Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Mechanism of Sight

Even now as you read this book you are concerned with eyes and are completely aware of their value and existence. But perhaps till now you have not rightly thought about the construction of this small but complex and delicate organ of sight. The eye is one of the most beautiful and amazing signs of Almighty Allah; such that by studying it and pondering on the process of its creation, it is possible to discover the existence of the wise and powerful God, who is the creator of the world; and to become cognizant of the unlimited aspects of knowledge and power. There are so many amazing aspects of the human eye that it is not possible to mention all of them in this book. But we shall indicate some of them here. First of all let us become aware of the structure of the eye ball and after that we can take up the discussion of knowing God.

Structure of the eye

The eye ball is the real instrument of seeing, which works like a camera - on the contrary more complex than a camera. The eye ball is made up of three layers: sclera, choroids and retina.

1. What is the Sclera? It is a veil which is hard, firm, white and turbid and is approximately one millimeter thick. It covers the complete eye ball and protects it. Front of this sheet (sclera) is transparent in order to allow light to enter the eye. It is known as the cornea.

2. What is the Choroid? It is a thin and black curtain inside the sclera and which changes the interior of the eye into a dark chamber. Inside the choroid are a large number of blood veins which supply nutrition to eye structures and in fact choroids is also the food giving layer of the eye. The front portion of the choroid is in the form of a circular curtain fixed behind the cornea and which is known as iris.

There is an aperture in the center of iris, three to six millimeters in diameter and it is known as the pupil. The pupil automatically enlarges and contracts to regulate light entering the eye.

3. What is the retina? Retina is innermost sensitive layer of the eye. Images of bodies which come before the eye fall upon this curtain; the inner surface of the retina is the first colored layer. A jelly like substance called vitreous humor fills the space between lens and retina. The lens, iris and cornea are nourished by a clear fluid, aqueous humor, formed by theciliary body and which fills the space between lens and cornea. Two types of receptors - rods and cones - are present. Rods are mainly found in the peripheral retina and enable us to see in dim light and to detect peripheral motion. They are primarily responsible for night vision and visual orientation. Cones are principally found in the central retina and provide detailed vision for such tasks as reading or distinguishing distant objects. They also are necessary for color detection. These photoreceptors convert light to electrochemical impulses that are transmitted via the nerves to the brain. Rods are approximately 120 million and cones are five million in number.

The fluid flows fromciliary body to the pupil and is absorbed through the channels in the angle of anterior chamber. The delicate balance of aqueous production and absorption controls pressure within the eye. Optical nerves connect the retina to the brain.

Yellow spot - at the rear of the eyeball there is a depression on the retina wall ellipse in shape and it is one millimeter in diameter and called as the Yellow spot. The Yellow spot is exactly in line of the pupil and it focuses the light that falls on it. Yellow spot is a part of retina and is its most sensitive portion and conical cells are compressed here in concentration and each of them is connected through a nerve to the center of sight in the brain. In order to see bodies clearly, our eyes automatically circle the surface of that body whose image falls on the Yellow spot.

Transparent mantles of the eyeball

Transparent mantles of the eyeball are parts which allow light to pass through them and which focus on the surface of retina. These transparent mantles are as follows: Cornea, Aqueous humor, lens and Vitreous body.

1. Cornea: It is the same frontal part of the sclerotic, which is foremost and transparent.

2. Aqueous humor: It is a transparent liquid, which fills up the space between cornea and lens.

3. Lens: It is a body, which is curved at both the ends and is present in the front portion of the eye and behind the iris. It is better that you know that the lens is suspended with the help of suspension ligaments and is joined to the choroid and conceals the surface of the lens with a delicate, transparent and adjustable veil called as crystalloid. The lens is composed of long cord-like cells and some of them even have nucleus. The lens cords are hard and concentrated and they form the nucleus of the lens.

4. Vitreous body: It is a transparent matter, which fills the inner space of the eyeball and is partly condensed in the form of a delicate curtain.

How do we see objects?

