God, Universe, Space, Time, Devil and Human – So Many Mysteries

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If we think deeply about God (Allah in Arabic), Universe, Devil and Human specially, we find so many Mysteries!! We will be stuck so many times with no solutions, no answers and no obvious conclusion even if we seek help from the powerful and knowledgeable book on the earth, the Quran (Koran) !  Let us evaluate and discuss several most important mysterious points in this regard.

1. “[The Quran 33:72] We have offered the responsibility (freedom of choice) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were afraid of it. But the human being accepted it; he was transgressing, ignorant.”

When did we accept the said responsibility? Anybody could remember please? That means billions of year before we had our existence and that time we took that responsibility recklessly!! We were so stupid, ignorant and careless which God confirms!!

And most probably that is why we all are here on this earth (it is neither hell nor paradise). Otherwise why God sent us to test this bad place where famine, diseases, bloodshed, misery, uncertainty are so common.

The holy verse [33:72] is also difficult to understand as different translators translated it in different perspectives. For example, Rashad  Khalifa put in bracket as (freedom of choice) which is obviously not original textual words. That is his own understanding abot the verse.

If we assume that we are here due to our first father Adam’s fault, it does not make much sense. Because God does not punish son for the faults of his father and vice versa. Therefore, we all are responsible for coming to this bad place, on the earth, rather than being qualified to stay in the paradise forever.

Next if we think about God, His power and His limitation(?) we could draw some guess works but never any obvious solutions!! Let’s first talk about “time” in this regard.

2. Time though relative but can not be surpassed entirely even by God Himself.

God also needs time to complete His tasks. That means time is an entity which is flowing/continuing side by side with eternal God. I think that is why God mentions time with a great emphasis in the Quran!

“[The Quran 103.1-3] I swear by the time, Most surely man is in loss, Except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.”

[10:3] Your only Lord is GOD; the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then assumed all authority. He controls all matters. There is no intercessor, except in accordance with His will. Such is GOD your Lord. You shall worship Him. Would you not take heed?

3. Human being can never perceive infinity! What does it mean? It seems the greatest mystery and puzzle and all human beings are totally helpless and stuck to perceive infinity. It is obvious that human brain does not work when we try to perceive infinity.
4. And what about devil? Why does not God simply kill him to eliminate all devilish words/works forever? All problems could be solved instantly. Is not it? Why does God need to test us via devil?
5. If God knows everything then doing any test by God does not make sense. We, human beings, need to test in a laboratory or about anything because we do not know the property of a material, for example. If I know the exact properties of a material it would be absolutely nonsense to do any test with that material.

So does it mean that God does not know everything? Does it mean that God also have shortcomings? We can not get answers on those questions because we have been given little knowledge about God and about everything.

Many people pretend to understand everything or at least they do not want to discuss about those issues!

But nowhere in the Quran, God forbids us to think about all those issues. God even always encourages us to think and do research and God loves genuine scientists. I am not talking about some atheist scientists. The best great scientists in the world like Newton, Einstein, Maxwell et al. were not atheists.

6. We have to understand that  the holy Quran confirms, God is extremely powerful.

[3.83] Is it then other than Allah’s religion that they seek (to follow), and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they be returned.

That means nobody or nothing can catch God but He can catch and punish anybody or anything in this Universe. That is why, though we have many questions about which we will probably never get answers (if we would not pretend to be all-knower!) we have to submit to God almighty.

This is the only safe option for us no matter what our mind suggests us. See, entire universe submits to God already willingly or unwillingly and compared to Universe we are only very little, weak and helpless human being!

7. If we try to revolt against God, we will certainly be defeated and will be caught and punished under the supervision of God. On the other hand, if we submit to God almighty enormous benefits we will get and enjoy which God confirms us.
8. [2:30] Recall that your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a representative on Earth.” They said, “Will You place therein one who will spread evil therein and shed blood, while we sing Your praises, glorify You, and uphold Your absolute authority?” He said, “I know what you do not know.”

[10.34] Say: Is there any one among your associates who can bring into existence the creation in the first instance, then reproduce it? Say: Allah brings the creation into existence, then He reproduces it; how are you then turned away?

[21:104] On that day, we will fold the heaven, like the folding of a book. Just as we initiated the first creation, we will repeat it. This is our promise; we will certainly carry it out.

Great mystery!! God creates and reproduces again and again. The Quran not only confirms the Big bang (The Koran 21: 30) but also the Big Crunch and cyclic Universe. That means this might not our first birth but we had had our existence before billions years, might be billions times (endless means again infinity comes into the picture!!) within the cycles of billions of Big Bangs and Big crunches!! All angels also seem to know it!!

It could be noted that endless cycles of Big bang and Big Crunch is now a very hot topic of modern theoretical physics.

9. [41:11] Then He (God) turned to the sky, when it was still gas, and said to it, and to the earth, “Come into existence, willingly or unwillingly.” They said, “We come willingly.”

What does it mean?! That means space (sky or whatever) was there already. God ordered space to be filled with matter (Come into existence) and space obeyed His command!! Therefore only God is not eternal in this universe but space (time too) is also eternal but space has to follow the commands of God.

But the Quran does not confirm that God can command time and time also has to follow His commands. The holy Quran only confirms that time is relative but time can not be reduced to zero even by God.

[32:4-5] GOD is the One who created the heavens and the earth, and everything between them in six days, then assumed all authority. You have none beside Him as Lord, nor do you have an intercessor. Would you not take heed? All matters are controlled by Him from the heaven to the earth. To Him, the day is equivalent to one thousand of your years.

[70:4] The angels, with their reports, climb to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years.

This verse seems that angels reach to God with their performed reports once after fifty thousand years in our time count!!

In conclusion, about God, Universe, Devil, Space, Time, Infinity and Human, we have many questions but impossible to get logical answers. However, whatever the mysteries are there one phenomenon is clear and that is God possesses infinite power.

Therefore, it is only safe option for us is to submit to God to avoid punishment otherwise if we try to revolt against God it will never work and it will only bring for us humiliating penalty. Thank you and may God bless you.

Dr Anisur Rahman, PhD

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