User:Dr. P.R.Palodhi/sandbox

ASPECTS OF CREATION: GOD REVEALED FOR THE TRUTH SEEKERS ''' By: Dr. P.R.Palodhi

Human intellect is a faculty that can only ‘receive, adapt and transmit’ but does not ‘create’ the laws of truth behind manifest creation. Mere facts perceived by man’s horizontal inquiries prove pointless, because human reason alone cannot grasp the infinite dimensions of Divine omnipotence that  transcends our earthly senses of perception limited by time and space, and the relativity of rational thinking. God’s Revelation in Prophetic religions comes by integrating vertical consciousness with horizontal knowledge of man, and invites Truth-seekers to participate in the knowledge of creation. As our searches are grounded upon the path revealed by the God, retrospect gravitates toward the  realm of spiritual world – the abode of eternal wisdom. And then the deductions are not made from the sensory to the Universal, rather starts from the latter in order to understand the former. God reveals truth inviting man to participate. Human beings have access to knowledge only up to the limit which God has permitted to know (Qur'an, 2: 255); man only can patiently persevere (Q, 2: 153) to attain such knowledge with right choice of conduct and faith in Divine omnipotence. Such knowledge being in its essence supra-individual, universal and transcendent - it demands purity in vision and Intelligence which is direct and not discursive, more vertical than horizontal, sacred than profane, humble than arrogant, asking than boasting, finally believing than disbelieving and capable to go much further than temporal relativism of the day issuing from fragile human point of views.

Six periods of creation:

As we turn to God’s Revelation, we come to know that God is Light – Light upon Light; thus Qur’an revealed in Surah An-Nûr (Q, 24:35): "God is the Light of the heavens and the earth…… God guides unto His Light whom He will. And God strikes similitude for men, and God has knowledge of everything." And similar Revelation came before in Bible: God is light, which is above all the source of life (Eccl. 11:7). And it is from this Light – manifest creation has emanated. God initiated His creations from the Light; Hadith Jibra’il narrated that God created wondrous Angels from Light, all at once; and in numbers they exceed any other members of creation. The Light of God is supraliminal i.e. beyond limits of His creations’ accessibility, and this Light has no parallel in existing creations (i.e. manifested light, fire, water, metals, woods or flesh etc).

In our age God’s Message came in Abrahamic religions. In all Abrahamic religions we come across the six periods of creation by the God. Zoroastrian religion teaches: God (Ahura-Mazda) first created the heavens then water then earth then vegetables then animals, last of all He created the man. The Qur’an described the creation of the universe; God created heavens and earth in Six heavenly Days (Q, 7:54). As regard the earth, it was created in two Days (Q, 41:9), and in two other Days (into a total of four) God furnished the creation of the earth with mountains, rivers and fruit-gardens (Q, 41:10). The heavens and earth formed from an integrated disk-shaped mass which had to be split (Q, 21:30), the seven heavens were created from smoke (Q, 41:11), forming layers, one above the other (Q, 67:3). The angels inhabit the seventh heavens. The lowest heaven is adorned with lights (Q, 41:12), the sun and the moon (which follow a regular path) (Q, 71:16; 14:33), the stars (Q, 37:6) and the constellations of the Zodiac (Q, 15:16) [1]. Let us look at each day of God’s creative work that has come more elaborately in the Bible:

Creation Day 1 (Genesis 1:1-5): God created the heavens and the earth (Heb. Berashith Bera Elohim Ath Ha Shamaim Va Ath Ha Aretz). The heavens refer to outer space beyond the earth, the universe. The earth is now void and dark; made but not formed in any specific way although water is present and the Spirit of God moved upon it. God then speaks light into existence (Heb. Viamr Alhim Ihi Aur Vihi Aur). He then separates the light from the dark and names the light “day” and the dark “night.” This creative work occurs from evening until morning – one God’s day. But this day is surely not in terms of human reckoning of 24 hours a day, because the sun has not been created yet. (Sun has been created on 4th day).

Creation Day 2 (Genesis 1:6-8): God creates the sky. The sky forms a barrier between water upon the surface and the moisture in the air. At this point earth would have an atmosphere designed for specific purposes. This creative work occurs in one God’s day.

