Page 220 - Matter: The Other Name for Illusion

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O Objection: "Can we never directly experience absolute existence? I
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a am uneasy at knowing that I exist only in a world of perceptions." "
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R Reply: Only God exists absolutely. Whatever else we see is a
manifestation of God. People generally assume that they and others do
physically exist, and that God permeates them, a bit like radio waves. (God is
surely beyond that) Yet the truth is the exact opposite of that. In other words it
is only God Who exists. We must not be deceived by the fact that we cannot
directly see His Being. Wherever anyone turns, whoever he looks at, whatever
he is actually seeing is the manifestations of God.
Furthermore, far from making someone uneasy, this fact should give even
greater happiness to anyone who believes in God. It is a great honor that God
is all that exists and that we, His servants, are illusions. That fact is cause for
rejoicing. It multiplies the awe we feel for our Lord, and our submission to His
infinite might.
It is also an important statement that people will naturally be freed from
their worldly desires, and that will allow them to worship God without
attributing any partners to Him. That is because saying "Something else must
exist besides God," is actually attributing an equal to Him, and claiming that
there is another power outside that of God. However, that can never be the case
with a true believer. Such a person has no fear of anything but God. When he
comes by any strength or power, he knows that these really belong to God.
When a doctor finds a cure for his sickness, he praises God as the One who has
really supplied the cure. He knows that the doctor is just an agent for the cure
God has caused to come about.
God always creates the most beautiful and best of everything. That fact
must never be forgotten. In one verse, God reveals:
Return to your Lord, well-pleasing and well-pleased! (Surat al-Fajr: 28)
A person must always be content with every event that God creates. In
that case it can be clearly understood how this truth we are discussing can
bring people closer to God. What is more, when the Koran is read again with
this truth in mind, the wisdom in many of the verses can be more readily
appreciated.
It is true, however, that someone who does not believe in God, who is
trapped by his worldly desires, who has no hope of the hereafter, and who
218 MATTER: THE OTHER NAME FOR ILLUSION