Just as the Qur’anic verses lead us to conclude Gog and Magog are North and South Korea (see post: http://oceanswereink.blogspot.com/2009/05/end-of-days.html), and therefore it can only be a matter of time before the war actively resumes, so too do Qur’anic verses give insight on the nature of the war.
1. Timing
Since we know the Last Hour cannot commence prior to June 26, 2010 (see previous post: http://oceanswereink.blogspot.com/2009/06/hour-draws-near-moon-is-split-in-two.html), the suggestion is the war will reach its peak by this date, and this means the war must start soon - likely within weeks or months! Note, I have only put forward the most likely scenario...but the verses allow for the war to resume two years or even ten years out, but resume it must.
2. Not a Nuclear War
Since Gog and Magog will swarm down upon each other in waves, it follows the war cannot be a nuclear war since it would obliterate everything and leave nothing.
3. Primarily Land Based Conventional Assaults
Although the U.S. will rely on advanced war technologies including naval and air bombardments, for the most part the war must be fought with waves of ground assaults by each side as per the Qur’anic description. This does not preclude the use of chemical/biological weapons however, which would only add to the devastation. The combined armies are 2 million strong, isolated in a mountainous peninsula; an ideal setting for ‘swarming down from every highland’ - a land-based version of 'the perfect storm.'
4. Intensely Concentrated and Devastating
The implication of 'wave upon wave' is sustained and continuous death and destruction. Each new wave will only add to the mounting carnage. Unlike the 1950-1953 Korean war which caught people unaware, this time around there has been almost 60 years of preparation for round two. There has been a massive increase in the size of each army along with deadly advances in military technology. For the past 60 years, the North's only purpose of existence, its raison d'etre if you will, has been only to prepare for this war. The assault will indeed be merciless, and the response by necessity, must be the same.
5. A Quickly Escalating War
The idea of wave upon wave suggests that once the war starts, it will be like a runaway wild bush fire; there’s no stopping it, until of course God intervenes and the Trumpet is blown. And just like a wild bush fire, it only takes a small spark to ignite it – and that can happen anytime now.
The Korean War of Gog and Magog will go down as the most brutal war in the history of man – not in terms of scale or scope – but in terms of intensity, sheer devastation, and kamikaze-like relentlessness. It’s as if the accumulated evil of man will be harnessed, focused and manifested in this isolated peninsula, compacted by both time and space.
The unparalleled and magnified 'hell on earth' will send a tremor through God's Creation and induce, by its very nature, the arrival of the Last Hour. It literally will be, 'the war to end all wars'.
Peace (ironic). Imran
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
THE HOUR DRAWS NEAR, THE MOON IS SPLIT IN TWO
54:1 "The Hour draws near, the moon is split in two."
Abdel Haleem interprets this verse as:
"One of the signs of the Day of Judgement. The Arabic uses the past tense, as if that Day were already here, to help the reader/listener imagine how it will be. Some traditional commentators hold the view that this describes an actual event at the time of the Prophet, but it clearly refers to the end of the world."
In light of my previous entries (End of Days Parts I, II and III) and current deteriorating world developments - North/South Korea as Gog/Magog - I have interpreted the above verse as referring to a partial lunar eclipse producing a half moon. See the picture below:
Abdel Haleem interprets this verse as:
"One of the signs of the Day of Judgement. The Arabic uses the past tense, as if that Day were already here, to help the reader/listener imagine how it will be. Some traditional commentators hold the view that this describes an actual event at the time of the Prophet, but it clearly refers to the end of the world."
In light of my previous entries (End of Days Parts I, II and III) and current deteriorating world developments - North/South Korea as Gog/Magog - I have interpreted the above verse as referring to a partial lunar eclipse producing a half moon. See the picture below:
This picture is a striking description of the above verse; indeed the moon appears to be split in two. This is a very specific type of lunar eclipse. It is not just a partial lunar eclipse - it is almost exactly a half moon partial eclipse - a somewhat rare event, and the next scheduled date just happens to be next year, June 26, 2010. See link below:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2010Jun26P.pdf
Notice the umbral magnitude is 0.5368, which means the moon is basically bifurcated almost exactly, i.e. split in two (0.5000 would be exact). I have checked the charts as far forward as the year 2030 and there is nothing even remotely close to a half moon partial eclipse. I do not know when the next scheduled occurence is after this date, but it is inconsequential since June 26, 2010 seems to be right in the 'thick of things' based on what's happening around us right now.
Okay, so what does this all mean? It means June 26, 2010 is yet another sign the Hour is imminently close. God has still not revealed the exact timing of the arrival of the Hour; He has kept it hidden for Himself only. However, we can consider this date as further fine tuning, and getting closer to bullseye.
But more importantly, and this gets at the crux of the matter, we now know with certainty we have at least until June 26, 2010 for each and every one of us, to fix up our acts. We have at least one year as of the date of this post, to get the word out to as much of humanity as possible, while at the same time, change that which is within ourselves.
This is a sign for all who have eyes to see with and minds to think with, and part of God's subtle, yet great Mercy! Indeed, God is the most Merciful. All praise belongs to God alone.
Peace. ImranWednesday, June 10, 2009
THE JINN
The description of the jinn in the Qur'an is further evidence it is the Truth and literal word of God.
Consider the following verses:
15:26-27 “We created man out of dried clay formed from dark mud – the jinn We created before, from the fire of scorching wind.”
55:14-15 “He created mankind out of dried clay, like pottery, the jinn out of smokeless fire. Which, then of your Lord’s blessings do you both deny?”
If we combine the above verses, we can conclude the jinn were made from the smokeless fire of scorching wind. What can we think of, from our knowledge of the earth and the cosmos, that matches this description? Stars match this description perfectly. They are nothing but ‘smokeless fire’ and they produce radiation - which we are all too well aware - ‘scorches’. The same fusion reaction that powers our sun was harnessed in the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – and it was not the explosion from the bombs themselves, but rather the 'wind of radiation' from those bombs, that scorched well over a hundred thousand people.
Consider the following verses:
15:26-27 “We created man out of dried clay formed from dark mud – the jinn We created before, from the fire of scorching wind.”
55:14-15 “He created mankind out of dried clay, like pottery, the jinn out of smokeless fire. Which, then of your Lord’s blessings do you both deny?”
If we combine the above verses, we can conclude the jinn were made from the smokeless fire of scorching wind. What can we think of, from our knowledge of the earth and the cosmos, that matches this description? Stars match this description perfectly. They are nothing but ‘smokeless fire’ and they produce radiation - which we are all too well aware - ‘scorches’. The same fusion reaction that powers our sun was harnessed in the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – and it was not the explosion from the bombs themselves, but rather the 'wind of radiation' from those bombs, that scorched well over a hundred thousand people.
So we can readily see how radiation emitted from stars, exactly matches the description of scorching wind emitted from smokeless fire. It is not unreasonable to conclude therefore the jinn are made from the fire of stars. And since the fundamental product of the ‘fire of stars’ is radiation, the jinn are beings made out of electromagnetic radiation. Remember God says in the Qur’an (paraphrased), ‘He creates whatever He wills’. As further evidence, we know only a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible to us, which we see as visible light; the remainder is hidden to our eyes:
7:26-27 “Children of Adam, We have given you garments to cover your nakedness and as adornment for you; the garments of God-consciousness is the best of all garments – this is one of God’s signs, so that people may take heed. Children of Adam, do not let Satan seduce you, as he did your parents, causing them to leave the Garden, stripping them of their garments to expose their nakedness to them: he and his forces can see you from where you cannot see them: We have made evil ones allies to those who do not believe.”
If jinn are made from an invisible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum – which is most of it – then indeed we could not see them, yet they could see us; exactly as described in the Qur’an above.
The backbone of modern day healthcare diagnostics rests on the controlled use of electromagnetic radiation; X-Ray, MRI and CT scan to name a few. Through deep levels of penetration, these devices give us critical information about the state and health of our bodies and minds – yet we do not feel the radiation entering our bodies; we are completely unaware of its presence. Imagine then, with how much more precision a living entity - made out of the very radiation itself - could deeply penetrate our bodies, and especially our minds without our knowledge or permission. Consider the last Qur’anic sura, entitled ‘People’:
114:1-6 “Say, ‘I seek refuge with the Lord of people, the Controller of people, the God of people, against the harm of the slinking whisperer – who whispers into the hearts of people – whether they be jinn or people.’
The jinn therefore, by the very nature and properties of electromagnetic radiation, are fully capable of making suggestions to us without our knowledge. They can do this by their ability to enter our minds at the frequency of thought and insert suggestions - literally 'whispers' - whispers that to us, appear to emanate from within and by ourselves. But in reality, they are from the jinn. And since it is only the evil jinn who descend upon us, and who themselves have been tempted to the wrong path by Iblis, it is only evil thoughts they insert. Because the jinn operate at the frequency of thought, they are intimately aware of each of our weaknesses since they can fully monitor these thoughts, right down to the subconscious. This is how the jinn know each of our unique weaknesses, and make suggestions accordingly, in their objective to lure us away from God and put us in the wrong. Indeed, this is the ultimate definition of a 'sworn enemy' - putting thoughts in our heads without our knowledge, for the sole intention of sending us to the fire of Hell. And yet inspite of this, when you really think about it, fundamentally their only power is to call us away from God’s path. The decision to further entertain and act upon those thoughts remains entirely with us:
14:22 “When everything has been decided, Satan will say, ‘God gave you a true promise. I too made promises but they were false ones: I had no power over you except to call you, and you responded to my call, so do not blame me; blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I reject the way you associated me with God before.’ A bitter torment awaits such wrongdoers…”
Indeed, we can see now how these verses are beginning to make sense.
