Acknowledging and
Identifying God
We cannot see God, smell Him
nor touch Him. The only thing left to recognize and identify God with is our
minds. Our minds are equipped to identify Him, We may call that: "The God
Identification System" or "The God part of the brain". The
Book of Islam -the Quran- teaches that when oone looks to or thinks
of things around us wisely, one should be able to see the signs of the Creator.
It teaches that each one has the recognition of "God" -in some
expression- imprinted on his soul, a part of the very "nature in
which Allah has made mankind" (Quran, chapter 30: verse 30).
This "undeniable" inner nature is called in Arabic
"Fitrah". An example of "fitrah" is our perfect agreement
with many of what God forbade us from doing, like killing and stealing. No
matter who we are, which culture or education we may have, all of us still
agree that killing and stealing -as examples- are wrong.
In the Quran chapter 2 verse
164: "Behold; in the creation of the heavens and the earth, in the
alternation of the night and the day, in the sailing of the ships through the
ocean for the profit of mankind. In the rain which Allah sends down from the
skies, and the life that He gives therewith to an earth that is dead, in the
beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth. In the change of the
winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and
the earth; (Here) indeed are signs for a people that are wise".
We can see that when
somebody is honestly searching for God, and that sometimes through his quest,
when God is being presented to him or her in a way that does not suit nor fit
God, that the person easily rejects that weak image of God. In another
situation, when God is being presented in a very good and positive way we find
that the same person will say: "I like that (image) of God" Or:
"I accept that God."
Once one concludes that
there is a God, some kind of a guide or a manual to go by to know what is right
and what is wrong according to Him is needed. Which is another
"Identification" system that we are equipped with. Each and every one
of us know about right and wrong, we also know that following the right will
definitely make us better people, communities and world. This way when we find
out that God commands us to do good and forbid evil, it will be easy for us to
accept, because we are already "prepared" or "made to"
Identify the right, the wrong and …God.
We have most likely run into
somebody who says; "I believe that there is a God, I believe in the right
and wrong, but I just can't accept any of these religions". It is clear
that such a person did acknowledge God even though the "image" of God
presented to him -so far- was so fade or so weak. This is a proof that his or
her "God Consciousness" exists and that it is working and that God
did give us a way to identify Him with.
Since God has chosen the way
to communicate with all of us, which is the revealed scripture, and since we
are suppose to find and recognize God with our minds. It should expect that the
way that He has chose for us to communicate him with (The Scriptures) have to
make sense to our minds. Otherwise, our minds can't "acknowledge" Him
or "see" Him.
Which scriptures are the true scriptures? As we briefly explore the
Quran, we will share some suggestions about how to identify the true
scriptures, and talk about faith and blind Faith as well.
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