intellect follows the desires and emotions of human beings just as a deg’s feet follow the scent of his pray.

            These permanent values are the attributes of Allah and are described in the Quran in great detail.  In short, the pattern given by the divine revolves around these attributes of Allah. The permanent values are basic laws, but the bye-laws will be formed under their guidance, furnishing the needs and requirements of a society at a specific time.  The permanent values cannot change or be altered in a society formed around the attributes of Allah.

            The ideal for a society, formed around these Isma-ul-husna of God, is to help the individual (nafas) to develop, strengthen, and integrate the personality; therefore, all the good actions ( amal-i-salah) are those  which promote this aim, and all the actions which weaken and disintegrate the personality is evil.   In this manner we can see the deep relation between the attributes of Allah and human personality.

            The attributes of Allah form the pattern around which a balanced personality or human society can develop; for this reason, the Quran emphasizes the importance of remain in Allah.  In other words, remain in Allah is conviction and not faith.  To have faith is to believe something without proof, whereas the eemaan comes from alif mim non, which means free from fear, in peace and safety. This comes when one reflects, reasons, and ultimately is convinced of the truth.  This type of understanding is acquired after a lot of reflection; it is capable of giving peace (aman) to mind and heart.

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The Basic Characteristics of Self.

            The self (Nafas) is given by Allah.  When one obeys the directions and program of Allah, the self develops and strengthens; in the case of denial, it becomes weak and disintegrates.  This is known as the law of requital or (mukafat -i- amal ).  The result of the actions shows itself in this world as well as in the life after death.  It shows the relationship between Allah and nafas, and points out the importance of keeping the ideal of Allah in front in order to develop.  Eemaan in Allah automatically leads to eemaan in one’s self.  If one does not believe in himself, his belief in Allah or life after death makes no sense.

            Freedom and independence are the two basic characteristics of personality.  Independence means to exist in itself without taking any support from anywhere.  Allah is the only one who possesses this attribute in its complete sense.  In the Quranic terminology, Allah’s one attribute is Samad.  He is the most complete and the most independent personality in the universe (2:268). Moreover, He does what He wills (11:107).

            The freedom is the second characteristic of a personality.  Allah is all-powerful and wills what He likes.  He is absolutely independent in His will and possesses limitless powers.  As a consequence of His limitless powers and authority, He can use His powers in any way He likes; but He has Himself imposed some limits on His absolute powers. (6:12). Allah has decided for Himself to give substance without cost to all his creation.  These limitations are self-imposed; therefore, they don’t curtail his limitless authority.

            These self-imposed restrictions show that Allah does not behave like a dictator or tyrant. He manages His affairs according to His created laws.  His attribute manifests itself according to the need of the universe.  The attributes of Allah always remain the same; therefore, His laws governing the universe are also unchanged (10:64).

             The Quran says (35:43). You will never see any change in the laws of Allah.  The behavior of God is known as Sunnat-ul-Allah. (10:64). God’s ways are immutable. This is a declaration that the system of the universe is not working under haphazard laws of nature; on the contrary, it is working under the laws of God in a systematic way. There is great harmony in the system of nature; and the Quran lays great stress on studying and observing it. It is known as a means to gain direct knowledge of God’s workings (13:2).

            In this universe, every created object must obey the laws of God. Even the greatest entities such as the sun and moon are following the directions of God (13:15). Unto Allah bows down whosoever is in the heaven and the earth, but humans are an exception.  They are given personality, and freedom is a basic characteristic of a personality. Therefore, they are not forced to follow a certain way; they have the option to reject or accept the truth (18:29). Whosoever likes to accept the truth, may accept it, and whosoever likes to reject it, may reject it. The one who will accept the truth and act according to it will develop his personality; the one who rejects the truth will have his personality remain undeveloped. (91:9-10) One is indeed successful who causes it (nafas) to grow, and one is indeed a failure who stunts it.

            Allah’s attributes manifest themselves according to the need of the time; moreover, the attributes of Allah never change. Similarly, His laws are immutable. (35:43) You will never find any change in the ways of Allah.

            Follow the directions of Allah willingly, says the Quran.  The Arabic word for it is ata’at, meaning to obey the laws of Allah willingly, like the ripe dates which are plucked without force. The word ata’a points out that anything which is done under duress or coercion is not conducive to the growth of personality.  Only self-imposed restrictions and willing obedience to laws can produce the best results.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

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                                          Allah (God) of the Quran

            According to some lexicons, the word Allah is taken from aalaha, which means to subjugate someone.  It also means to seek protection from a higher being whose loftiness and invisibility surprises one.  For others, this word is the combination of al and aalah; with frequent use, the first hamza is dropped, and the two lams became one.  The name Allah is used for one lofty sovereign person who has created the entire universe; He is the only one who is capable of giving protection in troubled times to solve the difficulties.  His greatness and powers fill us with awe and give overwhelming surprise to human intelligence. In other words, Allah is the sovereign being whose laws and orders must be obeyed.

            The Eeman, or belief in a superior high being that created the universe, is the fundamental principle of the Quran.  This concept provokes many questions about Allah.  Who is Allah? What is His relationship with His creation?  Why it is necessary to believe in Him? What are the advantages of believing in Him? What happens when one believes in Allah? These are very delicate and difficult questions, and humanity has been trying to answer these questions from the very beginning of civilization.

            We human beings live and think about time and space. In order to think, we must start from somewhere and end somewhere.  But Allah is the creator of time and space; our finite mind cannot comprehend the endless and beginningless Allah.  Science and philosophy say that time has no beginning, and space has no end.  It is wrong to say that time starts at a certain point and space has a certain place where it ends. The Quran knows the limitations of the human mind and therefore never talks about what constitutes Allah; only the attributes of Allah are given in the Quran.

            With the help of these attributes, a pure, complete, and matchless image of God emerges, which leads us to the purpose and aim of human existence. The methods to attain the aim given by the Quran are also unique and matchless.  These attributes and programs are not manmade; they are given by revelation (wahi); therefore, they provide the best guidance for humanity. This concept slowly sweeps into our individual and social lives and reflects what we think about God.

            According to materialism, human life is not different from animal life.  An individual is given a limited time to live; in which one can enjoy life, preserve one’s existence, procreate, and ultimately die.  Death is the end of his existence.  The Quran says that human life is different from animal life.  In a human being one extra thing exists which is not given to the animals; it is personality, self, or ego.   The Quran describes it as Nafas or Divine Energy (32:9), which Allah has given only to human beings.

            The human body changes unceasingly, but the self ( nafas) remains the same. If the self is developed and trained, it can live after the death of the body and attain immortality.  The human self is given in the most undeveloped form.  It is a realizable possibility or latent potency in a dormant condition.  The ultimate goal of human existence is to actualize the self’s possibilities.  With the exception of a few attributes which are only for Allah, a human self can develop all the attributes which exist in God.   According to the Quran, the self is given by Allah; it is not a part of His personality.  In Hinduism and Sophism self is a part of God, which will ultimately return to its source as a drop of water goes back to the ocean.

             Allah is the most perfect, complete personality; it is an indivisible unit with perfect attributes.  In the Quran, they are known as asma-ul-husna.  In other words, these attributes exist in perfect harmony with each other and manifest themselves according to the situation.

            The ultimate aim of human life is to actualize and developed these dormant possibilities.  In order to develop, a lower self must keep a higher standard in front of it, so that it can be sure of its development; therefore, it is essential for the human self to keep, as a standard, the attributes of Allah in front of it.  This change in personality is not an invisible thing; it shows itself in the character.