THE GLORIOUS GOD OF A GLORIOUS UNIVERSE
Expression of God’s Existence
STUDIES in astronomy show that the stars in the universe are more numerous than all of the sand grains on all the seashores of our planet. Many of the stars are vastly greater in size than our sun, some even being of such enormous girth that they could accommodate hundreds of thousands of suns inside them and still have room to spare. There are many other mysterious objects in the universe more massive than a million suns. The universe is not static, but is expanding at an incredible rate, every moment in all directions. Man has yet to comprehend the vastness of the universe.
Research has found that the laws of nature within our universe are perfectly ‘fine-tuned’ for life on Earth. The meaning and significance of the universe, the planning behind it and the incomparable design within it, all point towards the existence of a supremely intelligent God that created the universe and who controls, sustains and cherishes it.
By nature, man desires an absolute and perfect God.
Our universe does indeed declare the glory of God. When we ponder upon the realities of our existence and the glorious universe around us, then two intense emotions develop within us:
• The emotion of gratitude and indebtednes
• Humility and the acknowledgement of our helplessness
By nature, man’s condition demands that there must be a benefactor to him in this universe. If we were only to open our eyes and observe the incredibly vast universe around us, then we will find that we are an extremely insignificant and helpless creation within it.
In such a universe, when man observes his own petty self, he feels totally helpless; more helpless than the ant that struggles to save itself when caught between ocean waves. Man, involuntarily desires that someone, who can be a benefactor to him in this vast universe. He seeks the refuge of a Being more powerful than the powers of the universe so that he could come under His protection and feel safe and secure.
In the present day, nationalism, political power, ethnicity and other such affiliations are nothing but different projections presented to satisfy this innate desire of Man. But this is just like presenting a statue to satisfy the desire of one who is seeking a life partner.
Man is in search of one such Being who has power and control over the entire universe. The answer to this desire cannot be found in any geographical location. To be the focus of his affections, man desires only such a Being who is the Creator of the heavens and the Earth. By nature, man desires an absolute and perfect God.
Although, God does not appear before us, His creation in the form of this glorious universe is spread all around us. We can see it; we can experience it. In such a case, man can only be satisfied with a God so exalted that this glorious universe testifies to His glory. A God who in reality is found to be the Creator and Lord of this glorious universe. A God any lower in stature than this can never appeal to the mind of man. Until man finds such a God, his search will continue. Any other object can never satisfy this desire.
Man desires a God he can trust, who will grant him success after every disaster, who can remove all difficulties from his path.
A sense of deprivation human beings feel in the midst of abundance is due to the fact that they have disconnected themselves from God. Man experiences a shortcoming in his quest for subsistence. Today, we fail to find true happiness on the face of man in spite of the accumulation of all his desires. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) begins his book, The Conquest of Happiness, with the following lines:
Animals are happy so long as they have health and enough to eat. Human beings, one feels, ought to be, but in the modern world they are not, at least in a great majority of cases.
This is because modern civilization with its grand successes has only been able to garner a small portion of what man desires. It has accumulated the requirements of the ‘body’, but has failed in garnering anything for the ‘soul’.
Man seeks meaningfulness, but modern civilization can only offer him material structures made of steel and stone. Man desires life, but modern civilization can only give him a lifeless statue in the mould of a man. Man desires satisfaction for his heart and mind, but modern civilization places him in a soulless, mechanical vehicle. Man desires to meet the Creator of this universe so that he could prostrate before his Benefactor, but nowhere can he find this Benefactor in the world that modern science and technology has created. Unable to find his true God, he bows down before assumed, fabricated gods. But this is just like a mother, who unable to bear a child takes a plastic doll and holds it close to her bosom. In the words of the Quran:
All those you worship instead of Him are mere names you and your forefathers have invented, names for which God has sent down no authority: all power belongs to God alone, and He orders you to worship none but Him: this is the true faith, though most people do not realize it. (12: 40)
Man’s need for a supreme God is so intense that it is acknowledged by even those intellectuals who in accordance to their tastes do not approve of the existence of God and religion. For example, Bertrand Russell writes:
If life is to be fully human, it must serve some end which seems in some sense outside human life, some end which is impersonal and above mankind such as God or truth or beauty. (Principles of Social Reconstruction)
This is an acknowledgement of the innate urge for a God embedded in human nature. By denying the existence of God, modern man has forsaken his Creator. His salvation now lies only in once again finding God, his Creator. The concept of God is interwoven in man’s nature. The instinct of eating grass in a goat and of eating meat in a cat cannot be suppressed; in the same way, God cannot be detached from man’s nature.
By nature, man's condition demands that there must be a benefactor to him in this universe.
Man’s life has been fashioned in such a way that he continuously lives in a feeling of dependency. This feeling of helplessness is characteristic of every human being. It forces man to clutch onto a support that is more powerful than him; one that can deliver him from his weakness. It is this feeling of helplessness that drives man in his search for God. Man needs such a God before whom he can pour out his feelings of gratitude; to whom he can entrust all his affairs; in whose faith he will find succour even at times when there is no one to help him. Man desires a God he can trust, who will grant him success after every disaster, who can remove all difficulties from his path. Man’s feeling of helplessness can never be overcome unless he discovers this God.
There are some religions that present many Gods; but this runs completely against the natural desire of man. This is because the desire for a God, is the desire for such a Being that can be made the focus of his affection, and the focus of his affection can only and always be one, not more than one. Some other religions present God in the form of a vague spirit; but man desires a God who can see; a God who can hear and one who answers.
Some religions present a man in the form of God; but the God that man desires, can only be that God, who is greater than his own kind. A God, who is just like man, cannot be a God worthy of worship. A God like this is very small in comparison to this glorious universe.
An American scientist and professor, Walter Oscar Lundberg, has presented an interesting example. In the book ‘The Evidence of God in an Expanding Universe’, he writes, ‘’The professional scientist has one special advantage over others, if he will but use it, in understanding the reality of God. The fundamental principles on which the methodology of his profession is based, are, in essence, an expression of God’s existence.”
In spite of this why do people with a scientific education deny God? According to the American professor, this is because of two reasons, the primary one being:
In organized Christianity, there is instilled deeply in young people a concept of God created in the image of man, rather than of man created in the image of God. When such minds are later trained in science, this reversed and limiting anthropomorphic concept gradually becomes more and more incompatible with the rational, inductive attitude of science. Ultimately, when all attempts at reconciliation fail, (….), the concept of God may be abandoned entirely. The accompanying disillusionment and other psychological consequences discourage any thought of embracing a new concept.
Our universe does indeed declare the glory of God. Now it is for man to discover this glorious God.
Islam is not a new religion. In reality and in their origins, Islam and all other religions were the same. However, due to changes over long periods of time, the original and true concept of God could not be preserved in other religions. In contrast, the Quran is an authentic and preserved book. This is the very reason that it presents God in an authentic and true form. The God that the Quran introduces us to is the One God. He is the Lord of all forms of powers. He was always there and will always remain. He has no partners. He alone created the whole universe. He is the glory of this universe and He alone controls and supports the entire universe. He sees, hears and speaks. He is always ready and present to stand by anyone that calls Him; man can communicate with Him at all times and at all places. Everything is in His power and control; He is the succour for man in his life before death and also in man’s life after death.
Our universe does indeed declare the glory of God. Now it is for man to discover this glorious God.