Electromagnetic radiation travels at the speed of light, 300,000 km/sec, and though it permeates our entire universe, it nevertheless cannot escape our universe unless God wills otherwise. And so, just like electromagnetic radiation - the jinn too are space travelers - very likely able to travel at similar speeds but not able to escape our universe.
Consider the following Qur’anic verses:
37:1-10 “By those (angels) ranged in rows, who rebuke reproachfully and recite God’s word, truly your God is One, Lord of the heavens and earth and everything between them, Lord of every sunrise, We have adorned the lowest heaven with stars, and made them a safeguard against every rebellious devil: they cannot eavesdrop on the Higher Assembly – pelted from every side, driven away, they will have perpetual torment – if any (of them) stealthily snatches away a fragment, he will be pursued by a piercing flame.”
72:8-10 “We tried to reach heaven, but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars – we used to sit in places there, listening, but anyone trying to listen now will find a shooting star lying in wait for him – (so now) we do not know whether those who live on earth are due for misfortune, or whether their Lord intends to guide them.”
55:33 “Jinn and mankind, if you can pass beyond the regions of heaven and earth, then do so: you will not pass without Our authority.”
From these verses, we can conclude the jinn can travel to the far reaches of our universe. They not only try to listen in on heaven above (37:1-10) but also try and reach it (72:8-10), but God has not yet given them permission to do so (55:33); for if He had, the jinn would not have been pelted from every side and pursued by a piercing flame (37:1-10). We can also conclude, the jinn would not make attempts to eavesdrop on heaven above unless somehow the heavens were connected to each other. To further support this, the Qur’an clearly states there are pathways leading up to God from all seven levels of Heaven:
70:1-7 “A man (mockingly) demanded the punishment. It will fall on the disbelievers – none can deflect it – from God, the Lord of the Ways of Ascent, by which the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him, on a Day whose length is fifty thousand years. So be patient, (Prophet), as befits you. The disbelievers think it is distant, but We know it to be close.”
Consider the following Qur’anic verses:
37:1-10 “By those (angels) ranged in rows, who rebuke reproachfully and recite God’s word, truly your God is One, Lord of the heavens and earth and everything between them, Lord of every sunrise, We have adorned the lowest heaven with stars, and made them a safeguard against every rebellious devil: they cannot eavesdrop on the Higher Assembly – pelted from every side, driven away, they will have perpetual torment – if any (of them) stealthily snatches away a fragment, he will be pursued by a piercing flame.”
72:8-10 “We tried to reach heaven, but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars – we used to sit in places there, listening, but anyone trying to listen now will find a shooting star lying in wait for him – (so now) we do not know whether those who live on earth are due for misfortune, or whether their Lord intends to guide them.”
55:33 “Jinn and mankind, if you can pass beyond the regions of heaven and earth, then do so: you will not pass without Our authority.”
From these verses, we can conclude the jinn can travel to the far reaches of our universe. They not only try to listen in on heaven above (37:1-10) but also try and reach it (72:8-10), but God has not yet given them permission to do so (55:33); for if He had, the jinn would not have been pelted from every side and pursued by a piercing flame (37:1-10). We can also conclude, the jinn would not make attempts to eavesdrop on heaven above unless somehow the heavens were connected to each other. To further support this, the Qur’an clearly states there are pathways leading up to God from all seven levels of Heaven:
70:1-7 “A man (mockingly) demanded the punishment. It will fall on the disbelievers – none can deflect it – from God, the Lord of the Ways of Ascent, by which the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him, on a Day whose length is fifty thousand years. So be patient, (Prophet), as befits you. The disbelievers think it is distant, but We know it to be close.”
67:1-5 “Exalted is He who holds all control in his hands; who has power over all things; who created death and life to test you (people) and reveal which of you does best – He is the Mighty, the Forgiving; who created the seven heavens, one above the other. You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates. Look again! Can you see any flaw! Look again! And again! Your sight will turn back to you, weak and defeated. We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps…”
41:12 “And in two Days He formed seven heavens, and assigned an order to each. We have made the nearest one beautifully illuminated and secure. Such is the design of the Almighty, the All Knowing.”
Since it is adorned with stars, it follows we must be living in the lowest level of heaven, which we call our universe. Each level of heaven, or universe, has also been assigned its own order. We understand this order to some extent, as it applies to our own level of heaven, and refer to this order as the Laws of Science. This order or Laws of Science however, does not apply to the other levels of heaven, nor do the laws of one level of heaven apply to another level of heaven. Each heaven or universe is uniquely governed by its own sets of laws.
Having said this, each level of heaven must be connected to one another by some means. This must be so because God has said all things go back to Him, that He sits on the throne which is above all the heavens, that each level of heaven is above the other, and the Angels go up to Him by certain paths, which He has described as ‘the Ways of Ascent’. Clearly, the Ways of Ascent are pathways that connect the heavens, allow angels to go up from our earth through our universe, up through the other six levels of heaven above us, and finally to God’s throne - which is above all His creation. Moreover, all control belongs to God, and all things in all the heavens go back to Him:
57:1-6 “Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies God - He is the Almighty, the Wise, Control of the heavens and earth belongs to Him; He gives life and death; He has power over all things. He is the First and the Last, the Outer and the Inner. He has knowledge of all things. It was He who created the heavens and earth in six Days and then established Himself on the throne. He knows what enters the earth and what comes out of it; what descends from the sky and what ascends to it. He is with you wherever you are; He sees all that you do; control of the heavens and earth belongs to Him. Everything is brought back to God. He makes night merge into day and day into night. He knows what is in every heart.”
As for the structure of the heavens, we have thus far established:
1. There are seven levels of heaven, one above the other, with each level being its own ‘universe’.
2. Each level of heaven has its own unique sets of laws which govern it.
3. We live in the lowest level of heaven since it is the one adorned with stars.
4. All the heavens are connected to each other by pathways known as the ‘Ways of Ascent’, by which the angels ascend to God.
5. God’s throne sits above all levels of heaven.
6. All things go back to God.
As for the Jinn:
7. Are beings made out of non-visible electromagnetic radiation.
8. Can likely travel up to the speed of light.
9. Can travel anywhere in our universe.
10. Are not able to escape our universe.
11. Try to listen in on heaven above but are not able to do so because they are pelted from all sides.
As for the Jinn:
7. Are beings made out of non-visible electromagnetic radiation.
8. Can likely travel up to the speed of light.
9. Can travel anywhere in our universe.
10. Are not able to escape our universe.
11. Try to listen in on heaven above but are not able to do so because they are pelted from all sides.
It is reasonable to conclude that if the 'Ways of Ascent' are pathways God has created by which angels ascend through the heavens above us, then these same pathways are likely the avenues by which the jinn attempt to either eavesdrop or leave our universe, but are forbidden from doing so. I have also reached the conclusion the opening of these pathways, the portholes to heaven if you will, are in fact none other than black holes. In modern day cosmology, what we know about black holes is accurately described by Qur’anic verses. Look again at the following verses:
37:1-10 “By those (angels) ranged in rows, who rebuke reproachfully and recite God’s word, truly your God is One, Lord of the heavens and earth and everything between them, Lord of every sunrise, We have adorned the lowest heaven with stars, and made them a safeguard against every rebellious devil: they cannot eavesdrop on the Higher Assembly – pelted from every side, driven away, they will have perpetual torment – if any (of them) stealthily snatches away a fragment, he will be pursued by a piercing flame.”
72:8-10 “We tried to reach heaven, but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars – we used to sit in places there, listening, but anyone trying to listen now will find a shooting star lying in wait for him – (so now) we do not know whether those who live on earth are due for misfortune, or whether their Lord intends to guide them.”
In 37:1-10, God has stated He has made stars - the very substance jinn are made from - as safeguards preventing jinn from entering heaven. And what are black holes? Black holes are massive stars, which have burned themselves out, and due to their immense gravity, have collapsed in on themselves. Their gravity is so strong, not even light can escape them, and so they appear black (though we detect them indirectly through their gravitational pull). But fundamentally, black holes are stars - stars transformed into another state.
Since nothing escapes black holes once it enters them, black holes only get bigger and bigger over time. Once they get massive enough, there are literally traffic jams piling up around black holes known as accretion discs. This is material that is swirling around black holes waiting to get in. Accretion discs themselves give off significant amounts of radiation.
Over time, after enough material has entered a black hole, it becomes supermassive, and literally 'shoots out' huge amounts of radiation right out its centre, and perpendicular to its accretion disc, which we observe as a gas jet. All black holes with gas jets also have accretion discs, and between the two of them, there is no way any living entity susceptible to the scorching effects of electromagnetic radiation, can ever hope to enter a black hole. If the jinn attempted to enter such a black hole, indeed they would be ‘pelted from every side’, just as the Qur'an accurately describes.
In the verses above, I believe the ‘stern guards’ God is referring to are ‘accretion discs’ and the ‘piercing flame’ to be gas jets. If you look at a black hole with an accretion disc, indeed it can be viewed as a disc guarding its entry. The ‘shooting star’ the Qur’an is referring to is any massive black hole (i.e. a transformed star) that has a gas jet shooting out from it.
I am also of the opinion, the theoretical concept known as geodesics, which is described as a curved space associated with black holes, are tube-like structure (i.e. curved space) that become the ‘Ways of Ascent’. In astrophysics, the entire mass of a geodesic is fully expressed as a point of singularity, i.e. the black hole attached to it. As the tube-like geodesic, or ‘Way of Ascent’, grows taller and wider, it translates and expresses itself back in our universe, as a growing massive black hole. At some point during the growth of the geodesic - when it nears heaven above or at the point when it reaches it - a gas jet shoots out from the black hole and effectively prevents the jinn from eavesdropping. We have millions of black holes in our universe that are continually forming; some are young and not very massive, others are ancient and supermassive with powerful gas jets shooting out.
