Assalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,
This is the Ninth Chapter of my book
“Searching for God, and Finding Allah”. Two chapters are available on my Blog in English, and also in
Indonesian language.
Wassalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,
Gene
Searching for God and Finding Allah by Gene Netto
CONTENTS
1. How I Became a Muslim And Why I Wrote This Book
2. A Succession of Prophets
3. A Sign from God
4. Followers of Jesus
5. Followers of Jesus And Followers of Muhammad
6. The Truth of Islam
7. This Is What Almighty God Says About the Holy Qur'an
8. A Logical Religion
9. A Logical Reason Why We Cannot See God
10. Our Spiritual Needs and God's Solution
11. It Is Your Choice: You Can Accept God or Reject Him
12. Conclusion: This Is the End. Or the Beginning.
****
Chapter 9: A Logical Reason Why We Cannot See God
When I was younger, I was convinced that
God did not exist because I could not see Him, but in fact, I was also willing
to keep an open mind and accept any proof of God if I could find any. I asked a
lot of questions about the only religion that I knew, namely Catholicism. My
questions about religion were not answered well, which made me even more
confused. And because there was no proof that I found convincing, I felt that I
was forced to not believe in God.
I often noticed that after a certain
event occurred, for example, the death of a child or someone getting cancer, I
would often hear adults talking and they would say that we had to just accept
the situation. They would accept it by saying “God works in mysterious ways!”
This meant that they could not understand why God did something, and for us to
ask questions about it would be a waste of time. God was mysterious and we
could not understand Him.
But if God is so mysterious, then what
did He give us brains and logic for? If God gave us brains, intelligence and the
power of logical thought, then it is entirely logical for us to use logic to
think about God. This suggested to me that there should be a strong logical
foundation to God’s religion. If God really existed, and gave us religious
teachings, then what would be the purpose of making those teachings
incomprehensible to ordinary people?
Does God have to be “mysterious” if He
does not want to be? Is God not capable of accepting and answering questions
from His own Creation if He wishes to do so? What if God desires us to know Him
(within the limits of our understanding) so that we can become closer to Him?
What if He does not want us to consider Him “mysterious”?
God is obviously not visible to us, and
so I believe that if we analyze this situation carefully, then it is quite
possible that we can find a logical reason for why God chooses not to reveal
Himself. And perhaps if we understand the reason for why God is not visible,
then we may be able to understand that this happens for our own benefit and not
for “mysterious” reasons.
In this chapter, I would like to give one
possible logical explanation for why God may chose to remain hidden from us,
and how that fact is actually a blessing for us from Allah. To discuss this, we
need to look at and compare the story of the Prophet Adam AS, the first human
created by Allah, the story of Iblis (the Devil), and also the story of a
murderer. Before that, it is important that we review the history of the
Prophet Musa AS (Moses) who also wanted to see God.
9.1. Moses Wanted to See God as Well
In speeches given by Muslim clerics, I
have often heard the story of the Prophet Musa AS (Moses) who asked for
permission to see Allah. According to the story, Allah simply explained that
Musa AS was not capable of seeing Him. Allah might have stopped the event there
but, instead, He continued by giving “proof” to Musa AS that he was not capable
of seeing his Lord. Allah began to appear behind a mountain, which then
exploded, knocking Nabi Musa AS unconscious. This event is described in the
Qur'an:
143. And when Mûsâ (Moses) came at the time and place appointed by
Us, and his Lord (Allah) spoke to him; he said: "O my Lord! Show me
(Yourself), that I may look upon You." Allâh said: "You cannot see
Me, but look upon the mountain; if it stands still in its place then you shall
see Me." So when his Lord appeared to the mountain[1], He made it collapse to dust, and Mûsâ
(Moses) fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered his senses he said:
"Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the
believers."
(QS. Al A’raf 7:143)
This verse gives us the understanding
that human beings, including Prophets, are simply not allowed to see Almighty God.
If a mighty Prophet of God such as Musa AS (Moses) is not capable of seeing
Allah, then there is no hope for ordinary people like us. What we do know is
that Musa AS was able to have a dialogue with Allah, even though he could not
see his Lord. Another character who also has a dialogue with Allah is the
Devil, and in the Qur’an, he is called Iblis.