From the bodies that are placed before our eyes, rays of light are reflected to our eyes; these rays cross the cornea and enter the lens through the pupil. They pass the lens as well till they are reflected on the Yellow spot at the rear of the eyeball on the surface of retina. In this manner their image, which is reflected and reduced in size falls on sensitive conical cells of the Yellow spot. These cells convey the image through optical nerves to the centre of sight in the brain. The soul or the self of man in this way is able to see objects through this process and reactions and it can become aware of the color, volume and distance of those objects.

Adjustment of image

You know that objects are clearly visible only if their image falls exactly on the Yellow spot, neither behind it nor in front of it. In ordinary circumstances the lens can throws a clear image of anything that is at a distance of six meters or more on the most sensitive part of the eye that is the Yellow spot. But the lesser the distance of the object to eye, the lesser would be its visibility as its image would fall much behind the Yellow spot and hence that object would not be seen clearly.

But according to the plan that is in force in the creation of the eye, this difficulty has been solved in a beautiful manner, in the way that curvature of the lens is changeable. A healthy and normal eye automatically adjusts the curvature of its lens according to the distance of the object whose image it wants to focus on retina. If the distance of the object is lesser than normal the curvature of also increases in accordance with it so that its image falls exactly on the Yellow spot. In such a way: thatciliary muscles exert pressure on the eye and this causes thesuspensory ligaments to be elongated as a result of which the surrounding of the lens is stretched and in its middle it is having a hard nucleus, which does not allow the stretching beyond a certain point. In order to see the near objects, the thickness of the lens increases as a result of which the distance of its focus changes and in order to see objects at a distance its thickness decreases. This process is known as focusing. It is one of the most minute and swift action of the eye, which is performed during the seeing of objects. In every moment that we see around us and see the near and far scenes and things, our lens changes its thickness hundreds of times in succession and we see all the objects nicely and clearly. Have you so far paid attention to these minute actions of the eye?

A discourse on Knowing God

We know that this small body is composed of hundreds of smaller organs and millions of different types of cells and each of them have a special function and they perform these functions. Apparently the eye is a small body, but in fact it is a great workshop, which accurately and regularly functions as a camera. It is a collection, which is compatible, aimed and connected and which follows a single aim and fulfills an important need of man; that is to see objects. Truly, if there had been no sight, how dark this world would have been for us?!

Now we pose the following questions to our intellect and listen to its replies: Did the three layers of the eye appear on their own or it is someone else who had created them with foresight?

Did the transparent covering of the eye became transparent by chance or it is someone else who made them transparent so that light may pass through it?

How did the eye come to have transparent aqueous humor and vitreous body? Who has constructed these two liquids with special viscosity and formula? Were the glands that secrete these liquids aware of the needs of the eye? Did the pupil come into being automatically or it was the man who knew that the eye needed an aperture so that light may pass through it, and so he created it in this way? Has the pupil itself selected the required diameter through foresight or it is someone else who has designed and created it in this way? Does the pupil know that it needs to be opened and shut to regulate the passage of light through it? Or it is someone else who informed it of this need and who created it in this way? Did the Yellow spot come to be located in line with the pupil and focus of the lens so that image may form on it or it is someone else who has placed it there?

Did the most sensitive cells of retina come to be situated exactly at the Yellow spot in line with lens or it is someone else who has placed them in this way? Do the optical nerves connect to the cells of yellow spot by chance so that their messages may be transferred to the brain or it is someone else who has preplanned this? Do the optical nerves connect the eye to the brain in aimless way by chance or they have an aim and a creator with aim who has done this?

Who has created the optical lens with such precision and which expert physicist has planned it?

Is the eye also aware of the science of physics and the discussion of lenses? Is the lens aware of its sensitive position? Is the covering of the lens automatically adjustable? Has the eye itself made the act of focusing possible for the lens or it is someone else who has determined this? And whether…?

Lastly, has this systematic, compatible and aimed device come into existence through chance and coincidence or it is a wise and a powerful creator who has created it? The reply is clear to all those who have sense: Study of intricate and diminutive machinery of our eye guides to its wise and powerful creator and in this intricate machinery, we ourselves see the signs of His knowledge and unending power.

Secondary organs of the machinery of sight

Here we shall learn about the first of the secondary organs of the machinery of sight - without which the process of seeing remains defective. We would become familiar with it and after that through posing of questions we will seek to know who their creator is.

