Friday, April 3, 2015
Perspective: "AL-Khaliq" - The Creator | Kholood Tahir Munir
When the matter comes to the creation of humans, the establishment of our race; the concept of "Guided Evolution", comes into position, which is demonstrated as being supported both by scriptural and scientific evidence.
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By Kholood Tahir Munir | April 1, 2015
الخالق "AL-Khaliq" - The Creator
I am a Muslim. I firmly believe that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Mohammed (on whom be peace) is His messenger. Having spent much of my time in school with friends of atheist and agnostic beliefs has given me an insight to the world beyond my religion, my faith, my beliefs. At many points, I have been questioned and challenged, and I must admit I have at times become clueless and unable to hold my ground. They have led me to realise that I blindly follow a faith without knowing and understanding the concepts of it and have resulted in my further research.
Basing my findings on the book "Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth", written by late Hadhrat (His Holiness) Mirza Tahir Ahmad, 4th spiritual head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, as well as many other reliable sources, I have clarified my knowledge on the scientific approach to explaining the formation of the universe- The universe, which was initiated from the Big Bang and how this theory is directly linked with Quranic scripture. Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of the explosion, "the universe was about a hundred thousand million degrees Centigrade... and the universe was filled with light”. The universe has not always existed. It had a start, but what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter, which can only result to an outside source of infinite energy: God. There are many verses in the Quran that illustrate how certain aspects of modern science correspond with religious scripture. For example when it says, "Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder and We created every living thing out of the water. Will they not then believe?"(21:30) These verses were written over 1400 years ago, long before mankind had reached any level of scientific knowledge. The fact that modern science has recently uncovered proof about the universe which contend with these verses, reflects that this is indication that the verses were revealed from the God that created the universe.
When the matter comes to the creation of humans, the establishment of our race; the concept of "Guided Evolution", comes into position, which is demonstrated as being supported both by scriptural and scientific evidence. The human race, according to Darwin, evolved out of the earth over a long period of time. The Quran supports this and it teaches that men were created from the earth through a gradual evolutionary process in the following verses: "And He [Allah] has created you in different stages and different forms ... And Allah has caused you to develop as a good growth from the earth."(71:14) Therefore it would be incorrect to say, as Creationism and Intelligent design suggest that God formed human beings in an instant.
A question that many people raise is that if there is an all-loving God, why does He permit suffering? It is against human capabilities to understand God’s motives, but it’s not too difficult to understand –although the innocent people who suffer, in no way deserve it- that without the taste of suffering or an awareness of what it means, the feeling of relief and comfort would vanish. Without an encounter with pain and misery, joy and happiness would lose all meaning. The very existence of life would lose purpose, and the steps of evolution would stop dead in their tracks. Suffering makes us stronger.
The Quran has foretold many of the greatest theories which have happened in the past and which are happening today, but what does the Quran hold for the future? Obviously it is against human abilities to understand God’s words and interpret the meanings to any extent, but a fascinating that I read about, was the mention that life is almost certainly not limited to planet Earth. The possibility of life having evolved on other planets is clearly established in the first chapter of the Qur'an which speaks of the plurality of worlds: "All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds.” (1:2) The following verse also supports this interpretation: "And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of whatever living creatures He has spread forth in both. And He has the power to gather them together when He will so please". (42:29) There is a chance that any planet that contains the key ingredient of life—water—may also harbour life, as: "We (God) created every living thing out of the water." (24:45)
Thus, these are things proven by The Quran- the same Quran which was read 10 years ago, and 100 years before that, and even 1000 years before that. It has not changed. The content is and always has remained exactly the same. The Quran has proven right many times before and continues to do so, therefore to the people who ask for solid proof, what do they want? There have been many revelations and prophecies which have come true, but apparently that is not enough. The whole point of this humane life is to test whether we are humble and accepting of God's Lordship over us. That we set aside our human weaknesses of egotism and superiority and we accept of a greater being; rather than being arrogant and rejecting and denying Him. If God had wanted everyone to have believed, what would have been the point? Some things aren't straightforward. Before making asserted and conceited claims, you should ask yourselves, have you actually even opened a holy book? The Quran? The Bible? The Torah? You call yourselves logicians: the believers of science and facts but have you even considered learning and finding out more? Subsequently what I said at the beginning still stands: I am a Muslim. I firmly believe that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Mohammed (saw) is His messenger. True, I am a born Muslim; True, I’m following my parent’s faith. But I’m not being forced into doing so, and I am certainly not being oppressed. I am a Muslim because I want to be. I am a Muslim and I am proud.
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-- Kholood Tahir Munir is a fourteen years old writer from London.
-- Perspective: "AL-Khaliq" - The Creator | Kholood Tahir Munir
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Baarakallaahu fiih. At first, I was encouraged as I read through, but at the sight of the writer's age, I was also challenged. I pray that Allah continue to guide you, and pour upon you His light in abundance, and upon the rest of us, youths of the world. Aameen
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