Page 764 - Atlas of Creation Volume 2

It may, therefore, be very different from what we perceive. There may be a great many dimensions
and other beings of which we remain unaware. Even if we reach the furthermost extremities of the uni-
verse, our knowledge will always remain limited.
Almighty God, the Creator of all, has complete and flawless knowledge of all beings who, having

been created by God, can possess only the knowledge that He allows them. This fact is related in the
Qur'an thus:

God, there is no god 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 per-
mission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His know-
ledge 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. (Qur'an, 2: 255)

Who Is the Perceiver?

In order to perceive, no external world is necessary. Given the right kind of stimulation to the brain,
sensations of touch, sight, and sounds, can be recreated in the brain. The best example of this process is
dreams.

During dreams, your body typically remains still and motionless in a dark and quiet bedroom, and
your eyes remain shut. Neither light nor sound nor any other stimuli from the exterior world is reaching
your brain for it to perceive. Yet in your dreams, you still perceive experiences very similar to real life.
In your dreams you also get up and go to work, or go on vacation and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Furthermore, in dreams you never feel doubts about the reality of what you experience. Only after
you wake up you realize your experiences were only
dreams. You not only experience such feelings as fear,
anxiety, joy and sadness but also see different images,

hear sounds and feel matter. Yet there is no physical
source producing these sensations and perceptions;
you lie motionless inside a dark and quiet room.
René Descartes, the renowned philosopher, offe-

red the following reasoning on this surprising truth
about dreams:

In my dreams I see that I do various things, I go to
many places; when I wake up, however, I see that I
have not done anything or gone anywhere and that I

lie peacefully in my bed. Who can guarantee to me
that I do not also dream at the present time, further,
that my whole life is not a dream? 345

We are therefore looking at a manifest
truth: There is no justification for our clai-

ming that we establish direct contact with the
original of the world that we claim to exist
and to be living in.

Is Our Brain Distinct from the Outside
World?
If everything we know as the outside

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