As mentioned before the machinery of sight consists of two parts: 1. The eyeball, which performs the function of seeing 2. Secondary organs, which are responsible for protecting the eye and ensuring its movement and hygiene. These organs are as follows: Eye socket, eyelids, tear glands, muscles surrounding the eyes and nerves. We shall explain each of them briefly to know about their functions:

1. Eye socket: It is a bony hollow in the shape of a pyramid whose base is in the front and its tip is at the back. Eye socket is divided into two parts with a concave curtain: the front portion of which is the abode of the eyeball and the rear portion contains the optical nerves, muscles surrounding the eyeball, sensitive nerves and nerves of movement and blood veins; and the space between them is filled with fat tissue.

2. Eyebrows: Which are situated at the frontal portion of the eye socket and they prevent sweat from entering the eyes.

3. Eyelids: They are shaped as parts of skin which are stretched over the eyeball. Every eyelid has skin in its front surface portion and in its rear portion, muscles and tissues are attached to it. The inner surface of the eyelid is covered with a transparent tissue named conjunctiva. Muscles of the eyelid are of two types: 1. Muscles, which contract opening the eyelids 2. Circular muscles, which are pulled over the eyeball.

The function of the eyelids is to protect the eyeball and to prevent entry of foreign objects into it, especially during sleep when there is no need of the function of the eye; it covers its whole surface and protects it from possible dangers. Moreover, in the inner edge of the eyelids, holes are arranged and these (25 or 26 holes) secrete a special type of fat to soften the eyeball. The upper eyelid through systematic and swift movement coveys tears to every part of the eyeball and keep it moist and also does not allow any dust or dirt to accumulate in it.

4. Eyelashes: Which are is the form of some short strands of hair which grow from the edge of the eyelids.

5. Tear glands: Glands situated in the external upper portion of every eye are named as tear glands. These glands produce tears, which are composed of water and a little quantity of salt. Tears secreted from these glands keep the surface around the eyelids covering the eye always moist, and they wash it; the remaining tears collect in the inner corner of the eye and from there are sent to the nose through the tear duct where they gradually evaporate moistening the air which is inhaled.

6. Muscles surrounding the eye: These muscles of the eyeball cause it to move in different directions as follows:

A) Directly outward, which takes the eyeball outward. B) Directly inward, which takes the eyeball inward and towards the nose. Contraction of directly outward muscles of each eye usually moves along with the muscles of the other eye as a result of which both eyes move to the right or the left in unison.

C) Directly upward muscles, which move the eyeball to the top. D) Directly downward muscles, which move the eyeball down etc.

7. Nerves: These include the optical nerves, which receive optical messages from retina and transfer it to the center of brain in form of electrical impulses and other nerves.

A discourse on Knowing God

Now we pose the following questions to ourselves: Is the eye aware of its importance and intricacy of its own existence that chose this solid eye socket as its abode? Or it was by chance that it came to occupy this safe place? Or it was someone else who provided this safe refuge to it as a result of foresight?

Did the eye itself brought into existence eyebrows above itself in order to prevent the entry of sweat? Or the eyebrow was aware of this need of the eye and it hastened to offer this help? Or it was someone else who created eyebrows above the eye?

Did the eyelids by chance become as such in order to protect and wash the eyes? Were the eyelids aware of the hygiene required by the eye that they rubbed fat over its surface and washed it through tears and continuous swift movement? Or it was a wise and a powerful creator who determined this?

Were the tear glands placed in the eye by chance? Who has devised the composition of this disinfectant liquid? Did the tear glands know that salty water is necessary to disinfect the surface of the eye? Is the hole in the corner of the eye - through which the excess tears are drained - come into existence by chance? Or it was the eye which procured this aperture? Was the eye aware of the need of the nose and the respiratory organs to moisten the inhaled air that it causes the excess tears to drain into the nose? Or it was a wise and a powerful creator who designed all this through foresight?

Do the holes that secrete fat in the eyelids come into being on their own? Or the eye, since it needed them, created them? Were the eyelids aware what help they are rendering to maintain the hygiene of the eye by secreting this fat?

Did the muscles of the eye and eyelids with those variations come into being of their own? Or did the eye bring them into existence? Or it was someone else who determined them on the basis of foresight?

