Page 101 - Matter: The Other Name for Illusion

It is very important that God watches us, sees us and hears us at every
moment. Someone who realizes this, even if he does not see God with his eyes,
knows that He is aware of him at every moment. For this reason, no matter
what he is doing, he knows that God is a witness of him. Consequently, he is
careful not to do anything to displease Him and will be mindful of what he

does, says, and thinks. In the Koran, it is revealed that God is close to us in
everything we do; that He watches us and that nothing eludes Him.

You do not engage in any matter or recite any of the Koran or do any
action without Our witnessing you while you are occupied with it. Not
even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on earth or in heaven.
Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is not in a Clear
Book. (Surah Yunus: 61)

Certainly God, Who is Absolute Being, knows every aspect of the human
beings He has created. This is a very simple thing for God. But some in their
ignorance may find this hard to understand. However, when we observe the
impressions we think are the "external world", that is, as we lead our lives, the
closest being to us is not an impression, it is clearly God. The secret of the verse

"We created man and We know what his own self whispers to him. We are
nearer to him than his jugular vein" (Surah Qaf: 16) is hidden in this fact. But
when a person thinks that his body is composed of "matter, the absolute
entity,” he cannot conceive of this important reality; this is again because he
thinks that the nearest thing to him is his body. For example, if this person
conceives of his existence as being his brain, he does not admit the possibility
that there is a being closer to him than his jugular vein. However, when he
conceives of the fact that matter is not absolute, and that everything is a
facsimile that he experiences in his mind, then concepts such as outside, inside,

far and near have no meaning. His jugular vein, his brain, hands, feet, his
house and his car that he thought were outside himself, even the sun, the moon
and the stars that he thought were so far away, are all on the same plane. God
has encompassed him all around and is eternally near to him.
That God is eternally near to human beings is also revealed in this verse:
"If My servants ask you about Me, I am near (to them)..." (Surat al-Baqara:
186) In another verse the same reality is expressed, "Surely your Lord

encompasses mankind round about." (Surat al-Isra': 60). In spite of this, some
people continue to err by thinking that the nearest thing to themselves is

Why Is The Truth About Matter Such An Important Subject? 99