Page 189 - Matter: The Other Name for Illusion

of the illusion of matter in our minds is not compatible with Islam, and
maintain that religious scholars in the past rejected this fact. That is not
actually the case, however. On the contrary, what we are saying here is in
complete conformity with the verses of the Koran. It is exceedingly important
for a definite understanding of many verses and subjects revealed in the

Koran, such as heaven and hell, timelessness, infinity, resurrection and the
hereafter.
Unquestionably, even if he is unaware of this subject, a person can still live
in complete faith. He can have faith, with all his heart and feeling no doubt, in
what God has revealed in the Koran. We must still make it clear, however, that
an awareness of this subject allows such a person to deepen his faith and
certainty. A number of Islamic scholars of the past looked on the matter from

that same point of view. The only factors that prevented what they had to say
from being widely spread and known were 1) the fact that the level of science
when they lived was unable to totally clarify the subject and 2) the existence of
trends that were apt to lead to its being misunderstood.
The most important of those Islamic scholars who explained the true
nature of matter was Imam Rabbani, who has been widely respected in the
Islamic world for hundreds of years and is seen as "the greatest reformer of the
10th century according to the Muslim calendar." In his book Letters, Imam
Rabbani provides a detailed commentary on this very subject. In one of his

letters, Imam Rabbani says that God created the entire universe at the level of
perception:
I have used the following sentence above, "God's creation is at the sphere
of senses and perceptions." This means "God's creation is at such a sphere
that at that sphere, there is no permanency or existence for objects apart
from senses and perceptions." 45

On close examination, Imam Rabbani is careful to emphasize that the
world we see, in other words all that exists, has been created on the level of
perception. All that exists outside this level of perception is the Being of God.
Imam Rabbani explains that God is the only absolute being:
Nothing but God exists on the outside… Perhaps all of Almighty God's
creation finds constancy on the sphere of perception… If it does have a
fixed appearance, that is again only on the perceptual level. It only has
permanency thanks to God's artistry on that one level. In short, it only
has permanency and appearance on one level. It does not have existence

Replies To Objections Regarding The Reality Of Matter 187