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Can we find an explanation of the great universe? Is there any convincing
interpretation of the secret of existence? We realize that no family can function
properly without a responsible head, that no city can prosperously exist without sound
administration, and that no state can survive without a chief of some kind. We also
realize that nothing comes into being on its own. Moreover, we observe that the
universe exists and functions in the most orderly manner, and that it has survived for
hundreds of thousands of years. Can we, then, say that all this is accidental and
haphazard? Or can we attribute the existence of man and the whole world to mere
chance?
If man were to come into being by accident or by sheer chance, his entire life would
be based on chance, and his whole existence would be meaningless. But no sensible
man can conceive of his life as meaningless, and no rational being would leave his
existence at the mercy of fluctuating chance. Every reasonable human being tries to
make his life as meaningful as possible and set for himself a model of conduct
according to some design. Individuals, groups and nations do plan their course of
action, and every careful plan produces some desired effects. The fact of the matter is
that man does engage in planning of one sort or another, and can appreciate the merits
of good planning.
Yet man represents only a very small portion of the great universe. And if he can
make plans and appreciate the merits of planning, then his own existence and the
survival of the universe must also be based on a planned policy. This means that there
is a Designing Will behind our material existence, and that there is a Unique Mind in
the world to bring things into being and keep them moving in order. The marvellous
wonders of our world and the secrets of life are too great to be but the product of
random accident or mere chance.
In the world, then, there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything in order.
In the beautiful nature there must be a Great Artist who creates the most charming
pieces of art and produces everything for a special purpose in life. This Force is the
strongest of all forces, and this Artist is the greatest of all artists. The true believers
and deeply enlightened people recognize this Artist and call Him Allah or God. They
call Him God because He is the Creator and the Chief Architect of the world, the
Originator of life and the Provider of all things in existence. He is not a man because
no man can create or make another man. He is not an animal, nor is He a plant. He is
neither an idol nor is He a statue of any kind because none of these things can make
itself or create anything else. He is not a machine. He is neither the sun nor is He the
moon or any other star, because these things are controlled by a great system, and are
themselves made by someone else. He is different from all these things, because He is
the Maker and Keeper of them all. The maker of anything must be different from and
greater than the thing which he makes. We also know that nothing can come to life on
its own, and that the marvellous world did not create itself or come into existence by
accident. The continuous changes in the world prove that it is made, and everything
which is made must have a maker of some sort.
The Maker and Sustainer of the world, the Creator of and Provider for man, the
Active Force and Effective Power in nature are all one and the same, and that is
known to be Allah or God. This is the Secret of all secrets and the Most Supreme of
all beings. The Holy Qur’an, the True Book of God says:
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