Creation Day 3 (Genesis 1:9-13): God creates dry land. Continents and islands are above the water. The large bodies of water are named “seas” and the ground is named “land.” God declares that all this is good. God creates all plant life both large and small. He creates this life form to be self sustaining; plants have the ability to reproduce. The plants were created in great diversity (many “kinds”.) The earth became green and teeming with plant life. God declares that this work is also good. This creative work takes one God’s day.

Creation Day 4 (Genesis 1:14-19): God creates the stars and heavenly bodies which exist now as the clear Signs of God. Two special heavenly bodies are made in relation to the life on earth. The first is the sun which is the primary source of light on earth, and the moon which reflects the light of the sun. The movement of these bodies will distinguish day from night, bring seasonal variations, and help man to count time in terms of days and years. This work is also declared to be good by God. This creative work takes one God’s day.

Creation Day 5 (Genesis 1:20-23): God creates life in the water at this point. God also makes the birds. The language allows that this may be the time God made flying insects as well (or if not, they were made on day six). All of these creatures are made with the ability to perpetuate via reproduction. The creatures made on Day 5 are the first creatures blessed by God. God declares this work good and it occurs in one God’s day.

Creation Day 6 (Genesis 1:24-31): God creates the other creatures that live on dry land. These include creatures like beasts of earth, cattle and other creeping members of animal kingdom. Then God creates mankind with male and female in His likeness and grants this race to have dominion over the creatures on earth. God declares this work good.

If a framework of strictly sequential chronology were adopted in interpreting the order of the Biblical texts from the ancient Middle East, it might be argued that Adam, and therefore Eve, in terms of God’s time are created a little later (Gen. 2:7) than the type of man created in Genesis 1:27-28. Genesis (1:27-28) might allow for co-creation of multiple pairs, if the word ‘them’ were construed accordingly: ‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;...” We must take a note that in Hebrew expression for both ‘man’ and ‘Adam’ is Adamah, meaning ‘formed from the ground’. And Genesis part of Bible is written such a way that the concept of ‘man’ and ‘Adam’ – cannot be distinguished clearly; and this has given rise to confusion between pre-humans and human. A closer examination of the Genesis narratives will show that the word is primarily used in a generic sense, and not as the name of an individual. It is significant that in Gen. 1, its use is generic. In Gen. 2 and 3, the writer weaves together the generic (especially Gen. 2:18) and the personal senses (Gen. 2:19) of the word. In all that pertains to the first man as the passive subject of creative and providential action the reference is exclusively generic. It is not made clear whether “Adam” in perfect sense of a proper name is used at all before Gen. 4: 25 (J) and 5: 3 (P). It may also be observed that in Gen. 2, and 3, the translators more often say ‘the man’ instead of ‘Adam,’ even when the personal reference is intended (except after a preposition). Adam is not referred to in the later Old Testament books, except in the genealogy of I Chron.

The pre-humans (Jinns) and Adam have descended from heaven; human (Insaan) is the procreation in this earth:

We come to know from Qur’an that God created the wondrous Angles also from ‘light’ and then Jinns from ‘fire’, and afterwards He created Adam from ‘sounding clay’ acquired from the earth. Initially all of them used to live in heaven. They were created by the Will of God and Insaan has been created in the best of moulds (Q, 95:4) – but none of them “were not like the God”. After creation, Adam and Eve were in a state of blissful living under the Lord’s will, i.e. ‘not to go hungry, not to go naked, to suffer neither from thirst, nor from the sun’s heat’ (Q, 20: 118-119). God planted a heavenly Garden upon earth ‘eastward in Eden’ and initially gave Adam this primeval Garden to tend, commanded him not to eat the fruit of the ‘forbidden tree’. But Satan (Iblis - leader of Jinn tribe) seduced them to disobey God’s guidance. As a result, Adam and Eve were derelict from the previous state of blissful living. Adam lost the ‘demut’ (likeness) to God because of his sin (from Midrash ha-Gadol to Gen. 6: 4). Likewise, Jinns though molded like Adam before the Fall had lost the demut (comp. Enoch, 15) and bliss which they used to enjoy in their beginning days. It is well nigh impossible for man to conceive the size and other dimensions of creations in heavenly regime; before the Fall, Adam was of gigantic stature. Prophet Muhammad informed in Hadith that Adam’s height was 60 arm-lengths (≈ 90 feet).

