Regarding the need for revelation, I
would make the following points: In the first article of this series I pointed
out that life is full of injustices, but our Creator is fair and just and He
establishes justice not in this life, but in the afterlife. However, justice
cannot be established without four things—a court (i.e., the Day of Judgment);
a judge (i.e., the Creator); witnesses (i.e., men and women, angels, elements
of creation); and a book of laws upon which to judge (i.e.,
revelation). Now, how can our Creator establish justice if He did not hold
humankind to certain laws during their livetimes? It’s not possible. In that
scenario, instead of justice, God would be dealing out injustice, for He
would be
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punishing people for transgressions
they had no way of knowing were crimes. Why else do we need revelation? To
begin with, without guidance mankind cannot even agree on social and economic
issues, politics, laws, etc. So how can we ever agree on God? Secondly, nobody
writes the user manual better than the one who made the product. God is the
Creator, we are creation, and nobody knows the overall scheme of creation
better than the Creator. Are employees allowed to design their own job
descriptions, duties and compensation packages as they see fit? Are we citizens
allowed to write our own laws? No? Well then, why should we be allowed to write
our own religions? If history has taught us anything, it is the tragedies that
result when mankind follows its caprice. How many who have claimed to banner of
free thought have designed religions that committed themselves and their
followers to nightmares on Earth and damnation in the hereafter? So why isn’t
it enough just to be good? And why isn’t it enough for each of us to worship
God in our own way? To begin with, peoples’ definitions of “good” differ. For
some it is high morals and clean living, for others it is madness and mayhem.
Similarly, concepts of how to serve and worship our Creator differ as well.
More importantly and to the point, nobody can walk into a store or a restaurant
and pay with a different currency than the merchant accepts. So it is with
religion. If people want God to accept their servitude and worship, they have
to pay in the currency God demands. And that currency is obedience to His
revelation.
Imagine raising children in a home
in which you have established “house rules.” Then, one day, one of your
children tells you he or she has changed the rules, and is going to do things
differently. How would you respond? More than likely, with the words, “You can
take your new rules and go to Hell!” Well, think about it. We are God’s
creation, living in His universe under His
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rules, and “go to Hell” is very likely what God will
say to any who presume to override His laws with their own. Sincerity becomes
an issue at this point. We should recognize that all pleasure is a gift from
our Creator, and deserving of thanks. If given a gift, who uses the gift before
giving thanks? And yet, many of us enjoy God’s gifts for a lifetime and never give thanks. Or
give it late. The English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, spoke of the irony
of the distressed human appeal in The Cry
of the Human: And lips say “God be pitiful,” Who ne’er said, “God
be praised.” Should we not show good manners and thank our Creator for His
gifts now, and subsequently for the rest of
our lives? Don’t we owe Him that? You answered “Yes.” You must have. Nobody
will have read this far without being in agreement, but here’s the problem:
Many of you answered “Yes,” knowing full well that your heart and mind does not
wholly agree with the religions of your exposure. You agree we were created by
a Creator. You struggle to understand Him. And you yearn to serve and worship
Him in the manner He prescribes. But you don’t know how, and you don’t know
where to look for the answers. And that, unfortunately, is not a subject that
can be answered in an article. Unfortunately, that has to be addressed in a
book, or maybe even in a series of books. The good news is that I have written
these books. I invite you to start with The
Eighth Scroll. If you’ve liked what I’ve written here, you’ll love
what I’ve written there.
Source: islamhouse.com/
Source: islamhouse.com/
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