Did the optical nerves with all their intricacy and specialty, connect the eye to the center of sight inside the brain automatically? Or it is a knowing being who has determined this connection?

In other words: Is such compatible and systematic collection, all parts of which are connected to each other and pursue and realize a single aim - that is to see - is it possible that it come into being on its own?

Yes, every intelligent person will reply that in such a compatible, interconnected and systematic collection - in whose make-up hundreds of laws and thousands of miniaturizations and amazements have come into action - it cannot be thought to have come into existence by chance or coincidence; it is the wise and a powerful creator who has brought them into existence.

This is the correct reply. When we look at the complex structure of the eyeball and when we study and contemplate on the connection of the eye to its secondary parts and the connection of all of them to the brain and the relationship of this collection with other parts of the body and the connection of the whole body to the outer world, we realize the whole world to be a single and great connection and witness that this great world is having a single, wise and powerful creator, who has created it and who also controls it.

If we look closely and with insight; we would be able to see the signs of the power, knowledge and wisdom of the great creator of the world everywhere. We shall recognize Him and connect ourselves to him with sincerity. And we would humble ourselves in front of His power and greatness and we would thank for the innumerable bounties and blessings from the depths of our hearts. His pure love would permeate throughout our selves. We would realize that only He is worthy of worship and we would accept only His commands and we would submit only to Him.

Circulatory System

The circulatory system is an extremely remarkable and amazing system of the human body. Even as you read this book, your heart beats approximately seventy times every minute and with continuous and precise beats conveys nourishment and oxygen to all the cells of your body. Do you know what would happen if your heart stops beating only for a few minutes?

Study of our circulatory system (heart, veins, arteries and capillary hair…) guides us to the existence of a wise and a powerful creator.

Blood flows at the edge of and around all the cells of the body like a steam of water and it conveys nourishment and oxygen to them. Red globules float in the liquid of blood. In every cubic millimeter of blood, there are approximately five million red globules and in the body of every man there are around 25000 million red globules. These globules have a very intricate and remarkable function. Their function is to convey oxygen to the cells and to recover carbon dioxide from them and in order to fulfill this life-giving function they to moving and circulating through the body nerves continuously. The length of this passage is great. An average red globule has the life-span of 120 days and new globules are being continuously manufactured by the blood making center of the body.

It would be better if we organize a scientific journey with a group of globules so that we may understand the various stages of this journey and we may be able to look closely at the intricate and amazing system of blood circulation. Definitely by seeing this systematic and amazing compatibility we would say: Great, wise and powerful is the creator, who has created such an elaborate system.

1. First stage

If you have a photo or a picture in your house; you should look at it, look at the left vertical of the heart. Our supposed journey begins at 9 am on Saturday in the company of a group of red globules, which are carrying oxygen with them. The contraction of the left ventricle creates a severe movement, which takes us to the outer stage. It is extremely amazing and interesting that we have reached into a wide and a branched canal, the aorta, which has many branches, distributes blood and conveys to every organ a fixed amount of blood.

2. Passage

Through continuous and repeated beatings, which reach us from the rear we are in such motion; and we ask the globules with whom we are traveling: What is our route and where are we headed? They reply: We are moving to the brain. Continuous contractions of the heart create new beats and send us forward; the passage gradually becomes narrow and narrower, so narrow that if it is almost a hundredth of a human hair; these are known as capillaries and they are extremely thin and have many loops.

3. Stage of narrow passages

We ask our co-traveler globules: Shall we rest for awhileenroute ? They reply: No, but at the edge of these cells we would reduce our speed and give them the oxygen that we are carrying and take carbon dioxide from them, which is theby product of the heating of the cells and take it back with us. Here we saw that the oxygen that the globules carry is given to the cells and the cells take up the freshly inhaled oxygen and give back carbon dioxide to the globules.

Moreover, we also saw that the cells secrete their excess matter into the blood stream so that the blood may take it away from there to be disposed at another place.

4. Return journey

The color and form of the red globules have changed and it is no more having that same joy and happiness and passing through other narrow and interlaced passages with which they are well acquainted; they are on the return journey. Where are they returning? To the heart on the return route they are being beaten continuously from the rear through the contractions of the heart and we are being pushed ahead as if something is pulling us ahead. Gradually the way widens and we pass through the aorta and reach a dark passage and ask what its name is. It replies: Artery. (as impure blood passes through it) and finally we reach the end of our journey into the heart.

