Ch 2 — Universal Evidence of God and the Hereafter / God, the Hereafter, and Human Nature
God And The Universe — Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
Questions related to God and the life Hereafter are ostensibly related to the Unseen world, but they are an essential and indispensable part of human nature. Man’s innate nature knows the issues of God and the Hereafter. p. 93
The fact is that there are two levels of realization of God—the rational and the natural. God-realization at the rational level is only the initial stage of this realization, whereas certainty about God’s existence and the Hereafter at the natural level is the highest level of God-realization. The purpose of using rational arguments concerning God and the Hereafter is only so that the veils of doubt can be lifted from man’s mind, and he is taken to the position where he can accept the reality of God and the Hereafter at least as possible truths. The purpose of using arguments, evidence, and logic about God and the Hereafter is to bring man to that intellectual level where he can accept his existence. p. 93
Every person has eyes that can ‘see’ God and recognize the reality of the Hereafter, but a curtain of conditioning covers his eyes. Logical evidence breaks this conditioning or mental block and removes this artificial curtain placed over the eyes of man’s nature. After this, he is able to accept God and the life Hereafter. He now develops complete certainty about the existence of the invisible God and the reality of the Hereafter, just as a child is sure of his mother’s existence, even though he has not seen himself coming out of her womb. p. 93
The issue of God and the life Hereafter remains a subject of logical debate until the artificial curtain that covers man’s mind is not removed. When this curtain is lifted through reflection and thinking or rational arguments, man recognizes God and the Hereafter in line with his inner realization. God now becomes for him the most known of all that is known. The task of logical evidence is to take a person to the door of man’s innate nature. As soon as this door is opened, man finds God in such a way as if he knew God already. The Hereafter becomes a reality for him. p. 94
If a blindfold is tied around a person’s eyes, one might need to use logical arguments to prove the sun’s existence to him. However, he does not need arguments to accept the sun when removing the blindfold. Then, he can see the sun directly, in a natural way. The same is true with awareness of God’s existence and the Hereafter. The consciousness of God and the Hereafter is deeply embedded in human nature. The real need is only to lift the curtain of conditioning over man’s innate nature. Through arguments or evidence, when this curtain is raised, man begins to ‘see’ God and the Hereafter with even more certainty than a man who sees the sun with his own eyes. p. 94