Interpreting the Indications of God
In the pursuit of life's purpose and mission, man finds guidance between the realms of reading and submission to Allah. These realms serve as the medium through which the Almighty speaks and reveals the truth about Himself, man, and life.
No form of devotion is complete without reading and knowledge, just as reading and knowledge without devotion are incomplete. Man is tasked with reading, understanding, and worshipping his Creator, and acknowledging and following the truth.
The process of reading encompasses more than just recitation. It involves studying, internalizing, interpreting, and applying the ayat (signs) found in both the level of revelation (the Holy Quran) and the level of creation (the universe and its phenomena). The ultimate sign of submission to Allah is prostration.
The two books that man is encouraged to read are al-Qur'an al-tadwini (the Qur'an or scripture revealed to the Prophet Muhammad) and al-qur'an al-takwini (the ontological "qur'an" or "scripture" whose pages and lines are the worlds of animate and inanimate beings, occurrences, and affairs). Both books are replete with signs (ayat) that attest to and authenticate the omnipresence, omnipotence, and benevolence of the Creator and Sustainer of man and the universe.
Reading leads to knowledge and wisdom, which in turn lead to certainty and the truth. The truth is the life force of all life dimensions. Reading enlightens and believing is doing. The first words of Surah Al-'Alaq, communicated to humanity by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad before Muhammad recited them himself, were 'Read! In the name of your Lord who has created (all that exists)'.
The process of reading, as mentioned in the surah Al-'Alaq, includes exploring, researching, questioning, discovering, and innovating. This process applies to both individuals and communities for their personal and collective development. The surah Al-'Alaq ends with the words 'Fall prostrate and draw near (to Allah)'.
Reading should help a person understand himself, life, and his Creator better. It is equated with the ultimate form of devotion. The net results of such processes should be in support of attaining, internalizing, and applying the truth. The truth is life, and life is the truth. Man is created to read, know, and worship his Creator, and to acknowledge and follow the truth.
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