Adam’s sin was his alone and did not make all the people sinners; but the following generations were subjected to rigorous Divine trial between the choices for ‘good’ and ‘evil’ (as judged by the Creator). God offered Adam and his progeny the eternal guidance if they would follow only Him (Q, 2: 39-40). Following the event of Eve’s seduction by the Satan in the Garden, all were removed from the Garden and thereafter the mixed progenies of Adamites and pre-Adamites began to spread upon the earth. God has reminded in Bible and Qur’an that, since very beginning two lines have descended; and God has enjoined enmity between the two in order to save future mankind by diverting the spoiled ones to fight one with the other another. On the event of Satan’s seduction, God says in Qur’an: ‘Get ye down both of you, - all together, from the Garden, with enmity one to another.’ (Q, 20: 123) And in the Bible God said: ‘And I will put enmity between thee (nachash) and the woman (Eve), and between thy seed and her seed; it (her seed) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his (her seed’s) heel.’ (Gen, 3:15)

Genesis of Humankind began from the posterity of former people -- after both Adam and the Jinn-kind were banished from heavenly Garden upon this earth. Procreation of Humankind is a Divine process whereby a physically unique human (Insaan) is raised as a ‘ready baby’ in mother’s womb; another process is the encasing of Soul within this physical Body made out of the ingredients of earth. “...we are imprisoned in the body, like an oyster in his shell.” (The Socrates of Plato, Phaedrus). To denote earthly ‘Humankind’ created after Adam, when Qur’an uses the word Insaan in dual (Insaan = two ‘ins’, consciousness), it is suggestive of a conglomeration between consciousnesses – one from the Jinn kind and the other from Adam, because God repeatedly reminded that present world is inhabited by both Jinns and humans – and more importantly God extended ‘a tribe of Jinns’ the freedom to share wealth and children with Adamites (Q, 17: 64).

Bible clearly mentions that the earth was not only inhabited by a race(s), but the earth turned into void from time to time, and many ancient race or races were apparently destroyed. One may derive further insight by reflecting to the word ‘Replenish’ in Bible: which could mean ‘to make full or complete again, as by furnishing a new supply’ or ‘to supply again...or the like’, or ‘of people.’ In Bible, Prophet Jeremiah referred briefly to the existence of extinct race(s), how God made this earth void of those races who had no knowledge to do good – but were wise to do evil (Jeremiah 4:23-28). Qur’an has affirmed the existence of pre-humans by clear mention about people of Jinnkind and people of human-kind: rijaalum-minal-Jinni and rijaalim-minal- ‘insiya (Q, 72:6).

'''Further insights of Creation from Qur’an: '''

God begins the process of creation, and repeats it, that He may reward with justice those who believe and are righteous in their deeds (Q, 10.4). He raised the vault of heaven high (with all celestial bodies perfectly placed in, without any visible pillars; and established the Balance and Equilibrium to be transgressed by none (Q,13:2, 79:27-28; 42:17, 55:7-8; 57:25). Everything that is in the heavens and the earth is dependent on Him (Q,55:29); without sleeps and slumber His Marvelous Splendor always in control of every phenomenon (Q,2:255). He is the Lord of the two Easts (i.e. the two extremes from where the sun appears to rise in summer and in winter) and the Lord of the two Wests (i.e. the two extremes where the sun appears to set in summer and in winter (Q, 55:17). He has complete command over the entire solar system and controls the seasons, bringing things into existence, nourishing, sustaining, maintaining, regularizing, and directing them from their earliest state to that of ultimate completion and perfection (Q, 2:115, 2:142, 2:258, 26:28, 73:9).