9.2. The Curse of God on Satan (the Devil)
11. And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you
shape (the noble shape of a human being); then We told the angels,
"Prostrate yourselves to Adam", and they prostrated themselves,
except Iblîs (Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrated themselves.
12. (Allâh) said: "What prevented you (O Iblîs) that you did not
prostrate yourself, when I commanded you?" Iblîs said: "I am better
than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay."
13. (Allâh) said: "(O Iblîs) get down from this (Paradise), it
is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated
and disgraced."
(Surah Al A’raf, QS. 7:11-13)
In these verses, we are introduced to the
creature that refused to bow down to Adam AS. This creature is named Iblis or Shaitân
in the Qur'an and is known in English as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and so on.
In the verses above, we can see a situation where Iblis is arguing with Allah
and refusing His Direct Command to bow down and show respect to Nabi Adam AS.
This refusal by Iblis to obey the Will of Almighty God was an act of extreme
arrogance towards Him, and this is the reason why he was punished.
34. (Allâh) said: "Then, get out from here, for verily, you
are Rajîm (an outcast or a cursed one)." [Tafsîr At-Tabarî]
35. "And verily, the curse shall be upon you till the Day of
Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."
(Surah Al Hijr, QS. 15:34-35)
Iblis (the Devil) then became the first
creature to be cursed by Allah until Judgement Day. This event is very
exceptional because it is the first time (as far as we know) that a creature
created by Allah was cursed until the end of time. And this event is also
special because (as far as we know) it is also the last time this happened.
There is no mention in the Qur'an of any other creature being cursed by Allah
for all time. The verse above only mentions the Curse of Allah until the Day of
Resurrection, but after that, Iblis will be thrown into Hell along with anyone
who follows him, so Allah’s Curse and His Punishment will be eternal.
A relevant question for us to ask now is why
does Iblis receive the Curse of Allah? When Allah pronounces Iblis to be a
cursed creature, it is very interesting that Iblis does not protest. He does
not accuse Allah of being unjust. He does not try to argue his innocence or
protest the severity of his sentence. If we were to receive such a harsh
sentence from Allah, then I am sure we would definitely protest and would try
to obtain some mercy. On the contrary, Iblis immediately accepts his fate but
asks Allah to delay the implementation of his punishment until the Day of
Resurrection so that he will have plenty of time to lead humans astray and
prove that he is better.
14. (Iblîs) said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are
raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."
15. (Allâh) said: "You are of those respited."
16. (Iblîs) said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I
will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.
17. "Then I will come to them from before them and behind
them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them
as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)."
18. (Allâh) said (to Iblîs): "Get out from this (Paradise),
disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely
I will fill Hell with you all."
(Surah Al A’raf, QS. 7:14-18)
What is obvious from this is that Iblis
(the Devil) now has the intention of doing everything he can to get all of the
descendents of Adam AS to join him in Hell. This is being done merely to prove
to Allah that he is better than a human being. So, now we have an interesting
situation. Allah has cursed Iblis but instead of immediately throwing him into
Hell, Allah actually gives Iblis a lot of extra time so that he can attempt to
lead mankind astray.
If we accept that Allah knows everything
that will ever happen in advance of the actual event, then He must have known
that Iblis would show such arrogance, then be cursed and subsequently be given
time to lead mankind astray. If that is the case, then we must logically accept
that the existence of the Devil and his followers, and their affect on mankind,
is something which Allah knew about in advance and He allowed it to happen.
(Allah did not cause Iblis to rebel, but only allowed him to rebel). The reason
we have to accept Allah’s implicit Permission for this event is that we must
believe that all things can only occur with Allah’s Permission. If Allah does not
give His Permission for something to happen, then how is it possible for that
event to occur? If something can occur against Allah’s Wishes, then that would
mean Allah is not all-powerful, but we know that He is.
29. Say (O Muhammad): "Whether you hide what is in your
breasts or reveal it, Allâh knows it, and He knows what is in the heavens and
what is in the earth. And Allâh is Able to do all things."