5. Entering the right atrium

Now that we have reached the heart, has our journey come to an end? No...on the contrary we rest only for a short while and the valve below us opens and all of us enter the right ventricle. It is explained that this ventricle is having three parts and its function is extremely sensitive. It operates only on one side and it opens only from the atrium into the ventricle and it does not open from the ventricle into the atrium. On the contrary it closes completely and without leaving any hole or gap for the blood to flow into the ventricle.

6. Severe beating

At the stage of the three-lobed ventricle, we feel that we have been given a hard push and thrown out of the right ventricle. Where are we going? To the lungs. What for? To obtain oxygen. Through some continuous beatings, we reach to the alveoli. Globules are present at the edge of free air, which enters the lungs from outside. In the lungs, oxygen is picked up and carbon dioxide eliminated, and the oxygenated blood returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins, thus completing the circuit.

7. Entering the left atrium

After the globules take up oxygen they enter the atrium happily and the valve (mitral valve) opens downwards and goes into its first stage in the left ventricle as before. We immediately bids farewell to it before a powerful contraction could send us back to that same channel and thus we separate from our friends.

In this supposed journey we come to know about two types of blood circulations: General circulation and pulmonary circulation. General blood circulation begins from the left ventricle of the heart like a powerful pump and sends the blood to all the tissues of the body and ends at the right ventricle. Pulmonary circulation begins from the right ventricle and passing through capillaries reaches the lungs and after the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, returns to the left ventricle.

Stages of heart beat

After a compatible and simultaneous contractions of the ventricles, the atriums open and pull the blood from the arteries to themselves and gradually fill up. At this point begins the general expansion of the heart as at this stage all the cavities of the heart are at rest:

1. Contraction of the atrium takes place after the general restfulness and sends the two bloods from the atriums to the ventricles.

2. Contraction of the ventricles, which on one hand send blood to body tissues and on the other hand send it to the lungs.

3. General rest

These three stages together occur in approximately one-eighth of a second and in this way the heart of a human being beats for 70 times a minute.

A discourse on Knowing God

If we look at the intricate and systematic working of the heart and blood circulation, we would realize that this advanced and remarkable machinery is having a wise and a powerful creator who has created it with this minuteness and finesse.

To further motivate reflection we can pose the following questions to our intellects and seek replies to them:

1. With all this complexity and marvel, is it possible that the heart came into being on its own without any aim?

2. Do the atriums and ventricles of the heart themselves assumed their present shapes and forms?

3. Did the heart valves plan such a responsibility and specialty for themselves and then brought themselves into existence?

4. Has the elegant network of veins, capillaries and capillary hairs come into being automatically and by coincidence?

5. Has discipline, compatibility and cooperation between the heart and network of veins and respiratory system developed through chance? Or whether…?

Your intelligent reply is absolutely clear: A great, wise and powerful creator has created such an amazing system. God is great.

A Glance at the Created World

In the morning you see how the sun rises gently from behind the mountains and what beauty it carries and how it illuminates the plains and fields. Truly what beauty and clarity this illuminated ball bestows to the mountains and plains! Just think! If the sun does not arise and all the time it is only a dark night what we would have done? Have you thought how the sun got such light and heat? Do you know how much is the volume of the sun?

The volume of the sun is approximately a million times that of the earth. That is if the sun was a ball empty from inside, it would have accommodated nearly one million earths inside it. The surface temperature of this fiery ball is 6000 degrees centigrade. You know that with all this heat how it heats up this earth and all that is on it. Since it is situated at an appropriate and determined distance (at a distance of around 150 million kilometers) it conveys only necessary light and elements to the earth.

No one knows what would have happened if the distance of the sun to the earth had not been as such. If the distance of the sun to the earth had been less than this; for example it had been half of this, what would have happened? It is definite that no living being would have been able to survive on its surface, and the heat of the sun would have scorched all the plants, animals and human beings. If the distance of the sun to the earth had been more than this; for example if it had been twice than what it is at present, what would have happened? In that case, sufficient light and heat would not have reached the earth and everything would have frozen to death. All the water would have frozen to ice and no life would have survived. Thus it is clear that this distance is linked to an awareness, precision, determination and foresight.