And among His marvels is the earth, He laid it down for all the creatures (Q,2:22, 2:29, 267; 10:24, 10:31, 11:6, 13:3, 33:27; 55:10). He created living things out of water (21:30), and all things in pairs that earth produces (36:36). He spread out earth for His creatures with fruits, corns, fodders and sweet-smelling plants (Q, 55: 10-12). He sent forth the two great bodies of water, one palatable and sweet and the other saltish; they meet each other -- yet there is an inviolable obstruction between them that they do not transgress (18:60; 25:53, 27:61, 35:12, 55: 19-20). God created former and latter people (Q, 4:26) from a single soul (nafsiñ-wwaahida), and from it created its mate and from them twine hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women’ (Q, 4:1). He raised latter ones from posterity of other people.’ (Q, 6: 133). And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in languages and colors (30:22). In heaven God created before Jinn races from ‘fire’ (Q, 55:15) and Adam from ‘clay’ (Q, 15: 28); and in earth thereafter from posterity of other people (Q, 6: 133) He created the Humans also from ‘clay’ (Q,15: 26-27). Leader of the Jinns was against creation of human, and Jinns decided to continue their antagonism by defying God (38:76; 15: 39). He made human as the vicegerent on earth (Q, 2:30; 38: 26). God has bestowed upon man not only all the means for his physical nourishment but has provided him also all the guidance man needs for the development of his ‘self’ (Q, 10:57-58; 17:82; 41:2). He taught him a clear and perspicuous (way of) expression and distinguished him from all other animals by giving him the ability to clearly express his thoughts and feelings (Q, 55:4; 96:4; 3:138). His Messengers explained clearly to human beings - a mode of Divine Guidance that is confined only to man and not in the animal kingdom (Q,2:187; 2:219; 2:221; 2:242; 2:266; 3:103; 5:89; 24:18; 24:58; 24:59; 24:61; 75:19). But whatever capacity the Jinns and Humans may earn, with that they can penetrate the secrets of heaven and earth – not anything more than what God wills (Q, 55:33).

God created Jinns and Humans not without purpose (Q, 75:36). God created them so that they serve God; in order to test who is best in conduct, a fleeting life period has been given to them in this earth (Q, 55:56; 11:7). Hence He begins the process of creation, and repeats it, then all shall be brought back to Him (Q, 30:11). Every good and evil deed of individual is being recorded by Angels in Illiyin and Sijjin (Q, 83: 6; 8). After completion of the trial of this earthly life, the Day of Judgment shall come; every dead one from past to present shall again be made alive to the perfection of their very tips of finger (Q, 75: 3-4). And the Book of Deeds will be placed before every one to see what is recorded therein; and God will not treat with injustice (Q,18: 49). After the Final judgment, the righteous dutiful shall live in perpetual enjoyment of the heavenly bliss; and the Unbelievers who defied God shall end in the Fire (Q,13: 35).

'''Aspects of SOUL: insights from Qur’an: '''

Manifest creations exist by submitting their Wills to the Creator — these enfold entities right from beginning to end of the expanding universe which encompass heavenly creations like myriads of Angels under God’s command; celestial members like Sun, Moon, Stars etc; and earthly creations like fundamental units which are the building blocks of living and non-living things, and each living organ of the body (through which Souls* could express its self-will). All such members of heaven and earth have submitted their will to God and obey the God ordained laws perpetually. But there is an exception in case of Jinns and Humans whose ‘Souls’ enjoy free will to act within limits allowed by the God. These Souls have not yet submitted their will to God; hence recurrent cycles of religion come from God to guide them toward submission to God’s commandment. In order to conduct a Divine Trial, multifarious living and non-living things are created on earth to support existence of pre-human Jinns and then Humans at last. Based upon conducts of life in ‘Here’ each individual has to face a Day of Judgment in ‘Hereafter’. (a) Humankind undergoes Trial between the opposite spells of cosmic ‘good’ and ‘evil’ agencies - by which God separates the Souls in terms of their fidelity and infidelity to Divine Commands. (b) God has raised Prophets in every nation — so that men know the sacred purpose of Divine Will and are guided thereby towards a blissful existence in harmony with the Divine commands. Alongside God also sends (Q, 6: 112-113) ‘adversaries of Prophets’ always so that human defiance to God find a support therein to flourish, whereby the latitudes of infidelity get exposed with all their schemes against God and His commandment.