Interestingly enough, the Qur’an says something else very telling:
37:1-10 “By those (angels) ranged in rows, who rebuke reproachfully and recite God’s word, truly your God is One, Lord of the heavens and earth and everything between them, Lord of every sunrise, We have adorned the lowest heaven with stars, and made them a safeguard against every rebellious devil: they cannot eavesdrop on the Higher Assembly – pelted from every side, driven away, they will have perpetual torment – if any (of them) stealthily snatches away a fragment, he will be pursued by a piercing flame.”
72:8-10 “We tried to reach heaven, but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars – we used to sit in places there, listening, but anyone trying to listen now will find a shooting star lying in wait for him – (so now) we do not know whether those who live on earth are due for misfortune, or whether their Lord intends to guide them.”
In 37:1-10, God has stated He has made stars - the very substance jinn are made from - as safeguards preventing jinn from entering heaven. And what are black holes? Black holes are massive stars, which have burned themselves out, and due to their immense gravity, have collapsed in on themselves. Their gravity is so strong, not even light can escape them, and so they appear black (though we detect them indirectly through their gravitational pull). But fundamentally, black holes are stars - stars transformed into another state.
Since nothing escapes black holes once it enters them, black holes only get bigger and bigger over time. Once they get massive enough, there are literally traffic jams piling up around black holes known as accretion discs. This is material that is swirling around black holes waiting to get in. Accretion discs themselves give off significant amounts of radiation.
Over time, after enough material has entered a black hole, it becomes supermassive, and literally 'shoots out' huge amounts of radiation right out its centre, and perpendicular to its accretion disc, which we observe as a gas jet. All black holes with gas jets also have accretion discs, and between the two of them, there is no way any living entity susceptible to the scorching effects of electromagnetic radiation, can ever hope to enter a black hole. If the jinn attempted to enter such a black hole, indeed they would be ‘pelted from every side’, just as the Qur'an accurately describes.
In the verses above, I believe the ‘stern guards’ God is referring to are ‘accretion discs’ and the ‘piercing flame’ to be gas jets. If you look at a black hole with an accretion disc, indeed it can be viewed as a disc guarding its entry. The ‘shooting star’ the Qur’an is referring to is any massive black hole (i.e. a transformed star) that has a gas jet shooting out from it.
I am also of the opinion, the theoretical concept known as geodesics, which is described as a curved space associated with black holes, are tube-like structure (i.e. curved space) that become the ‘Ways of Ascent’. In astrophysics, the entire mass of a geodesic is fully expressed as a point of singularity, i.e. the black hole attached to it. As the tube-like geodesic, or ‘Way of Ascent’, grows taller and wider, it translates and expresses itself back in our universe, as a growing massive black hole. At some point during the growth of the geodesic - when it nears heaven above or at the point when it reaches it - a gas jet shoots out from the black hole and effectively prevents the jinn from eavesdropping. We have millions of black holes in our universe that are continually forming; some are young and not very massive, others are ancient and supermassive with powerful gas jets shooting out.
Interestingly enough, the Qur’an says something else very telling:
72:9 “we used to sit in places there, listening, but anyone trying to listen now will find a shooting star lying in wait for him.”
This implies that billions of years ago when our universe was much younger, since the jinn were able to eavesdrop, there must have been black holes with no gas jets even though their associated geodesic was connected to heaven above. It is also worth noting, the only way into a black hole is not through the top of it, but only along the swirling path by which materials enter via its accretion disc. The jinn could hang out above the centre of the black hole and listen in, but they could not enter. Hence, even if the jinn were able to eavesdrop on heaven billions of years ago as the verse clearly suggests, they still could not enter a black hole because it was literally guarded by its accretion disc. And if the black hole was too small to have an accretion disc, then by consequence it also had a very short geodesic that could not traverse the 'inter-heaven' gap; effectively, a dead-end street for hopeful jinn. As the universe aged, and black holes became more massive with gas jets shooting out, the jinn could no longer even listen in on the Higher Assembly.
How can all the pieces of the puzzle fit together so perfectly, requiring knowledge we could only know today - not even 30 years ago - from verses recited 1400 years go, unless those verses truly are the words of God? And why is the puzzle being solved now as the Hour draws near? It can only mean God's promise is true; never is a (global) community destroyed without first given a warning.
But there’s more still. The suggestion being made, is the heavens are continuously moving further apart from each other, so that by the time the earth was created (or at least when Adam and his mate were sent down to earth) the distance between the heavens was far enough so that the connecting geodesics would reach the mass required for black holes to form gas jets. This explains why, once upon a time, the jinn were able to eavesdrop on heaven above but can no longer do so. The following verse supports the notion the heavens are continually moving apart from each other:
21:30 “Are the disbelievers not aware that the heavens and the earth used to be joined together and that We ripped them apart, that We made every living thing from water? Will they not believe?”
Indeed, if all the heavens were one, and God ripped or exploded them away from each other, by consequence the heavens must be getting farther and farther apart over time. We can therefore see how each verse supports and adds incrementally to the evidence pointing to the undeniable truth of the Qur’an.
Finally, we know the jinn, even though made out of electromagnetic radiation, are nonetheless scorched by it, because on the Day of Judgement, the guilty – whether made from clay or fire – will burn in the fire of Hell.
32:13 “If it had been Our will, We could certainly have given every soul its true guidance, but My words have come true. “I shall be sure to fill Hell with jinn and men together.” So since you ignored the meeting on this Day of yours, now We shall ignore you: taste the lasting suffering for all you have done.”
74:26-31 “I will throw him into the scorching Fire. What will explain to you what the scorching Fire is? It spares nothing and leaves nothing; it scorches the flesh of humans; there are nineteen in charge of it – none other than angels appointed by Us to guard Hellfire – and We have made their number a test for the disbelievers…”
Peace. Imran
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
END OF DAYS PART III - THE HOUR DRAWS NEAR
...continued from "End of Days part II".
There is a difference between the Day of Judgement and the Hour. The Hour is a segment of time within the Day of Judgement. Hence whatever happens during the Hour, is also something that is automatically part of the Day, but not necessarily the other way around. The Day of Judgement has already begun, but the Hour is imminent. The Qur’an describes the Hour as something that will come upon us suddenly:
Abdel Haleem:
6:31 “Lost indeed are those who deny the meeting with their Lord until, when the Hour suddenly arrives, they say, ‘Alas for us we disregarded this!’ They will bear the burdens on their backs. How terrible those burdens will be!”
12:107 “Are they so sure that an overwhelming punishment from God will not fall on them, or that the Last Hour will not come upon them suddenly when they least expect it?”
22:55 “The disbelievers will remain in doubt about it until the Hour suddenly overpowers them or until torment descends on them on a Day devoid of all hope.”
43:66 “What are they waiting for but the Hour, which will come upon them suddenly and take them unawares?”
It is important to note, the Day of Judgement is never described this way - not even once – as something that will come upon us suddenly. This is extremely significant and cannot be over emphasized - for the implication is that the Day of Judgement will commence without even our realization it has begun. And indeed this has been the case; no one knew in 1950 (though Allah knows best) that North/South Korea was indeed Gog/Magog, and that the start of the Korean War was clear evidence the Day of Judgement was already upon us. Consider now, the following verses:
Abdel Haleem:
30:12 “On the Day the Hour arrives, the guilty will despair”
30:55 “On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear they lingered no more than an hour – they have always been deluded”.
(Note: Capital 'H' denotes God's Hour, small 'h' denotes a human hour)
There is a difference between the Day of Judgement and the Hour. The Hour is a segment of time within the Day of Judgement. Hence whatever happens during the Hour, is also something that is automatically part of the Day, but not necessarily the other way around. The Day of Judgement has already begun, but the Hour is imminent. The Qur’an describes the Hour as something that will come upon us suddenly:
Abdel Haleem:
6:31 “Lost indeed are those who deny the meeting with their Lord until, when the Hour suddenly arrives, they say, ‘Alas for us we disregarded this!’ They will bear the burdens on their backs. How terrible those burdens will be!”
12:107 “Are they so sure that an overwhelming punishment from God will not fall on them, or that the Last Hour will not come upon them suddenly when they least expect it?”
22:55 “The disbelievers will remain in doubt about it until the Hour suddenly overpowers them or until torment descends on them on a Day devoid of all hope.”
43:66 “What are they waiting for but the Hour, which will come upon them suddenly and take them unawares?”
It is important to note, the Day of Judgement is never described this way - not even once – as something that will come upon us suddenly. This is extremely significant and cannot be over emphasized - for the implication is that the Day of Judgement will commence without even our realization it has begun. And indeed this has been the case; no one knew in 1950 (though Allah knows best) that North/South Korea was indeed Gog/Magog, and that the start of the Korean War was clear evidence the Day of Judgement was already upon us. Consider now, the following verses:
Abdel Haleem:
30:12 “On the Day the Hour arrives, the guilty will despair”
30:55 “On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear they lingered no more than an hour – they have always been deluded”.
(Note: Capital 'H' denotes God's Hour, small 'h' denotes a human hour)
I would like everyone to stop and think for a moment. Could a human being, recite something 1400 years ago, of which a portion of it is spread out throughout the recitation in scattered verses, meant for comprehension only by those who would be alive during that specific future time, in order to recognize and correlate those verses to their contemporary happenstance, and done in such a way that it would not be obvious, so as to befit the reason why we are here: To put man to the test. Could a human being, never mind write, but recite such a book over a 23 year period unless it was guided by God Himself? I think not, it is simply an impossibility.