It is through the light and heat of the sun that pretty bunches of wheat reach such ripeness; it is as a result of the hot rays of the sun that all vegetation and trees reach maturity and provide fruits and food for us human beings. Different types of foods that we obtain are prepared through the energy of the sun. It is in fact the energy of the sun, which collects in all plants and food articles and we gain energy from them. Animals also benefit from the energy stored in plants and they transfer them to us in form of animal food. For example, they feed on grass and provide us with milk and we also benefit from the meat and other secondary foods based on milk and meat.

What do you understand by contemplating on the glory and beauty of the sun, its precise and determined distance to the earth, benefit of the plants, animals and human beings from the heat and energy of the sun? And what do you conclude after seeing and pondering on the perpetuity and amazing compatibility of all the parts of the world? What do you see? Do you see an unsystematic and incompatible collection or a collection which is great and perfectly compatible; of which we are also a part. What can you conclude from the system and compatibility of this precise collection?

System and precision, which encompasses all the parts of this world, what does it show? Can you reply to this query in a foolish way and say: The creator of this great system is a being who is unaware, ignorant and powerless? Such a reply would never be accepted by our awakened conscience and wise intellect. On the contrary it would say: The intricate system and the coherence and perpetuity of this great collection is a sign of the greatness, power and awareness of a superior creator who is capable of creating and controlling the beings of this world in this way and he had the foresight to know from before the needs of each of them perfectly and gave them the capacity to fulfill them. He also determined the path and aim for each of them. Who is that powerful and knowing creator?

That knowing and powerful creator is none but God, who has created all the bounties for us and which He has given under our control. He created the sun, moon and earth for us so that we might through efforts and cooperation, inhabit the earth and by obtaining knowledge and learning, discover the secrets and amazements and look at the great signs of our creator and Lord and through confidential prayers beseech Him:

The highest and the best condition of man is when he supplicates his Lord and beseeches Him in secret. And if supplication and secret prayer to his God had not been there, what value life would have had? How worthless man would have been?

You contemplate on the creation of the night and day and every morning and evening you recite confidential supplications to the creator of the night and day. You know that night and day is due to rotation of the earth. Every night and day completes one rotation. Half the earth which comes before the sun is illuminated and it is day over there and the other half is dark and it is night over there. By rotation of the earth, the day seems to be entering the night and the night seems to be entering the day and days and nights follow each other in a systematic way. During the day, plants and trees grow under the light and heat of the sun. Human beings become involved in efforts and work renovated by the rest they got during the night and begin a new day with more vigor and supplication to the Almighty.

Have you ever thought what would have happened if the rotation of the earth had not been so systematic and precise? In some parts of the earth there would have been perpetual nights and in some parts there would have been continuous day; hot and scorching. Appearance of day and night are also clear signs of the power, greatness and awareness of the wise and powerful creator of the world.

Three important points

1. We should look in the world of creation, and ponder and realize the system, coherence and compatibility of its innumerable parts and ask: “Who has created this world and who controls it?”

2. The great and systematic collection of the world of creation is clear evidence that: “A knowing and powerful creator has created it and only He controls it, and He is God.”

3. The knowing and powerful God who has created the world has also determined duties for our growth and success; the most important of which may be listed as follows:

A) We look at the signs of the greatness and power of our Lord and contemplate on it.

B) That we discover the secrets and amazing aspects of the world through knowledge and learning.

C) That we gain proximity to Him through worship and supplications.

D) That we inhabit the earth through efforts and cooperation and spread justice and equity in it.

Every Phenomenon has a cause

You move your hand and pick up the pen, but your friend does not move his hand and pick up the pen, why? It is so because you intended to pick up the pen your friend had no such intention and desire. The intention of picking up the pen is a new phenomenon which is actualized inyour self ; you have brought this new phenomenon into existence. Intention is related to you and is the act ofyour self , and the movement of the hand is also related to you and is your intention. You did not move your hand previously since you had no intention; you intended at a later stage and after intending, you moved your hand and picked up the pen. The phenomenon of intention is the effect of you; if you had not been there, no intention would have taken place. The intention has not come into being on its own; on the contrary it is from you. There is a special relationship between you and intention, which is called as the relationship of cause and effect. You see this special relationship in your own being with perfect clarity and are perfectly aware of it.

