Symposium 4
Existence of the Glorious Allah
Anwar:Now that I know what Ijtihad means and who Mujtahid is and what his characteristics are, I would like to move to other questions.
Hasan:With all pleasure!
Anwar:I do not need evidence to existence of Allah, but it will be good if I have some ideological culture.
Hasan:Religious scholars referred to substantially different evidence. I’ll mention a few of them:
· The innately evidence: this realization comes by nature, and we know that there is an Almighty God when we are in trouble. This feeling is evidence in itself.
· The possibility evidence: it is based on the fact that
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· existence is divided to: essentially in existence, possible to exist, and impossible to exist.
I’ll explain these concepts. Essentially in existence means that the existence of something or someone is not related to others i.e. it is an absolute undeniable existence, and this is a quality that only the Glorious Allah has and no one else. Possible to exist means that the existence of something or someone is actually related to others. This is a quality for all mankind except Allah, Praised Be His Name. Impossible to exist simply means it has no existence; impossible is false and untrue, so it has no existence; it is actually nothing.
· The effect evidence: the essence of this evidence goes like this: we have creatures all around us, and there is no doubt in that. These creatures are results and effects. Now an effect needs a cause, and these creatures, as effects, need a cause which is not an effect itself, that is, the Glorious Allah.
I’ll give more explanation. In this entity, every creature has a creator or a maker, but after all, there must be a creature that does not have a creator and that is not related to other entities; otherwise he is no different
from others. This creator and maker cannot be but the Glorious Allah.
· Incidence and change: to clarify this I need to say that the universe is changeable, that is, it takes an incidence for the universe to change. Now, this incidence cannot be substance or matter in order not to be exposed to changing.
· Order and harmony: it is obvious that this universe is in harmony and order. Everything has a function; ears are congruous for hearing only, and tongue is appropriate for speaking and not seeing, and so on and so forth. This does prove the existence of a wisely organizing creator who is no one but Allah, Praised Be His Name.
These are only some evidence to the existence of our Great and Almighty Creator. I think we are done for today although there is more evidence to existence of Allah such as limitedness, arrangement, guidance, etc.
Symposium 5
Existence of the Glorious Allah
Anwar:Last time you mentioned some rational proofs to the existence of the Great and Almighty Allah. Now, I want to know if Ahl Al-Bait (PBUT) dealt with this issue.
Hasan:I will show you some sayings from Ahl Al-Bait (PBUT) as examples.
Anwar:Allah rewards you well, my generous teacher!
Hasan:likewise, Akhi! You like to learn and I like to do a review my ideological knowledge. I will start with a Verse from the Noble Quran:(I have turned my face toward Him Who created (Fatara) the heavens and the earth).6;79
The Arabic word Fatara (Fitra) here means creation or
actually the First Creation. This is a realization that it is the Great and Almighty Allah who created the heavens and the earth; this is also emphasized in a discussion Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH) had with a man who wanted to reason out the existence of the Glorious Allah.
Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH): Have you been on a ship?
Man: Yes.
Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH): Was it wrecked and started to sink so you thought you had no way to survive?
Man: Yes!
Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH): Did you deep in your heart hold on to a power that can survive you?
Man: I did!
Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH): Did you exactly know who is able to rescue you from your adversity?
Man: No.
Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH): That was Allah! Your hear was attached to a rescuer that you did not know, and this is actually your awareness of the Creator.
Imam Ali (PBUH) also says:“Allah sent them His messengers and Prophets successively to help people grasp the covenant of His creation and to remind them of His forgotten blessing through arguments based on reason.”Amir Al-Mu’menin (Commander of the Faithful Ali PBUH) demonstrates that knowing Allah, Praised Be His Name, comes naturally, and that messengers and prophets had only the role of a reminder in this matter.
Moreover, the Great and Almighty Allah says in the Noble Quran:(Or were they created out of naught? Or are they the creators?)52;35. This Holy Verse gives clear evidence to the existence of the First Cause and refutes the nonexistence theory. Imam Al-Bagher (PBUH) also refers to this innate knowledge of the Glorious Allah: “Allah has created them to naturally know Him”.
The proof that everything is in need to the Glorious Allah in order to exist and to survive is this Verse:(O mankind! Ye are the poor in your relation to Allah. And Allah! He is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise)35;15.
Another proof is what Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH) said to an unbeliever who questioned the creation of the world:“Actions speak for their doer; you know that a building
has a builder even if you do not see the one who built it”.
Moreover, the Glorious Allah, in a different Verse, refers to the fact that everything in the universe is His Creation, and that it takes a reasonable person to perceive it:(In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are sign of Allah’s sovereignty for people who have sense)2;164.
Anwar:Very good! I’m very delighted. May I know some of the features of the Almighty Allah?
Hasan:Inshallah, I will talk about that next time.
Symposium 6
Qualities of the Glorious Allah
Anwar:Last session, we had a talk on how to prove the existence of the Glorious Allah, and you promised to tell me about the qualities of this Great and Merciful God.
Hasan:It is obvious, Anwar, that the previous evidence through which we proved the existence of the Glorious Allah also show His qualities that are absolute; Allah is affluent with all the perfect qualities and away from any possible ones.
Anwar:What do you mean by perfect qualities and possible qualities?