Once again, to reiterate, it is only upon the arrival of the Hour, will God make things manifest and obvious. The Day of Judgement however, would have already begun.
God has laid out a series of events that will transpire on the Day of Judgement:
1. Gog and Magog are let loose upon each other in waves.
We are in this phase right now. The first wave or sets of waves were let loose during the North/South Korean War of 1950-53. The second wave or sets of waves are about to begin, by Allah's leave, likely within weeks or months of this post.
2. The Last Hour will begin.
This will be signaled by a massive earthquake:
22:1 “People, be mindful of your Lord, for the earthquake of the Last Hour will be a mighty thing: on the Day you see it, every nursing mother will think no more of her baby, every pregnant female will miscarry, you will think people are drunk when they are not, so severe will be God’s torment.
22:1 “People, be mindful of your Lord, for the earthquake of the Last Hour will be a mighty thing: on the Day you see it, every nursing mother will think no more of her baby, every pregnant female will miscarry, you will think people are drunk when they are not, so severe will be God’s torment.
3. The Trumpet will be blown.
God will make His power, control and absolute authority known. Mountains will disappear, the sky will open up, and we will be brought out of our graves for judgement.
78:18-23 “A Day when the Trumpet will sound and you will come forward in crowds, when the sky will open up like wide portals, when the mountains will vanish like a mirage. Hell lies in wait, a home for oppressors to stay in for a long, long time.”
99:1-8 “When the earth is shaken violently in its (last) quaking, when the earth throws out its burdens, when man cries, “What is happening to it?’, on that Day, it will tell all because your Lord will inspire it (to do so). On that Day, people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds: whoever has done an atom’s-weight of good will see it, but whoever has done an atom’s-weight of evil will see that.”
The highlighted sections of each verse(s) tie in the relationship between the last hour, the final earthquake, the trumpet being blown and people coming forward for judgement.
You may ask, well why is all of this important for us to know? We’re either going to Hell or Heaven, what difference does it make now that the Day of Judgement is already upon us? Here’s why:
47:18 “What are the disbelievers waiting for, other than the Hour which will come upon them unawares? Its signs are already here, but once the Hour has actually arrived, what use will it be then to take heed?”
The implication is we have up until the arrival of the Hour to take heed. This is part of God’s great Mercy. No matter what we’ve done in our lives up until this point, however evil it may have been, if we recognize there is no God but God and become Believers, we may still be entitled to God’s Mercy. It is, after all, only God’s Mercy that will save us all from the painful torment of Hell. This is only one of the many reasons why God is the most Merciful. However, if we deny the existence of the Oneness of God or associate partners with God, and then die in this state, then beware:
30:12-13 “On the Day the Hour arrives, the guilty will despair and they will have no intercessors among those partners they ascribed to God – they will deny these partners.”
Again, the implication of this verse is even during the beginning of the Day of Judgement (i.e. where we are now), up until the arrival of the Hour (which is imminent), we still can change our belief to accept God as the one true God, and be eligible for God’s Mercy according to His will, in order to avoid Hell and enjoy Heaven – the real and ultimate supreme triumph.
The entire reason I am taking the time and effort to write this, is only for this last hope. That’s it, no other reason - only to convey this message to as much of humanity as possible before the Hour arrives. For those who take the time to contemplate and use their reason, there is enough evidence in the Qur’an to undeniably and without doubt show:
1. Gog and Magog are indeed North and South Korea. Therefore;
2. The Qur’an must be the word of God. Therefore;
3. Muhammad (peace be upon him) must be the Messenger of God.
4. The Day of Judgement has already begun.
5. The Hour, however, has not yet arrived. Hence;
6. There is still some time - only Allah knows how much - before the Trumpet is blown and the Hour arrives.
Whoever has reasoned carefully, and without bias or preconceived belief structures, and after considered contemplation believes what I've communicated as truth, should pass this message on to as much of humanity as possible. Then let whoever wishes to believe, do so, and whoever wishes to pay no heed, do so. Remember, whoever God guides, none can lead astray, and whoever God leads astray, none can guide.
Let all of you who have read this, bear witness I have communicated the message He has inspired in me to understand, though Allah is witness enough. I pray I have not been misguided by Iblis (Satan), and the message I have conveyed is true and rightly guided, by Allah's leave. Ameen.
Peace. Imran.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
END OF DAYS PART II – THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT IS ALREADY HERE
...continued from "End of Days Part I".
Interpretation Derived From The Qur’an:
The latest the Day of Judgement commenced was 1950, at the start of the Korean War. Technically speaking, the Korean War never ended, the two countries have been at war since 1950…otherwise why is there still a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)? The fact they are still at war is understood in international legal terms as an Armistice. Hence since 1953, during the past 56 years Gog (North Korea) and Magog (meaning ‘a people from or of Gog’, i.e. South Korea) have had an extended 'breather or 'regrouping' of sorts. The first wave or sets of waves were unleashed when the two sides attacked each other during the years 1950-1953. Hence, when the Qur’an says,
Abdel Haleem 21:96
“when the peoples of Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm swiftly from every highland, when the True Promise draws near, the disbelievers ‘eyes will stare in terror, and they will say, ‘Woe to us! We were not aware of this at all. We were wrong.’
It is clear from the above verse that God will not reveal Himself immediately upon the first wave when the people of Gog and Magog swarm down upon each other. The first wave or surge (i.e. the 1950-1953 Korean War), however, was a clear event which signified the Day of Judgement had already and definitively arrived, as per the following verse:
Abdel Haleem 18:99
“On that Day, We shall let them surge against each other like waves and then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together.”
The capital ‘D’ denotes the Day of Judgement, as oppose to a small ‘d’ which means a human day. So clearly, the implication is the Day of Judgement is already upon us, and has been since at least 1950. Now, if you think a 56 year period for a ‘temporary truce’ is a long time, well it depends on your reference point. In terms of God’s Day - being 1,000 years by our measurement of time (see 22:47 below) – the fact that 56 years have already gone by only implies that God’s True Promise, i.e. Our Reckoning, is imminently near, just as 21:96 above implies.
Abdel Haleem 22:47
“They will challenge you (Prophet) to hasten the punishment. God will not fail in His promise – a Day with your Lord is like a thousand years by your reckoning. To many a town steeped in wrongdoing I gave more time and then struck them down: they all return to Me in the end.”
Gog Wants To Re-Unite with Magog:
It has been the singular objective of North Korea, ever since the Korean War, to unite the two Koreas and make them subservient to the Stalinist modeled regime of the North. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. They do not want world conquest. They do not want to influence any other country. They just want all of Korea; they are of the same blood after all, they are literally ‘from’ or ‘of’ each other. In fact, genetically speaking, the North and South Koreans are the most homogeneous population in the world. This is a direct result of their geography; for thousands of years they have been living in a peninsula isolated and surrounded by ocean on three sides, mountains all over the place, and effectively 'barricaded' by China on the north – which is a distinctly different culture and race. The Koreans, literally, were contained with nowhere to go. This is exactly the way the Qur’an describes them, Gog and Magog will be isolated - until such time of God’s choosing - when He will release them against each other.
The key phrase here is each other, not against the world as most doomsayers have been predicting. George W. Bush and the good old boyz club got it all wrong, Gog and Magog aren't Iraq or the Muslim world after all. God, in His infinite wisdom, tucked Gog and Magog away where we would least expect to find them. And now, with the truth revealed and we have found them - even if you all thought I wasn't a total crackpot, agreed with me, and spread the word - well quite frankly, it's too late. There's not a darn thing anyone can do about it, for as we shall see...the war will go forward, by God's leave. God's plan must come to pass...for there is no changing God's plan.
Since the Korean War, Kim II-Sung, the founder of North Korea, has promised to unite the two Koreas before his death. Well…he didn’t make it - he passed away in 1994 – and left this task to his son, Kim Jong-il, to complete. Kim Jong-il has reiterated the same vow, with an incredible resolve and backed by impressive results for a country with such little means. Since the 1990’s there has been a slow but deliberate movement of troops amassed at the heavily fortified North-South Korean border. The movement has been slow, and spread well over a decade, in order to avoid suspicion - the term being “creeping normalcy’. There are now over 700,000 North Korean troops lined at the border along with all the infrastructure necessary to support them. Now what possible ultimate purpose can this serve except preparation for eventual invasion?
The nuclear ambitions of North Korea, to this day, remain unmitigated. The reason: North Korea doesn’t want to nuke South Korea - it just wants an effective deterrent against imperial powers - mainly the U.S. North Korea wants the nukes, and the ability to deliver them to South Korea, Japan, and if possible U.S. soil, in order to deter the U.S. from resorting to nukes in the event the North appears to be unassailably winning the war. The aim of North Korea has been to develop the nuke arsenal along with sufficient delivery capabilities to reach an effective level of deterrence.
Once this is attained, the unrelenting conventional assault on South Korea would be given the green light. The North Korean strategy has been a wholly specialized strategy – it’s sole purpose is to strategically counter the U.S. backed military arsenal and fully leverage the unique terrain of the Korean peninsula. To that end, they have over 11,000 fortified underground facilities, 8 million reserves on top of the 1.2 million army, a fibre optics based specialized communications system, and the use of constant flux frequencies that no one, not even the U.S. can tap into. According to Intel, the North Korean army is the only army in the world capable of successfully executing a significant military maneuver without radio communication; now that is one formidably well trained and loyal army - truly a force to be reckoned with.
