Page 750 - Atlas of Creation Volume 3

behavior. However, when they realize that they themselves, and those whom they look up to, are just
shadow beings, their arrogance and conceit will be replaced by humility and gentleness.
All these developments will be the means by which we will achieve a secure and comfortable society, in
which people can live without meanness, selfishness and pitiless competition.

Certainly, there will be one important result that will come from an awareness of the fact that we have
no contact with matter, and that any idea we form of matter is an image: The collapse of materialist philos-
ophy.
Now, we shall discuss in detail why the fact that matter is not absolute is one of the most important dis-

coveries in history.

The Truth About Matter Shows That God Is The One Absolute Being

One of the most important things implied by this fact is that God is the One Absolute Being. Some peo-
ple, under the influence of materialist philosophy, think that matter is absolute being. Some of these people
believe that God exists, but when they talk about the existence of God, and where He is, they display their

ignorance. For example, if they are asked "Where is God?", they will answer, "Show me your intelligence;
you cannot. So, God is a reality like intelligence, but you cannot see it." Others say (God is surely beyond
that) that God has an illusory existence like that of radio waves. According to their view, they themselves
and the things they possess are absolute existence and God's existence encompasses this material existence
like radio waves. However, what is illusory is they themselves and the things they possess. The One

Absolute Being is God. God's existence embraces everything. Human beings are in no way absolute beings
but a transient image.
God reveals this truth in these words:

God, there is no deity but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep.
Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permis-
sion? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge

save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth and their preservation does not tire
Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqara: 255)
The fullness of faith consists of understanding this truth, avoiding the mistake of associating others

with God and acknowledging God as the One Absolute Being. Someone who knows that, apart from God,
everything is a shadow existence, will say with certain faith (at the level of Haqq-al yakin – truth of cer-
tainty) that only God exists and there is no other deity (or any being with strength) besides Him.
The materialists do not believe in the existence of God, because they cannot see Him with their eyes. But
their claims are completely invalidated when they learn the real nature of matter. Someone who learns this

truth understands that his own existence has the quality of an illusion, and grasps that a being which is an
illusion will not be able to see a being which is absolute. As it is revealed in the Qur’an, human beings can-
not see God but God sees them.

Eyesight cannot perceive Him but He perceives eyesight... (Surat al-An'am: 103)
Certainly, we human beings cannot see the Being of God with our eyes but we know that He completely
encompasses our inside, our outside, our views and our thoughts. For this reason, God reveals Himself in

the Qur’an as "controlling hearing and sight" (Surah Yunus: 31) We cannot say one word, we cannot even
take one breath without God's knowing it. Therefore, God knows everything we do. This is revealed in the
Qur’an:

God – Him from Whom nothing is hidden, either on earth or in heaven. (Surah Al 'Imran: 5)
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 rea-
son, no matter what he is doing, he knows that God is watching 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 Qur’an, it is re-
vealed that God is close to us in everything we do; that He watches us and that nothing eludes Him.

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