Another example

You have the memory of a bunch of flowers that you had previously seen; now you recall it (which is called as the imaginative form): This image of the flowers is a new phenomenon, which has come in your mind. Has it appeared automatically or you have brought it into being? Of course, you have brought it into existence. If you were not there, the form of the flowery branch would also not have been there. This mental image is related to you; that is its existence is not independent; on the contrary it has come into existence from you. You are the cause and the mental image is the effect and this special relationship is named as the relationship of the cause and effect. You see this relationship in your own self and are perfectly familiar with it.

Therefore, we conclude that you and every person will find the causality in the self and you see it perfectly clearly.

Moreover, you will find this special relationship, ‘relationship of the cause and effect’ between yourself and your bodily and mental acts and relate them to yourself as you are their cause and say: I saw, I heard, I touched, I smelt, I tasted, I moved, I thought…you consider yourself as the cause and seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, moving and thinking as you effects and connected to you. These actions have originated from your being and if you had not been there, your actions and movements would also not have been there.

Man has named causation that is the relationship with the cause to effect as the law of cause and effect. In the beginning between his own being and spiritual and mental phenomena and verbalized his movements and actions between his own self and his mental phenomena, actions and movements; then he transmitted this law from outside his being.

Law of Causation is a fundamental, absolute and universal law

Man, on the basis of that realization when he comes across a phenomenon whose existence depends on (or is related to) another phenomenon he understands that between these two phenomena also the relationship of cause and effect is present and in these circumstances he decides that the phenomena which are themselves in need of others are effects and the factor which has brought these into existence is the cause.

Man through study, research and excessive experiments has concluded that some worldly phenomenon have different types of relationships with other phenomena; such relationship which exist between himself and his mental phenomena and on the basis of this deep understanding he accepts the law of causation to be complete and universal.

It is like completing a job in anticipation of its desired result; it is the best evidence that one has accepted the law of causality as a comprehensive law, on drinking water he awaits for the quenching of thirst and on eating, waits for the satiation of his hunger. In winter, he takes the refuge of warmth of fire and in summer heat he looks for the coolness of shade. In any case, all of us in daily life and in all our movements and actions accept causality as an absolute and universal fundamental and in this way create an impression.

No effect is without cause

If the window opens and you have not seen who opened it, what will you think? Would you say that it opened automatically (without any cause)? If you heard a sound and do not see what has produced it, what will you conclude? Would you think that it came by coincidence and without any proper cause? If you heard a voice and do not see who has produced it, what will you conclude? If you feel hot or cold, would you think that it has no cause? If a stone is thrown at the window, breaking the glass and you cannot find who has thrown it, what would you conclude? Would you conclude that the stone arose from the ground automatically and without any cause and hit the glass?

Your reply to the above questions is clear. You will say: I possess reason and intellect and I know that none of the worldly phenomena are without a cause or a doer, even though I might not know what the cause is, because not knowing it is not the proof of its absence. That is why you will make as much investigation and be curious about it till you don’t find the real cause of the phenomena. And if suppose you cannot find the cause in one instance, you will not say that it has no cause, on the contrary you would say that the cause of this phenomenon is not known.

Intellectuals and inventors have fully accepted the law of causation and they try to find the cause of things in laboratories. Whenever they come across a new phenomenon, they are certain that it is having a cause and that is why they conduct fresh efforts to find it.

World is also having a cause

We know that the law of cause and effect is a fundamental, absolute and a universal law. And no phenomenon is without a cause and all the phenomena of the world have a cause. This complete law is practically accepted by everyone in the world.

Every phenomenon has a cause, if the cause of that is a phenomenon it also has a cause, therefore since the whole created world is a phenomenon and needful and does not have independent existence - it is in need of someone or something superior; basically being in need of another is the first quality of a phenomenon, every big and small phenomenon is - needful and related to someone or something else, its existence is not on its own, if it had existed independently, it would have endured forever and had also not been needful. The world of phenomena is needful of existence and being, that is why it is in need of a being that is higher and needful - which is the source of bestowing existence to all the phenomena and the existing beings are needful and limited.