Regardless of how much North Korea plans, the overall plan however, belongs to God. God has intervened, and is putting a wrench in their nuclear ambitions. Or so it would seem. In the final analysis, we don’t know for sure what the North Korean capabilities really are. The best Intel suggests the North Koreans are not yet able to miniaturize the nukes onto a warhead for delivery. Without this critical capability, it’s as if they never had a nuclear bomb. And now the U.S. et al, will surely close the noose and board any ships entering and leaving North Korea, backed by U.N. resolutions supporting the same. This critical vote will almost definitely get the big 'Yes' this coming week. This really is tantamount to war. The North Koreans are correct to view it as such. What would happen if some country did that to US ships? What do you think the US would view it as? Why would it be any different for the North Koreans?
Gog’s Options
North Korea has its back against the wall. Considering the sole objective since its very foundation has been to unite the Koreas (on their own terms), it has virtually zero options left other than war. If North Korea relents to U.S. demands, it will likely never reach nuclear capability, and by now the U.S. had made it no secret that it intends to not just halt but completely dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.
On the conventional side, North Korea has invested whatever resources it has on thousands and thousands of military hardware - at the cost of millions of their own citizen's lives who died from starvation during the 1990's famine for example. There wasn't enough food, but somehow the military continued to grow and march forward. This should be a wake-up call on how determined this regime is on 'uniting' the Koreas. Most of North Korea's conventional military equipment however, is out-dated by today’s leading weaponry standards. The term is 'out-dated' not 'obsolete'. The two are not the same. Most military strategists vehemently assert North Korea’s 'out-dated' military equipment will be lethally effective when combined with their total peninsula specific infrastructure and strategy. But North Korea really cannot wait any longer to use it; the longer they wait the more likely ‘out-dated’ will in fact become ‘obsolete’. For all intent and purposes, it is a ‘now or never’ scenario - literally, 'do or die' for North Korea.
To be continued…in part III
Peace. Imran.
Interpretation Derived From The Qur’an:
The latest the Day of Judgement commenced was 1950, at the start of the Korean War. Technically speaking, the Korean War never ended, the two countries have been at war since 1950…otherwise why is there still a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)? The fact they are still at war is understood in international legal terms as an Armistice. Hence since 1953, during the past 56 years Gog (North Korea) and Magog (meaning ‘a people from or of Gog’, i.e. South Korea) have had an extended 'breather or 'regrouping' of sorts. The first wave or sets of waves were unleashed when the two sides attacked each other during the years 1950-1953. Hence, when the Qur’an says,
Abdel Haleem 21:96
“when the peoples of Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm swiftly from every highland, when the True Promise draws near, the disbelievers ‘eyes will stare in terror, and they will say, ‘Woe to us! We were not aware of this at all. We were wrong.’
It is clear from the above verse that God will not reveal Himself immediately upon the first wave when the people of Gog and Magog swarm down upon each other. The first wave or surge (i.e. the 1950-1953 Korean War), however, was a clear event which signified the Day of Judgement had already and definitively arrived, as per the following verse:
Abdel Haleem 18:99
“On that Day, We shall let them surge against each other like waves and then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together.”
The capital ‘D’ denotes the Day of Judgement, as oppose to a small ‘d’ which means a human day. So clearly, the implication is the Day of Judgement is already upon us, and has been since at least 1950. Now, if you think a 56 year period for a ‘temporary truce’ is a long time, well it depends on your reference point. In terms of God’s Day - being 1,000 years by our measurement of time (see 22:47 below) – the fact that 56 years have already gone by only implies that God’s True Promise, i.e. Our Reckoning, is imminently near, just as 21:96 above implies.
Abdel Haleem 22:47
“They will challenge you (Prophet) to hasten the punishment. God will not fail in His promise – a Day with your Lord is like a thousand years by your reckoning. To many a town steeped in wrongdoing I gave more time and then struck them down: they all return to Me in the end.”
Gog Wants To Re-Unite with Magog:
It has been the singular objective of North Korea, ever since the Korean War, to unite the two Koreas and make them subservient to the Stalinist modeled regime of the North. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. They do not want world conquest. They do not want to influence any other country. They just want all of Korea; they are of the same blood after all, they are literally ‘from’ or ‘of’ each other. In fact, genetically speaking, the North and South Koreans are the most homogeneous population in the world. This is a direct result of their geography; for thousands of years they have been living in a peninsula isolated and surrounded by ocean on three sides, mountains all over the place, and effectively 'barricaded' by China on the north – which is a distinctly different culture and race. The Koreans, literally, were contained with nowhere to go. This is exactly the way the Qur’an describes them, Gog and Magog will be isolated - until such time of God’s choosing - when He will release them against each other.
The key phrase here is each other, not against the world as most doomsayers have been predicting. George W. Bush and the good old boyz club got it all wrong, Gog and Magog aren't Iraq or the Muslim world after all. God, in His infinite wisdom, tucked Gog and Magog away where we would least expect to find them. And now, with the truth revealed and we have found them - even if you all thought I wasn't a total crackpot, agreed with me, and spread the word - well quite frankly, it's too late. There's not a darn thing anyone can do about it, for as we shall see...the war will go forward, by God's leave. God's plan must come to pass...for there is no changing God's plan.
Since the Korean War, Kim II-Sung, the founder of North Korea, has promised to unite the two Koreas before his death. Well…he didn’t make it - he passed away in 1994 – and left this task to his son, Kim Jong-il, to complete. Kim Jong-il has reiterated the same vow, with an incredible resolve and backed by impressive results for a country with such little means. Since the 1990’s there has been a slow but deliberate movement of troops amassed at the heavily fortified North-South Korean border. The movement has been slow, and spread well over a decade, in order to avoid suspicion - the term being “creeping normalcy’. There are now over 700,000 North Korean troops lined at the border along with all the infrastructure necessary to support them. Now what possible ultimate purpose can this serve except preparation for eventual invasion?
The nuclear ambitions of North Korea, to this day, remain unmitigated. The reason: North Korea doesn’t want to nuke South Korea - it just wants an effective deterrent against imperial powers - mainly the U.S. North Korea wants the nukes, and the ability to deliver them to South Korea, Japan, and if possible U.S. soil, in order to deter the U.S. from resorting to nukes in the event the North appears to be unassailably winning the war. The aim of North Korea has been to develop the nuke arsenal along with sufficient delivery capabilities to reach an effective level of deterrence.
Once this is attained, the unrelenting conventional assault on South Korea would be given the green light. The North Korean strategy has been a wholly specialized strategy – it’s sole purpose is to strategically counter the U.S. backed military arsenal and fully leverage the unique terrain of the Korean peninsula. To that end, they have over 11,000 fortified underground facilities, 8 million reserves on top of the 1.2 million army, a fibre optics based specialized communications system, and the use of constant flux frequencies that no one, not even the U.S. can tap into. According to Intel, the North Korean army is the only army in the world capable of successfully executing a significant military maneuver without radio communication; now that is one formidably well trained and loyal army - truly a force to be reckoned with.
Regardless of how much North Korea plans, the overall plan however, belongs to God. God has intervened, and is putting a wrench in their nuclear ambitions. Or so it would seem. In the final analysis, we don’t know for sure what the North Korean capabilities really are. The best Intel suggests the North Koreans are not yet able to miniaturize the nukes onto a warhead for delivery. Without this critical capability, it’s as if they never had a nuclear bomb. And now the U.S. et al, will surely close the noose and board any ships entering and leaving North Korea, backed by U.N. resolutions supporting the same. This critical vote will almost definitely get the big 'Yes' this coming week. This really is tantamount to war. The North Koreans are correct to view it as such. What would happen if some country did that to US ships? What do you think the US would view it as? Why would it be any different for the North Koreans?
Gog’s Options
North Korea has its back against the wall. Considering the sole objective since its very foundation has been to unite the Koreas (on their own terms), it has virtually zero options left other than war. If North Korea relents to U.S. demands, it will likely never reach nuclear capability, and by now the U.S. had made it no secret that it intends to not just halt but completely dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.
On the conventional side, North Korea has invested whatever resources it has on thousands and thousands of military hardware - at the cost of millions of their own citizen's lives who died from starvation during the 1990's famine for example. There wasn't enough food, but somehow the military continued to grow and march forward. This should be a wake-up call on how determined this regime is on 'uniting' the Koreas. Most of North Korea's conventional military equipment however, is out-dated by today’s leading weaponry standards. The term is 'out-dated' not 'obsolete'. The two are not the same. Most military strategists vehemently assert North Korea’s 'out-dated' military equipment will be lethally effective when combined with their total peninsula specific infrastructure and strategy. But North Korea really cannot wait any longer to use it; the longer they wait the more likely ‘out-dated’ will in fact become ‘obsolete’. For all intent and purposes, it is a ‘now or never’ scenario - literally, 'do or die' for North Korea.
To be continued…in part III
Peace. Imran.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
END OF DAYS PART I - GOG AND MAGOG ARE NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA
So here’s another End of Days Theory - except this one is based solely on Qur’anic verses, world geography and current events. It is not based on any hadith (alleged saying and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). Most of it has to do with Dhu ‘l-Qarnayn’s journey to the land of Gog and Magog as described in verses 18:83-102 and 21:95-96. I believe Gog and Magog are present day North and South Korea. There are many reasons for reaching this conclusion, but first things first, so let’s start at the beginning…
Since Dhu ‘l-Qarnayn had the means to do everything, and on three different occasions the Qur’an says “he traveled on”, the suggestion is he covered a vast distance in his travels. The starting point of Dhu 'l-Qarnayn’s journey is not stated in the Qur'an, nor do I think it is relevant. What is relevant are the three ‘pit stops’ he made along the way.
