Page 157 - The Truth of the Life of This World

Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul
makes to him: for We are nearer to him than [his] jugular vein."
(Surah Qaf: 16) When a person thinks that his body is made up of "mat-
ter," he cannot comprehend this important fact. If he takes his brain to be

himself, then what he accepts as the "outside world" will begin at about 20
to 30 centimetres away. But when he conceives that everything he thinks
of as matter is only perceptions in his mind, any notions such as outside
or inside, far or near lose all their meaning. Allah has encompassed him
and He is infinitely close to him.
Allah informs men that He is "infinitely close" to them with the verse
“If My servants ask you about Me, I am near…” (Surat al-Baqara: 186).
Another verse relates the same fact: “Surely your Lord encompasses the
people.” (Surat al-Isra: 60)
Man is misled if he thinks that the being closest to him is himself. Allah,
in truth, is even closer to us than ourselves. He has called our attention to
this point in the verse "Why is it not then that when it (soul) comes up to
the throat, and you at that time look on, We are nearer to him than you,
but you see not." (Surat al-Waqi'a: 83-85) People, however, remain
unaware of this phenomenal fact because they cannot see it with their
eyes, as revealed in the verse.
On the other hand, it is impossible for man - who is nothing but a shad-
ow being, as Imam Rabbani put it, - to have any power independent of
Allah. The verse "But Allah has created you and your handwork!"
(Surat as-Saffat: 96) shows that everything we experience takes place under
Allah's control. In the Qur'an, this reality is stated in the verse "When you
threw, it was not your act, but Allah's." (Surat al-Anfal: 17) whereby it
is emphasised that no act is independent of Allah. Since we humans are
shadow beings, we ourselves cannot be the ones who perform any act.
However, Allah gives us shadow beings the feeling that we act by our-
selves. In reality, it is Allah Who performs all acts.
A person may not want to concede this reality and may keep thinking
of himself as independent of Allah; but this changes nothing.

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