Ch 7 — The Life We Were Searching For / The Life We Searched For: Living Proof of God
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.
The universe is the mirror of God’s attributes. Here, God’s attributes are reflected through His innumerable creatures. The existence of the created realm provides ample evidence of the existence, power, and greatness of the Creator who brought this realm into being. If your sensitivity is alive, you can find God all around you. You can see God everywhere. God’s universe will then become a living proof of God for you. p. 320
The various forms and activities of living beings clearly indicate that the Creator of this universe is a living, active Being, not a lifeless one. When a river rushes ahead, tumbling down from the mountains, it loudly declares that the Creator of this universe is alive and dynamic. When a tiger pounces on its prey and brings it under control, it seems to announce that its Creator is a Being who holds all things within His power. The astounding expansiveness of space reveals to us that the Creator is an Unlimited Being. Witnessing the existence and glory of God in His universe ignites an individual’s faith in Him. p. 320
At the same time, it makes him face questions of enormous, existential import. If God is, why does He not directly reveal Himself in this universe? Why do evil and suffering exist? Evil is rampant in this world. Oppression is rife. People are often at each other’s throats. All of this happens day in and day out in God’s world. So, why doesn’t God stop the oppressors or stand up for the oppressed? p. 320
The answers to these questions can only be understood when you grasp God’s creation plan—the scheme the Creator has devised for humanity. According to this plan, the world is temporary, and life here is short-lived. We are placed in this world to be tested. It is like a field where different plants are given a chance to grow, to see which will become strong trees and which will turn into weeds. In the Hereafter, the strong trees will be granted the opportunity to flourish in eternal Paradise, while the weeds and thorny bushes will be uprooted and cast away. p. 320
Without God to guide it, the wagon of humanity has gone off course and is stranded in a quagmire of its own making. Only by turning to God can it extricate itself from this sorry predicament. The true importance of religion must be acknowledged; only then can society build itself anew. On any other foundation, its walls are sure to
crumble and fall. p. 321