On the first pit stop he saw ‘the sun setting into a muddy spring’. I believe this to be the Hwang Ho river – China’s second largest river. The Hwang Ho is ranked as the muddiest river in the world. So muddy in fact, that it is better known as the Yellow River due to its discolouration from all the silt it carries. The Hwang Ho is also extremely prone to flooding. So much so that some estimates put the number of floods at about 16,000 in the last 3000 to 4,000 years. Each time the Hwang Ho floods, indeed it must look like a muddy spring.
On the second pit stop he found a people who ‘had no shelter from the rising sun’. Where do people have no shelter from the sun? Why a desert of course. I believe the Qur’anic verse is referring to the Gobi desert which is the largest desert in Asia covering parts of northwestern China and southern Mongolia. If Dhu 'l-Qarnayn was coming from the southwest, he pretty much had to cross the Hwang Ho river to get to the Gobi desert.
On the third pit stop he reached ‘a place between two mountain barriers and beside them a people who could barely understand him’. I believe the people beside the two mountains were the Chinese and the two mountain barriers are any of a number of mountain ranges that form along the present day China-North Korea border. After all, I think it’s a safe bet Dhu’l-Qarnayn didn’t speak much Chinese - and if he did speak Chinese it certainly would have been a very different dialect than that spoken in Manchuria (which borders with North Korea) - and geographically this all adds up since you have to travel east through the Gobi desert to arrive at the doorstep of North Korea.
The people said ‘Gog and Magog are ruining this land’. If Gog and Magog are ruining the land, the implication is they are constantly at war with each other. Both the Chinese and the Korean civilizations date back to well over 5,000 BC and war has been a mainstay of the area. To be even more specific, circa 100 BC:
Ref link: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/04/eak/ht04eak.htm
The people further requested, ‘Will you put up a barrier between them and us?’ Dhu’ l-Qarnayn replied ‘if you lend me your strength, I will put up a fortification between you and them’. The most obvious type of fortification or barrier is a wall. Korea ‘developed from a federation of walled cities into a centralized kingdom sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries BC.’ (Ref link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea). And of course the Chinese are well known for wall building, i.e. the Great Wall of China. So wall or barrier building seems to be an integral part of the military defense strategy of the two civilizations.
Dhu ‘l-Qarnayn further requested ‘iron to fill the gap between two mountain sides’ so that their enemies could not ‘scale the barrier or pierce it’. The iron age in Korea is dated at 400-60BC and China at 600-200BC, although there is evidence of ironwork in the region as early as 1200 BC. This supports the verse above. Interestingly enough, "there is a record that one of the ancient states, Pyonhan located around Kimhae of the present country (the Koreas), exported a great quantity of iron to Nakrang, an ancient country that existed in the Manchuria area and Japan." (Ref link: http://park.org/Korea/Pavilions/PublicPavilions/Public/nsm/eg/pe-3.html).
Ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo (Gog)
The ancient kingdom of Korea is known as ‘Goguryeo’ (Ref Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea). Notice the first three letters spell ‘Gog’. One meaning of Magog is 'from' or 'of' Gog. And indeed North and South Koreans are 'from' and 'of ' each other. If you placed a map of the ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo against a map of current day North Korea, we can see it is approximately the same geographical boundaries; this inspite of over 2,000 years passing by! It is also readily evident how mountainous the Korean peninsula is:
Topographical Map of Korean Peninsula
The Qur’an states “when the people of Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm swifty from every highland”...“On that Day we shall let them surge against each other like waves”. North and South Korea is 70% mountains, i.e. they are basically highlands. The present size of the North Korean army is 1.2 million – the 5th largest standing army in the world - this in a country whose entire population is only 23 million. Could you imagine if Canada - which has more people than North Korea - had an army of 1 million! But that's not all. The South Korean army is 670,000 strong. Between the two of them, there are 2 million soldiers - and that's not including reservists who can be called upon at any time - all in in a relatively small and isolated geographical peninsula. If there was a war, they literally would surge against each other in waves, just as the Qur'an describes.
And if that happened, the decisive verse “and then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together”...well you know what that means...it will be the Day of Judgement - the Day God has promised all along, and God does not break His promise.
Considering the verbal escalation happening right now, and what seems to be a growing isolation of North Korea even from its traditional allies, China and Russia, my personal view is that Kim Jong-il is not posturing - he really does mean what he says and we do have a very serious cause to be alarmed. In fact, it doesn't get any more serious than this.
But if it is written, it is written…there’s not a whole lot you and I can do about it.
To be continued...in part II.
Peace. Imran.
Since Dhu ‘l-Qarnayn had the means to do everything, and on three different occasions the Qur’an says “he traveled on”, the suggestion is he covered a vast distance in his travels. The starting point of Dhu 'l-Qarnayn’s journey is not stated in the Qur'an, nor do I think it is relevant. What is relevant are the three ‘pit stops’ he made along the way.
On the first pit stop he saw ‘the sun setting into a muddy spring’. I believe this to be the Hwang Ho river – China’s second largest river. The Hwang Ho is ranked as the muddiest river in the world. So muddy in fact, that it is better known as the Yellow River due to its discolouration from all the silt it carries. The Hwang Ho is also extremely prone to flooding. So much so that some estimates put the number of floods at about 16,000 in the last 3000 to 4,000 years. Each time the Hwang Ho floods, indeed it must look like a muddy spring.
Hwang Ho (Yellow River)
On the second pit stop he found a people who ‘had no shelter from the rising sun’. Where do people have no shelter from the sun? Why a desert of course. I believe the Qur’anic verse is referring to the Gobi desert which is the largest desert in Asia covering parts of northwestern China and southern Mongolia. If Dhu 'l-Qarnayn was coming from the southwest, he pretty much had to cross the Hwang Ho river to get to the Gobi desert.
Gobi Desert
On the third pit stop he reached ‘a place between two mountain barriers and beside them a people who could barely understand him’. I believe the people beside the two mountains were the Chinese and the two mountain barriers are any of a number of mountain ranges that form along the present day China-North Korea border. After all, I think it’s a safe bet Dhu’l-Qarnayn didn’t speak much Chinese - and if he did speak Chinese it certainly would have been a very different dialect than that spoken in Manchuria (which borders with North Korea) - and geographically this all adds up since you have to travel east through the Gobi desert to arrive at the doorstep of North Korea.
Korean Peninsula
The people said ‘Gog and Magog are ruining this land’. If Gog and Magog are ruining the land, the implication is they are constantly at war with each other. Both the Chinese and the Korean civilizations date back to well over 5,000 BC and war has been a mainstay of the area. To be even more specific, circa 100 BC:
"to the northeast of the Chinese commandery of Lelang, along the middle reaches of the Yalu River, lies the territory of the Goguryô (i.e. Gog), a warlike tribal people who pose a recurrent threat to Lelang".
Ref link: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/04/eak/ht04eak.htm
The people further requested, ‘Will you put up a barrier between them and us?’ Dhu’ l-Qarnayn replied ‘if you lend me your strength, I will put up a fortification between you and them’. The most obvious type of fortification or barrier is a wall. Korea ‘developed from a federation of walled cities into a centralized kingdom sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries BC.’ (Ref link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea). And of course the Chinese are well known for wall building, i.e. the Great Wall of China. So wall or barrier building seems to be an integral part of the military defense strategy of the two civilizations.
Dhu ‘l-Qarnayn further requested ‘iron to fill the gap between two mountain sides’ so that their enemies could not ‘scale the barrier or pierce it’. The iron age in Korea is dated at 400-60BC and China at 600-200BC, although there is evidence of ironwork in the region as early as 1200 BC. This supports the verse above. Interestingly enough, "there is a record that one of the ancient states, Pyonhan located around Kimhae of the present country (the Koreas), exported a great quantity of iron to Nakrang, an ancient country that existed in the Manchuria area and Japan." (Ref link: http://park.org/Korea/Pavilions/PublicPavilions/Public/nsm/eg/pe-3.html).
Ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo (Gog)
The ancient kingdom of Korea is known as ‘Goguryeo’ (Ref Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea). Notice the first three letters spell ‘Gog’. One meaning of Magog is 'from' or 'of' Gog. And indeed North and South Koreans are 'from' and 'of ' each other. If you placed a map of the ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo against a map of current day North Korea, we can see it is approximately the same geographical boundaries; this inspite of over 2,000 years passing by! It is also readily evident how mountainous the Korean peninsula is:
Topographical Map of Korean Peninsula
The Qur’an states “when the people of Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm swifty from every highland”...“On that Day we shall let them surge against each other like waves”. North and South Korea is 70% mountains, i.e. they are basically highlands. The present size of the North Korean army is 1.2 million – the 5th largest standing army in the world - this in a country whose entire population is only 23 million. Could you imagine if Canada - which has more people than North Korea - had an army of 1 million! But that's not all. The South Korean army is 670,000 strong. Between the two of them, there are 2 million soldiers - and that's not including reservists who can be called upon at any time - all in in a relatively small and isolated geographical peninsula. If there was a war, they literally would surge against each other in waves, just as the Qur'an describes.
And if that happened, the decisive verse “and then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together”...well you know what that means...it will be the Day of Judgement - the Day God has promised all along, and God does not break His promise.
Considering the verbal escalation happening right now, and what seems to be a growing isolation of North Korea even from its traditional allies, China and Russia, my personal view is that Kim Jong-il is not posturing - he really does mean what he says and we do have a very serious cause to be alarmed. In fact, it doesn't get any more serious than this.
But if it is written, it is written…there’s not a whole lot you and I can do about it.
To be continued...in part II.