(Surah Ali Imran, QS. 3:29)
So now, in Heaven, we have Adam AS,
together with Hawa (Eve), and also Iblis (the Devil). Iblis (who after being
cursed is now referred to as Shaitan in the Qur'an) no longer has any other
purpose in his very long life except to lead mankind astray so that as many
descendants of Adam AS as possible will accompany him into Hell. With Allah’s
Permission (because he could not be there without Allah’s Permission), Iblis is
allowed into the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam AS and Hawa. And he succeeds,
because he convinces them to eat the forbidden fruit, which causes them to be
removed from Paradise and placed on Earth.
35. And We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the
Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight, of things
therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be
of the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers)."
36. Then the Shaitân (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time."
36. Then the Shaitân (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time."
(Surah Al Baqarah, QS. 2:35-36)
In the case of Iblis (the Devil), he made
one mistake, was cast out of Paradise and was cursed for all time. Adam AS and
Hawa (Eve) also made one mistake, were cast out of Paradise because of their
actions, but they were not cursed for all time! Why were they treated
differently?
Perhaps one thing that influenced Allah’s
Decision is the fact that only Iblis argued with Allah. He did not repent and
did not beg for mercy. However, when Adam AS and Hawa were told that they had
sinned, they repented and begged for forgiveness:
37. Then Adam received from his Lord Words.[2] And his Lord
pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives
(accepts repentance), the Most Merciful.
[2] (V.2:37): These words are mentioned in the Qur’ân; (Verse
7:23): They are: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us
not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the
losers."
(Surah Al Baqarah, QS. 2:37)
So, now we can see two clear cases where
Adam AS and Iblis made one mistake each and they were punished for those
mistakes, although Iblis was punished more severely. In order to understand how
this relates to the topic, namely that Allah is not visible to us for a logical
reason, then we also need to examine one final case; the case of the murderer
who killed 100 people and yet was forgiven for his sins.
9.3. Adam, Satan, and the Killer of 100 People
There is a hadith (oral tradition of the
Prophet Muhammad SAW) that tells the story of a killer who had murdered 100
people, but before he died, he had already decided to repent and so all of his
sins were forgiven.
Narrated by Abu Said Al-Khudri:
The Prophet said, "Amongst the men of Bani Israel [the Jews]
there was a man who had murdered ninety-nine persons. Then he set out asking
(whether his repentance could be accepted or not). He came upon a monk and
asked him if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative
and so the man killed him. He kept on asking till a man advised to go to such
and such a village. (So he left for it) but death overtook him on the way.
While dying, he turned his chest towards that village (where he had hoped his
repentance would be accepted), and so the angel of mercy and the angel of
punishment quarreled amongst themselves regarding him. Allah ordered the
village (towards which he was going) to come closer to him, and ordered the
village (whence he had come), to go far away, and then He ordered the angels to
measure the distances between his body and the two villages. So he was found to
be one span closer to the village (he was going to). So he was forgiven."
(Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 676)[2]
An important question to ask here is why
can a murderer who has killed 100 people obtain forgiveness for his sins? Being
forgiven by Allah means that his repentance was accepted, and forgiveness
usually means that a person will not be punished for his sins. But on the other
hand, Nabi Adam AS who only “ate a piece of fruit” was forgiven, but was also
punished. And Iblis (the Devil) who only “argued” with Allah was not forgiven
at all and was also punished very severely. It is clear that the murderer had
not formally repented (by performing a formal act of worship). He was still in
the process of finding the place where he would learn how to repent in a formal
way. Nevertheless, he still received forgiveness from Allah and was not
punished. Nabi Adam AS also repented and his repentance was accepted, but he
was punished by being cast out of Paradise. Iblis did not repent and did not
want to repent. He received the harshest punishment of all three cases
mentioned.
These three separate cases now fall into
two different categories. On one hand, we have the murderer whose sins were
forgiven and he received no punishment at all. On the other hand, we have Nabi
Adam AS and Iblis who both received punishment for committing one sin each,
even though their “sins” might not seem as severe as murder.
If we want to find one logical reason for
why we cannot see Allah, then I believe that such a reason can be found by
comparing these two groups. We need to find a reason for why a murderer can
escape punishment after killing 100 people, yet Adam AS and Iblis who only
committed one sin each were still punished by Allah.
9.4. The Benefit For Us If God is Not
Visible
Nabi Adam AS was punished, Iblis (the
Devil) was punished, but a murderer who killed 100 people was not punished, and
there seems to be only one real difference between them: the murderer had no
absolute proof that Allah existed! He never saw Allah and never spoke with Him,
which is the opposite of Adam AS and Iblis who did have a dialogue with Allah.
