Page 172 - Allah is Known through Reason

vein." (Surah Qaf: 16) When a person thinks that his body is only made
up of "matter", he cannot comprehend this important fact. If he takes his
brain to be "himself", then the place that he accepts to be the outside is
20-30 cm away from him. However, when he
understands that there is nothing such as
Why is it not then
matter, and that everything is imagination,
that when it (soul)
notions such as outside, inside, far or near
comes up to the
lose meaning. Allah has encompassed
throat, and you at
him and He is "infinitely close" to him.
that time look on,
Allah informs men that He is "infinitely
We are nearer to him
close" to them with the verse "When My ser-
than you, but you
vants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed
see not. (Surat al-
close (to them)." (Surat al-Baqarah: 186).
Waqia, 83-85)
Another verse relates the same fact: "We told
you that your Lord encompasses
mankind round about." (Surat al-Isra, 60).
Man is misled in thinking 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'ah: 83-85). As we are told in the verse,
people live unaware of this phenomenal fact because they do not see it
with their eyes.
On the other hand, it is impossible for man, who is nothing but a shad-
ow being, to have power and will independent of Allah. The verse "But
Allah has created you and what you do!" (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 "You did not throw, when you threw,
it was Allah who threw" (Surat al-Anfal, 17) whereby it is emphasised
that no act is independent of Allah. Since the human being is a shadow
being, he himself does not perform the act of throwing. However, Allah
gives this shadow being the feeling of self. In reality, Allah performs all
acts. If someone takes the acts he does as his own, he evidently means to
deceive himself.

172 Allah is Known Through Reason