One of the main reasons why religion seems irrelevant today, is that the majority of us (of all denominations) no longer have the sensory faculty to feel that we are surrounded by the Unseen Creator. The human tendency and modern culture educate us to focus all our attention on the physical and material aspects of life that we can see, feel and enjoy. This worldly perception of life has achieved remarkable scientific and material progress over the past fifteen millennium of human progress. This progress is very much in tune with the Will of God, “ you can pass beyond the zones of Heavens and the Earth”. But humanity seems to have gone adrift and homosapien have become indifferent to the spiritual side of the equation. Scientific progress is paramount and there is nothing wrong in pursuing material success but spiritual side of life must not be neglected completely.
What is spirituality? In short, it is to try, reflect and understand the Creator of the Universe and mankind and follow His commands that His messengers for thousands of years have communicated to human beings. All the messengers of God, at all times, preached ONE and the same essential truth – the existence and Oneness of God and the same ethical and moral principles: either of which makes it imperative that all humans believe in One God, whatever their Historical denomination should regard themselves as One Single Community. In the life to come mankind will only harvest what his/her own hands have wrought in this Worldly life.
Since the time immemorial different communities all over the world have given their version of God and called God in different names: Allah In Arabic, Yahweh in Hebrew, Khuda in Persian, Bhagwan in Hindi; and modern science refers it to Nature; in ancient times Ishtar in Babylon, Anat in Canan, Isis in Egypt and so on. The Qur’an mentions God in 99 names. I have expressed God for simplicity’s sake.
Invariably our understanding of God is tainted by the religious doctrine into which we are born. It is difficult to break away from this condition. But a mystic (spiritually devoted person) knows that this is only a symbol of the Divine, which must never be confused with Reality itself. A mystic sees all different faiths as valid theophanies, where the concept of God and of dogmatic religions divides humanity into warring camps. God of a saint is a unifying force, as we have witnessed throughout human history. We should not be shy to acknowledge the truth to assimilate it from whatever source it comes to us, even if it is brought to us by foreign peoples. Whoever seeks the truth, there is nothing higher in value than the truth itself. But all the organised religions with their sacrosanct rituals is not the right path to get closer to God, because all the rituals are man made. One has to absorb the spirit of the Divine messages.
The concept of an Unseen God was incomprehensible for the ancients due to time lag in human evolutionary progress. Although Sumarians, Egyptians and later Cananians achieved remarkable success in communication and architectural skills, spiritually they worshiped Sun, Moon, god of fertility and various images of deities as part of their culture and spiritual satisfaction. This was the time when God spoke to a man (Noah) for the first time and instructed him to guide his people to the path of One Unseen God, away from their ancestral practices. There may well have been other nations at that time who also received similar Divine Messages but we have no record of that.
As human understanding evolved to the next stage, God’s message was conveyed through Abraham. We have a scant record of that message but it was repeated later and is relevant even today.
For thousands of years, all over the world, different religious communities have enforced their version of God – Brhamans in India, Confucius in China, Zohrastra in Persia and the Philosophers of ancient Egypt and Greece. There is an element of Truth in all but in codified form it was first communicated through Prophets Moses, David, Jesus and Mohammad. The Holy Bible contains what was communicated to Prophets Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus as narrated and translated over a thousand years. The final Revelation came to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) that is available to the world in completely intact form, in the original classical Arabic language, as it was revealed 1,500 years ago. God’s message states:
4.163: We have sent thee Inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: We sent inspiration to Abraham, Ismail, Isac, Jacob And the Tribes of Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aron and to Soloman and David We Gave Zaboor (Psalms).
42.13: All the messenger of God, at all times, preached One and the same Essential truth – the existence and Oneness of God and same ethical and Moral principles: either of which makes it imperative that all human beings Believe in One God, whatever their ‘Historical denominations’, should regard themselves as one single community. In the life to come mankind will only harvest what his own hands have wrought in this Worldly life.
The Final Revelation (Holy Qur’an) made the creation of a compassionate and just society the essence of the reformed way of life. Compassion is particularly a difficult virtue. It demands that we go beyond the limitations of our egotism, insecurity and inherent prejudice. Not surprisingly, there have been times when All Three Semetic faiths have failed to achieve this High Standard expected of them.
How does one understand the Almighty God? The only Revelation that provides us some idea is the Holy Qur’an. Following are some of the verses that throw light for human understanding:
6.103: No vision can Grasp God, but God’s vision is over all visions. God is Above all Comprehensions, is acquainted with All Things.
67.2&3: God has created death and life, so He might put you to test. He has created seven heavens on top of another in Perfect Harmony – no fault will you see in the creation – turn thy vision Once more; canst thou see any flaw?
21.30: Do not the atheists see that Heavens and Earth were one Single entity, which We parted asunder? We made out of water every living thing; will they not then believe?
41.11: God applied His design to Heavens, which were yet but Vapour: He said to it and the Earth: “you come together willing Or unwillingly. They said: “We come in willing obediance”.
36.82: Verily when He intends A Thing, His command is, ”Be” And it is! Now comes the most illuminating description of Almighty:
24.35: God is the light of the Heavens and the Earth. The parables 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 scarcely touched it:
Light Upon Light!
God doth guides whom He Will to His Light: God doth set forth Parables for Mankind, and God doth knows All.
2.255: There is no deity save God Almighty. Ever living, self-sustaining, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in Universe. Who is there that could intercede with Him, Unless it is by His permission. He knows all that lies open before and all that is hidden From them. They (humans) cannot encompass any of God’s knowledge Except that what He Wills.
God’s throne extends over Heavens and Earth, and He does not feel Any fatigue in guarding and preserving them. He is truly an exalted Supreme.
Ahle Qur'an 