Peace. Imran.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Trust of Moral Responsibility (Or Why We Are Here)
Consider the universe. What is the point of it all? As vast as it is, as incredibly complex as it is, as wondrous as it is, but really what is the point of all the stars shining, of planets moving, of black holes usurping, of supernovas exploding, of pulsars emitting? And what is the point of what started it all…the Big Bang. After all, aren’t all these things just behaving by defined laws? Aren’t they all just doing what they are meant to do? They don’t have any choice in the matter do they? And if they don’t have any choice in the matter, well…it's nothing more than an elaborate but rather pointless symphony.
The same can be extended to plants and animals here on earth. Birds fly, bacteria divide, plants photosynthesize, fish swim, bees buzz…everything follows a prescribed course of action. And since they don’t have a choice in the matter, in that sense, they too are just like the rest of the inanimate objects that make up our universe. It’s all rather pointless. Or is it?
In fact, God has given all of this meaning by also creating an intelligent life form. It is only intelligent life that can appreciate creation. It is only intelligent life that has a say in what it will do next. It is only intelligent life that can exercise freewill. The whole point of the universe in fact, and all its infinity, is only so one little blue planet can house intelligent life. That is what gives the universe meaning. For all my life, I thought we were insignificant in the face of the universe...now I realize it’s quite the other way round. Consider the Qur'anic verse,
"And We have created the heavens and the earth for the benefit of mankind."
God did not create man for the benefit of the universe, God created the universe for the benefit of man. And if the universe was created for the benefit of man, then it follows it is man that gives the universe purpose and meaning. It is only an intelligent life form that can truly appreciate the universe and all that it contains, and it is only an intelligent life form with the capacity to do what no other of God's Creation can do; to willingly uphold the responsibility of Moral Trust. Where in the universe do you see Moral Trust being applied? Do you see it in the way lion’s behave? How about when dying stars explode? Do you see Moral Trust upheld when volcanoes erupt or when a whale nurses its young? No…everything is just doing what it’s meant to do.
The purpose of all of creation is only to house an intelligent being who can exercise the responsibility of Moral Trust.
That is why we are here. This is our responsibility, exclusively. This is our Test. Consider the Qur’anic verse,
33:72 “We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth and the mountains, yet they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it; mankind undertook it – they have always been inept and foolish.”
So we can see God offered the Trust, of Moral Responsibility, to all of Creation…but only mankind undertook it. Indeed, we were foolish to undertake it, because it is one very major responsibility. And if we mess up on it…the consequences simply do not get any more severe; the torment of hellfire.
So we are here, not to be the best scientists, not to be best athletes, not to be the wealthiest…we are here to be tested, to see who can best uphold the responsibility of Moral Trust. And what defines what moral responsibility is? What defines correct moral conduct? That is the purpose of the Qur’an. God, who created the entire universe, who created human beings…who put man to the test…has also given man the guidance to pass this test.
Our job, each and every one of us, every day when we wake up - whether we are aware of it or not - is to uphold the responsibility of Moral Trust. We are the only Creation, in all of God’s Creation, who has been given the ability to do this. And we are tested every single day by way of interaction with both our environment and especially with other people, to uphold The Trust. If we want to pass this test, we must all read, understand and apply the Qur’an in our daily lives.
Now that's something to think about when you wake up tomorrow morning.
The same can be extended to plants and animals here on earth. Birds fly, bacteria divide, plants photosynthesize, fish swim, bees buzz…everything follows a prescribed course of action. And since they don’t have a choice in the matter, in that sense, they too are just like the rest of the inanimate objects that make up our universe. It’s all rather pointless. Or is it?
In fact, God has given all of this meaning by also creating an intelligent life form. It is only intelligent life that can appreciate creation. It is only intelligent life that has a say in what it will do next. It is only intelligent life that can exercise freewill. The whole point of the universe in fact, and all its infinity, is only so one little blue planet can house intelligent life. That is what gives the universe meaning. For all my life, I thought we were insignificant in the face of the universe...now I realize it’s quite the other way round. Consider the Qur'anic verse,
"And We have created the heavens and the earth for the benefit of mankind."
God did not create man for the benefit of the universe, God created the universe for the benefit of man. And if the universe was created for the benefit of man, then it follows it is man that gives the universe purpose and meaning. It is only an intelligent life form that can truly appreciate the universe and all that it contains, and it is only an intelligent life form with the capacity to do what no other of God's Creation can do; to willingly uphold the responsibility of Moral Trust. Where in the universe do you see Moral Trust being applied? Do you see it in the way lion’s behave? How about when dying stars explode? Do you see Moral Trust upheld when volcanoes erupt or when a whale nurses its young? No…everything is just doing what it’s meant to do.
The purpose of all of creation is only to house an intelligent being who can exercise the responsibility of Moral Trust.
That is why we are here. This is our responsibility, exclusively. This is our Test. Consider the Qur’anic verse,
33:72 “We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth and the mountains, yet they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it; mankind undertook it – they have always been inept and foolish.”
So we can see God offered the Trust, of Moral Responsibility, to all of Creation…but only mankind undertook it. Indeed, we were foolish to undertake it, because it is one very major responsibility. And if we mess up on it…the consequences simply do not get any more severe; the torment of hellfire.
So we are here, not to be the best scientists, not to be best athletes, not to be the wealthiest…we are here to be tested, to see who can best uphold the responsibility of Moral Trust. And what defines what moral responsibility is? What defines correct moral conduct? That is the purpose of the Qur’an. God, who created the entire universe, who created human beings…who put man to the test…has also given man the guidance to pass this test.
Our job, each and every one of us, every day when we wake up - whether we are aware of it or not - is to uphold the responsibility of Moral Trust. We are the only Creation, in all of God’s Creation, who has been given the ability to do this. And we are tested every single day by way of interaction with both our environment and especially with other people, to uphold The Trust. If we want to pass this test, we must all read, understand and apply the Qur’an in our daily lives.
Now that's something to think about when you wake up tomorrow morning.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Fundraiser
I attended a fundraising dinner last night to help pay off a non-interest bearing debt owed by a mosque. There were about 400 people present including men, women and children. It was a most educational and interesting experience. What follows are some of my observations of the evening supported by an analysis in light of the guidance of the Qur'an.
The objective of this post is to be an example and case study to show how knowledge of the Qur'an is the best guidance to make sound judgment and fair assessment according to God's laws.
The Event...
The imam used pressure tactics to raise funds in the name of God. He stated (paraphrased)...'On the Day of Resurrection there will be a long waiting period...while we await God's judgement. We will be burdened with overbearing heat during the waiting period and the charity we give in this life will be like a shade against the heat.' The imam used this astounding prologue, none of which is even remotely supported by any verse anywhere in the Qur'an, and pressed for:
The objective of this post is to be an example and case study to show how knowledge of the Qur'an is the best guidance to make sound judgment and fair assessment according to God's laws.
The Event...
The imam used pressure tactics to raise funds in the name of God. He stated (paraphrased)...'On the Day of Resurrection there will be a long waiting period...while we await God's judgement. We will be burdened with overbearing heat during the waiting period and the charity we give in this life will be like a shade against the heat.' The imam used this astounding prologue, none of which is even remotely supported by any verse anywhere in the Qur'an, and pressed for:
- $10,000 individual donations on the first round of requests. The second round bid price was $5,000 followed by $2500, $1000 and finally $500. At the end of each round he would say "last chance for this opportunity...okay, you've now missed your opportunity". If anyone committed the funds, he would personally bless the individual. In one case two people gave from the same table, so he blessed the entire table.
- Singled out someone on our table, identified him specifically, to donate $1000. Talk about pressure.
- Throughout the 'rounds' he would make statements such as "who would like to have their sins forgiven on the Day of Judgement". I found this particularly appalling.
Needless to say, it was quite a spectacle. This reminded me, and in my opinion was no different than the clergy, during the medieval ages, asking for payments to reduce people's time in purgatory (in Christianity, the waiting place between heaven and hell until God's judgement arrives - apparently, not a very pleasant place to hang out). The idea of the imam having the authority to bless an individual, or worse yet an entire table in one go, seems to me a Qur'anic anathema. The definition of 'blessed' is to have God's grace or favour. How did the imam attain the authority to grace someone on behalf of God?
After this, the head shaykh of this particular 'sect within Sunni Islam' with chapters in over 100 countries, arrived at the hall and soon thereafter made a five minute dua in Urdu. He never made a speech, or gave an enlightening lecture, but we were all 'blessed' by his presence nonetheless...especially since he offered a dua on our behalf.
There was a buffet dinner, a silent auction and get this...raffle tickets. Yes, that's right...raffle tickets. What a mockery...last time I checked, gambling was against Islam.
Finally, as the evening wound down, I noticed the shaykh was sitting on a highly decorative and throne like chair, as opposed to the rest of us plebeians. Ironically, the prophet Muhammad, pbuh, would never himself be caught sitting on such a chair; he was far too humble and far too fearful of Allah.
This was followed up by the Shaykh extending his majestic hands and offered all individuals the opportunity and honour to kiss them...for which, judging by the line-up, there was no shortage. I think this is what disturbed me most. It was readily apparent people have stopped using their minds...they are lazy, they are sheep, and they are easily manipulated.
My stomach began to turn.
Guidance from the Qur'an...
It is clear the Qur'an is needed more than ever. God's guidance is the only true guidance. Let's then, review the evening in light of the guidance of the Qur'an. Consider the following Qur'anic verses (paraphrased):
1. There is no one worthy of worship except God...He is God. There is no God but Him...Do not associate any partners with God.
To kiss a man's hand - waiting in line to do this in fact, to me at least, is a type of worship...and worship of another human being is shirk. Do we not find it abhorrent when people kiss the pope's hands? Why then do we not apply the same standard for our own religious leaders?