That being which is higher and that incomparable and unlimited entity, which is the source of existence and which does not have any defect and need, is the Almighty God. He is the one who created this world, is always controlling it through his blessings and nurtures it. If His blessing and favor is cut off for even a moment, all would be destroyed.

Objection

You said that every phenomenon is in need of a cause; therefore God also is in need of a cause, what is the cause of God? In other words: God has created every existing thing, so who has created God?

Reply

Yes, we said that every phenomenon is needful of a cause, but I did not say that every entity is needful of a cause; therefore every phenomenon and every existing thing, which is needful and limited, is in need of a cause, but not the Almighty Allah who is Self-sufficient and a perfect entity. He does not have need of a cause. Existence is His very being. He does not have any need that others may fulfill His need.

In other words, the criteria of needfulness of cause is need and limitation; and generosity and personal poverty; and there is no defect and limitation in God Almighty that He should have need of cause; on the contrary he is absolutely Self-sufficient and there is nothing higher than Him that He should be need of it; if he had been the effect of another, He would have been in need of that other and in that case he would not be God. He is there by Himself and by His own being and others endure because of Him; God is higher and superior.

In the Holy Quran, He says:

يَآ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِىُّ الْحَمِيدُ

“O men! you are they who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praised One.” (35:15)

Explanation ofreasonings about Knowing God

Man is intelligent and he is having foresight. He can understand the realities of the world through contemplation and making logicalreasonings . So far we have learnt about tworeasonings of Knowing God: proof of order and proof of causation. We have also discussed these two topics in some details:

With regard to the reasoning of order, we said: The created world is based on order, system and coordination and perfect relationship; every order, system and coordination and determination is created by a wise and powerful creator; thus this world is also the creation of a wise and a powerful creator.

In this reasoning (reasoning of order) we first pay attention to the order, coordination, precision and determination that is present between parts of the world and at that time with reference to this belief that ‘every system and determination has an aware and a powerful coordinator and determiner’, we conclude that this great order and coordination in this world also has a wise and a powerful creator.

But in the evidence of cause, we don’t see other than order and compatibility between the phenomena of this world; on the contrary, we looked at the being and the existence of phenomena and noted the need and special need which every phenomenon has for cause - that every person has profound belief in it - we present the matter in this manner:

Every phenomenon that comes into existence, its existence is not independent; on the contrary it is related and dependant on something else, which is called as the cause.

This world is also composed of various phenomena; therefore it has to have a cause.

With regard to the reasoning of causality it can be said that every phenomenon that comes into being, its existence is dependant and needful. Andits being is not on its own, on the contrary it is dependent on a cause and the world and everything present in it on one side is a phenomenon and all are created - so they must have come into being from the source of creation and we call that unlimited power as God.

Both thereasonings of order and causality are to remove the dust of ignorance and carelessness from the eyes of foresight and nature of man, so that he may see the reality with a clean nature and an awakened intellect. And that he sees the brightest of the bright and strengthens his faith in the High and the Mighty Lord.

But the pure natures of man are aware of his great and powerful creator in such a way and this matter is so clear to them that they require the leastreasonings . These pure natures and aware persons consider everything to be relying on the power and invincible determination of Almighty Allah and in all hardships and difficulties, he takes refuge in Him and is never afflicted with despair and hopelessness, since he knows no matter how powerful the phenomena may be they are in need of Almighty God and they are under His control. These pure natures and these aware persons - since they saw that everything was in need of God - they do not submit to anything other than the Almighty Allah and they do not accept any command and guardianship except His - and join the life of the world with respect and success with everlasting happiness of the hereafter.

Ultimately, we consider it necessary to mention that in order to prove the existence of the creator of the world we also depend on evidences in books of philosophy and scholasticism for numerous and profoundreasonings ; but for the sake of brevity, we shall be content with this much.

It is mentioned in the Holy Quran:

قَالَ بَل رَّبُّكُمْ رَبُّ السَّمَوَتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الَّذِى فَطَرَهُنَّ

“…your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who brought them into existence…” (21:56)