That killer believed in Almighty God based on faith alone, which means that he
believed even though he never saw Allah and never spoke to Him.
Did Adam AS and Iblis believe in Allah
because they saw Him? Theoretically, we could make an argument that perhaps
they did see Him directly with their eyes and therefore knew that Allah was
real. But this theory is doubtful because of the verse mentioned above which
says emphatically that Nabi Musa AS (Moses) was not able to see Allah, and that
the slightest appearance of Allah was enough to make a mountain explode (QS. Al
A’raf 7:143). If Nabi Musa AS was not able to see Allah, then perhaps we can
assume that Adam AS and Iblis were also not able to see Him.
The theory that they saw Allah can also
be doubted because there is a hadith (oral tradition of the Prophet Muhammad
SAW) which states that Nabi Muhammad SAW also never saw Allah with his eyes:
It is narrated on the authority of Masruq that he said: I was
resting at (the house of) 'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha [the honorific
name of Masruq], there are three things, and he who affirmed even one of them
fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked that they were. She said: He
who presumed that Muhammad (may peace be upon him) saw his Lord (with his
ocular vision) fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. […].
(Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0337)[3]
If Nabi Musa AS and Nabi Muhammad SAW
never saw Allah, then we can assume that the possibility of Nabi Adam AS and Iblis
(the Devil) seeing Allah is quite small. It is however very certain that both
Nabi Adam AS and Iblis had a dialogue with Allah, as did Nabi Musa AS and Nabi
Muhammad SAW. In Surah Al A’raf (QS. 7:22-23), Nabi Adam AS speaks directly
with Allah after he is admonished for eating the forbidden fruit. Also, in
Surah Al A’raf (QS. 7:11-16) there is a dialogue between Allah and Iblis.
From the fact that both Nabi Adam AS and
the Devil spoke with Allah, we can presume that there was no doubt in their
minds that Allah was real. They were aware of God, spoke with Him and were also
conscious of their creation by Him. They were not acting on faith but rather
acting on knowledge. That knowledge actually places them in a privileged
position, one of which many of us may be envious. However, we should examine
the consequences! Both Nabi Adam AS and Iblis were aware of God and both of
them disobeyed Him. Adam AS admitted his fault but was still cast out of Heaven
as punishment, whereas Iblis did not admit his fault, did not beg for
forgiveness and was cursed until Judgment Day.
By comparison, the man who had murdered
100 people was apparently in a far better position to receive forgiveness from
Allah. The killer had to believe in Allah’s Forgiveness based on faith alone,
and it seems that this fact gave him a much bigger opportunity to be forgiven
and not receive any punishment at all. For most of his life, he had acted
without God, possibly not believing in God and had committed many crimes
because he was not conscious of his Creator or what his Creator wanted him to
do. When he was finally able to repent, he was acting out of faith, believing
that there was an Almighty God who would accept his repentance and forgive him
for his sins. He did not see God, nor did he speak with God. Perhaps as a
result of that “faith”, he found Allah to be the Most Merciful!
If we could see Allah, would we
definitely agree to worship Him and obey Him? Seeing Him and knowing that He is
real does not automatically mean that we would be faithful. We might believe in
Allah now, but that belief alone will not guarantee us entry into Heaven free
from sin. For example, Iblis (the Devil) also believes in Allah (meaning that
he does not doubt the existence of Allah) but he is not faithful and does not
obey Him. If we could see Allah, then it is possible that we might end up
arguing with Allah, just like Iblis, and so that would make it difficult or
impossible for us to obtain forgiveness.
Do you really want to see Allah? Or hear
His voice and have a dialogue with Him? I do not want to, not anymore! Not if
seeing Him means that I could get into serious trouble for committing just one sin.
When I was a child, I wanted to see God
so that I would have proof He was real and it seems that I was not the only one
who wanted to see Him face-to face. The disbelievers who rejected the Prophet
Muhammad SAW demanded the same thing:
90. And they say: "We shall not believe in you (O Muhammad SAW), until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us;
91. "Or you have a garden of date-palms and grapes, and cause
rivers to gush forth in their midst abundantly;
92. "Or you cause the heaven to fall upon us in pieces, as you
have pretended, or you bring Allâh and the angels before (us) face to face;
93. "Or you have a house of Zukhruf (like silver and pure
gold), or you ascend up into the sky, and even then we will put no faith in
your ascension until you bring down for us a Book that we would read." Say
(O Muhammad SAW): "Glorified (and Exalted) be my Lord [(Allâh) above all
that evil they (polytheists) associate with Him]! Am I anything but a man, sent
as a Messenger?"