* SOUL: ‘It is God Who creates you and takes your Soul at death.’ (Q, 16:70); There is no Soul but has a protector over it’ (Q, 86: 4); ‘At length, when death approaches one of you, Our angels take his Soul, and they never fail in their duty.’ (Q, 6:61); ‘And there will come forth every Soul: with each will be an angel to drive, and an angel to bear witness.’ (Q, 50: 21); ‘Every Soul draws the meed of its act on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.’ (Q, 6: 164); ‘On the Day of Judgment when every Soul will be confronted with all the good deeds it has done, and all the evil it has done...’ (Q, 3:30); ‘…every Soul will be recompensed fully for all its actions, and none will be unjustly dealt with.’ (Q, 16: 111)

Naturally we are keen to know what the Soul is. But man can know mysteries of creation only up to which God permits — and God has not capacitated man to know every secret of Soul and Spirit. Concept of Soul (Nafsun) demands some understanding of innermost phase of man’s being Ruuh (grossly translated as Spirit), an aspect of which is the ground of Soul, an organ of spiritual light, whereby man may rise into apprehension of God: ‘by His command doth God send the Spirit (Ruuh) of inspiration to any of His servants He pleases.’ (Q, 40:15). On the contrary, as regard Soul God reveals: ‘Every Soul will be held in pledge for its deeds.’ (Q, 74:38). Unlike animals, human Souls are unique by virtue of its three different states: (i) that incites to evil (Nafse Ammarah, Q, 12:54); (ii) reproving — from which moral state is generated (Nafse Lawwama, Q, 73:3); and (iii) the Soul at rest — beginning of the spiritual state (Nafse Mutmainnah, Q, 89: 28-31). Thus after the SOUL joins the BODY, it turns it into human being, whereby the Soul becomes the ruler of an individual’s body-soul existence.

One of the greatest Islamic Scholar after Prophet (pbuh), Al-Ghazali has explained the Nafs into three categories based on the Qur’an: Nafs Ammarah which "exhorts one to freely indulge in gratifying passions and instigates to do evil", Nafs Lawammah which is "the conscience that directs man towards right or wrong", and Nafs Mutmainnah which is "a self that reaches the ultimate peace." As an analogy between psychology and politics, he compared the SOUL to that of a king running a kingdom, arguing that the bodily organs are like the artisans and workers, intellect is like a wise vizier, desire is like a wicked servant, and anger is like the police force. He argued that a king can correctly run the state of affairs by turning to the wise vizier, turns away from the wicked servant, and regulating the workers and the police; and that in the same way, the soul is balanced if it “keeps anger under control and makes the intellect dominate desire.” He argued that for a soul to reach perfection, it needs to evolve through several stages: sensuous (like a moth which has no memory), imaginative (lower animal), instinctive (higher animal), rational (“transcends animal stage and apprehends objects beyond the scope of his senses”) and divine (“apprehends reality of spiritual things”) [2].

'‘By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its inspiration as to its wrong and its right – truly he succeeds that purifies it. And he fails that corrupt it.’' (Q, 91: 7-10)]

References

1. Angelika Neuwirth, Cosmology, Encyclopedia of the Qur’an

2. Haque, Amber (2004), "Psychology from Islamic perspective: contributions of early Muslim scholars and challenges      to contemporary Muslim psychologists", Journal of Religion & Health 43 (4): pp. 367-8

3. ‘The Holy Qur’an’ – with original ‘Arabic Text, English translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Islamic Book Service, India. 2000. And also‘The Meanings of the Glorious Qur’an’ by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, trans., Mecca and New York: Muslim World League. 1977

4. ‘The Holy Bible’, Revised Standard Version (New York: National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, 1946, 1971); Holy Bible, B & FBS, Printed in Great Britain by Eyre and Spottiswoode Limited His Majesty’s Printers, London

5. The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments in the King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville

6. Analytical Key to the Old Testament - GENESIS, by John Joseph Owens, Harper & Row

7. Jewish Encyclopedia - com.