(QS. Al-Isra 17:90-93)
If my desire from childhood had come true
and I had seen God, or perhaps just heard His Voice and spoken to Him, then I
would have been placed in the same category as Nabi Adam AS. And being in that
category has a very clear meaning: disobey Allah one time and receive immediate
punishment for one sin. As a normal human being, I commit sins all the time,
and it is so easy for my sins to increase daily without being noticed. If I was
in the same category as Nabi Adam AS then I doubt I would have survived this
long without getting into very serious trouble with Allah.
Then, there is a second problem. If I was
in the same category as Nabi Adam AS and if Allah got angry with me for the
first one of my sins, would I be like Adam AS and instantly repent and beg for
forgiveness? Or would I be more like Iblis and protest? What if I did protest?
Would I end up with the same punishment as Iblis – cursed for all time?
All of us collect sins every day, but how
many of us repent every day? Just imagine one lie, one broken promise, one
small theft, or any single action of which Allah disapproves. Would that be
enough to get us into serious trouble? And if we could always see Allah or hear
His Voice, we would have no way of protesting our innocence. Would you really
want to see Allah if that meant that you would receive immediate punishment for
only one sin?
If we examine the different cases of Adam
AS, Iblis and the murderer, then what can we conclude? It seems that if we
cannot see Allah and cannot speak directly with Him then we are in a much
better position than those people who can see Him or speak with Him. When it
comes to forgiveness, Allah is far more merciful to those of us who merely believe
in Him than those who actually know He exists It would seem from this that if
you know Allah is real because you have had a dialogue with Him, then you no
longer have any excuses for why you choose to disobey Him and subsequently, you
will earn greater wrath and punishment than those who simply believe in Him.
If we believe in Allah based only on
faith, because we have never seen Him or heard His Voice, then we are still
able to give Allah all of our excuses for why our behaviour is not good enough:
I forgot; I was busy; I didn’t have enough money; I couldn’t do it; it was
raining; I’ll do it tonight; and so on. And we find Allah is the Most
Benevolent, the Most Merciful for those of us who continue to believe.
53. Say: "O ‘Ibâdî (My slaves) who have transgressed against
themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allâh: verily, Allâh forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful.
(QS. Az Zumar 39:53)
The fact that we cannot see Allah is a
blessing from Him for all of us who have lives full of sin. If we could see
Allah and talk directly to Him, then the penalty for disobedience would
probably be too severe for us to cope with. Perhaps we would only get one
opportunity to commit one sin, and then we would face the Wrath of Allah. But
to protect us from that, and as a sign of His Love for us, He never makes
Himself visible to us and never speaks directly to us. We cannot see Him and so
we must believe. And we continue to sin. And He continues to forgive us, and
gives us yet another chance to be better. As long as we still believe!
21. And those who expect not a Meeting
with Us (i.e. those who deny the Day of Resurrection and the life of the
Hereafter) said: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or why do we not
see our Lord?" Indeed they think too highly of themselves, and are
scornful with great pride.
(QS. Al Furqan 25:21)
Two Chapters
of My Book are
available on my blog in English and Indonesian languages.
Searching For God and Finding Allah
(unpublished)
Chapter 1: How I Became a Muslim
And Why I Wrote This Book
Chapter 9: A Logical Reason Why
We Cannot See God
Mencari Tuhan, Menemukan Allah (belum
terbit)
Bab 1: Bagaimana Saya Menjadi Seorang Muslim Dan
Mengapa Saya Menulis Buku Ini
Bab 9: Alasan Logis Mengapa Kita Tidak Bisa Melihat
Tuhan
[1] (V.7:143) The appearance of Allâh to the mountain was very little
of Him. It was approximately equal to the tip of one’s little finger as
explained by the Prophet Muhammad SAW when he recited this Verse. (This hadîth
is quoted by Tirmidhi).