2. Through gambling and intoxicants, Satan lures you away from the remembrance of Allah.
I agree the raffle was just for fun, and there was no other form of gambling. But still, it was thoughtless and set a very poor Islamic precedent.
3. In God's eyes, the most honoured among you are those who are most mindful of God.
To be honoured by God is to be blessed. How then can the imam bless you? Does he know who is most mindful of God? Has God given him authority to do so?
4. The Believers are those who give charitably to the beggar, the needy, the poor and the traveller...Give God a good loan...God knows what is in your heart, and deeper still...It is better to give in private than public...Prophet, your duty is only to call people to God, you are not there to force them.
Nowhere in the Qur'an does it say to give charitably for the purpose of building a mosque. Nowhere. This does not mean one cannot give funds for a mosque as a form of charity. But the imam cannot say your deeds, or part of your deeds, will definitively be wiped out for giving to a mosque or any other charity for that matter. The imam cannot know God's mind. The imam cannot know with what intention the individual is giving money. This is Allah's decision only.
The imam conducted his requests for donations through the use of pressure tactics combined with a reward of public recognition; essentially bullying through peer pressure. But the Qur'an clearly says private donations are better, so why did the imam encourage public donations as the first choice if he truly cares about 'blessing' individuals? How can the imam use pressure tactics to raise funds for charity when the Prophet (pbuh) himself is instructed only to call people to God? Where does the Qur'an say, 'thou shall use pressure and force people to give in charity'? The tactics employed encouraged giving for the wrong reasons. Instead of giving only for the sake of Allah, you are more likely now to give for show. And giving for show is not giving God a good loan, it is giving yourself a good image. It is not from the heart...and only God knows what is in our hearts, and deeper still.
5. Do not accept anything which you yourself have not verified...You will be repaid in full only for your deeds...No soul will bear the burden of another soul...You will return to God alone, just as you were first created...Whoever labours, does so for the benefit for his own soul.
Have people verified for themselves what the shaykh really advocates? At the event, there were many books on sale authored by this shaykh. In one of the books, the shaykh went out of his way to state our good deeds can be transferred to other individuals, living or dead, simply by naming the individual and making the intention of the transfer. This is outrageous and clearly against the Qur'anic verses above.
We can see from these examples, if people took the time and effort on an individual basis to read the Qur'an, reflect on its verses, and reason on their meaning...how we, as individuals, would then be empowered to critically assess things for ourselves. Consider the Qur'anic verse,
6. The disbelievers will call out to the leading disbelievers, to those who were in authority, 'you misguided us and led us astray', and they will reply, 'it was not us that led you astray, you were already astray on your own'. And God will reply, 'go to the fire, all of you, that is where you belong'.
On what basis then can we rely on imams, shaykhs and scholars for guidance and not seek guidance for ourselves directly from God's words in the Qur'an? After all, religious leaders will not bear the burden of our sins on the Day of Judgement. We will be all alone in God's presence, and we will be judged directly by God. If religious leaders will not intercede for us on that Day, why then do we depend on them to understand God's words now?...words He has made directly available and protected through the Qur'an...words God Himself says He has made easy to understand!
Our Qur'an study class is therefore clearly on the right track. This is further cemented in my mind as a result of last night's experience. The purpose of our class is to empower each of us to think for ourselves, so we can make our own decisions directly from God's words and guidance.
Can anyone's guidance be better than God's?
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Seen and the Unseen
God's Creation and the purpose of life can be viewed from another perspective altogether. It can be viewed simply from the perspective of the Seen and the Unseen. All of God's creation can be categorized as belonging to one of these two worlds. Belief too, can be viewed from this perspective. When one says "I am a Believer", isn't he really saying he believes in both the Seen and the Unseen? And when someone is a disbeliever, isn't he really saying he doesn't believe in the Unseen (or at least in the Unseen world as described by the Qur'an)?
The Seen world is not only what we can 'see' with our eyes, but includes what we can sense through our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. It also includes what we can detect through the technology our minds were given the ability to develop such as ultrasound, infrared, X-rays (and the entire electromagnetic spectrum), subatomic particle detection (e.g. neutrinos), and the list goes on.
The Unseen world is the world which can never be detected by us in this mortal life. This includes God Himself, His angels, the Jinn, the Heavens (other than the first level of heaven which is the universe we live in), Hell, other Unseen forces only God knows, and our very own souls. When a Believer makes a prayer for example, he is really asking God to use His forces of the Unseen world to help him in the Seen world. The disbeliever, by definition, cannot make a prayer because he doesn't believe in the Unseen.
God is the Controller of both the Seen and the Unseen worlds. Control means to direct and regulate.
In the Seen world, humans understand some of the directions and regulations assigned to it by God. We call these the Natural Laws of the Universe or Scientific Laws. Every discipline of science has identified laws, theories or principles that govern and apply to that realm of science. And of course, we are also seeking the 'Unified Theory of Everything' which seeks to unite all known scientific laws. God says 'He has made the Heavens and the Earth for the benefit of mankind'. This partly means He has given man the intellect to understand the laws by which He regulates the Seen world, and that we can use this understanding to our benefit by developing technologies to harness it, and in so doing, seek His bounty.
The Unseen world however, is something man can never harness by science. The Unseen world is directed and regulated by another set of laws altogether, laws we do not know and only God knows. However, God has given us clues on how to call upon the Unseen for our benefit through revelations given to the Messengers. Since it is Unseen, the only way we can call upon it, is through Faith and Prayer. It is my belief, that the firmer the faith of an individual, the more the Unseen world will respond to his prayers. The Believer has a big advantage over the disbeliever. The believer can call upon the full might of God's Creation; he can use both the Seen and the Unseen worlds to help him. Whereas, the disbeliever can only harness the Seen world. The two are not equal.
There is a defined relationship between the two worlds: The Unseen world can observe the Seen world, but not the other way round. Although we cannot see God, the angels, the jinn...they can see us. As the Qur'an says (paraphrased), 'the Jinn can see us from a place where we cannot see them'.
Why then did God create the Seen and the Unseen worlds?
This can be partially answered. On the Day of Judgement, the Seen world will disappear, and the Unseen world will appear. Only the Unseen world will remain. This is The Great Irony: That which we can see will no longer be, and that which we cannot see, will be. The purpose of the Seen world is only for man to accumulate Unseen things for the Unseen world. And what are the Unseen things? They are our deeds and the intention behind those deeds. Everything else perishes and only these survive.
Can you see a deed that's already been done? Can you touch it? Taste it? Smell it? Hear it? Can you develop an instrument that can detect a deed? How about the intention behind the deed? No, you cannot. The deed and its intentions therefore meet the criteria of the Unseen. And since all that can be 'seen' will disappear, our souls and the deeds they accumulate will be all that remain, since they are already part of the Unseen world.
When viewed from this perspective, we can see the Seen world is truly a game. That we are truly deceived to think that the purpose is only the Seen world itself. And that the Seen world is truly illusory because it is temporary. The Unseen world is the true life. It is real now, and it will continue to be real for eternity after the Seen world ceases to exist.
I feel sad for the disbelievers, who spend their entire lives searching for pleasure, of one sort or another...for something that is so short lived...at the expense of what really matters; our eternal life waiting for us in the Unseen world.
The Seen world is not only what we can 'see' with our eyes, but includes what we can sense through our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. It also includes what we can detect through the technology our minds were given the ability to develop such as ultrasound, infrared, X-rays (and the entire electromagnetic spectrum), subatomic particle detection (e.g. neutrinos), and the list goes on.
The Unseen world is the world which can never be detected by us in this mortal life. This includes God Himself, His angels, the Jinn, the Heavens (other than the first level of heaven which is the universe we live in), Hell, other Unseen forces only God knows, and our very own souls. When a Believer makes a prayer for example, he is really asking God to use His forces of the Unseen world to help him in the Seen world. The disbeliever, by definition, cannot make a prayer because he doesn't believe in the Unseen.
God is the Controller of both the Seen and the Unseen worlds. Control means to direct and regulate.
In the Seen world, humans understand some of the directions and regulations assigned to it by God. We call these the Natural Laws of the Universe or Scientific Laws. Every discipline of science has identified laws, theories or principles that govern and apply to that realm of science. And of course, we are also seeking the 'Unified Theory of Everything' which seeks to unite all known scientific laws. God says 'He has made the Heavens and the Earth for the benefit of mankind'. This partly means He has given man the intellect to understand the laws by which He regulates the Seen world, and that we can use this understanding to our benefit by developing technologies to harness it, and in so doing, seek His bounty.
The Unseen world however, is something man can never harness by science. The Unseen world is directed and regulated by another set of laws altogether, laws we do not know and only God knows. However, God has given us clues on how to call upon the Unseen for our benefit through revelations given to the Messengers. Since it is Unseen, the only way we can call upon it, is through Faith and Prayer. It is my belief, that the firmer the faith of an individual, the more the Unseen world will respond to his prayers. The Believer has a big advantage over the disbeliever. The believer can call upon the full might of God's Creation; he can use both the Seen and the Unseen worlds to help him. Whereas, the disbeliever can only harness the Seen world. The two are not equal.
There is a defined relationship between the two worlds: The Unseen world can observe the Seen world, but not the other way round. Although we cannot see God, the angels, the jinn...they can see us. As the Qur'an says (paraphrased), 'the Jinn can see us from a place where we cannot see them'.
Why then did God create the Seen and the Unseen worlds?
This can be partially answered. On the Day of Judgement, the Seen world will disappear, and the Unseen world will appear. Only the Unseen world will remain. This is The Great Irony: That which we can see will no longer be, and that which we cannot see, will be. The purpose of the Seen world is only for man to accumulate Unseen things for the Unseen world. And what are the Unseen things? They are our deeds and the intention behind those deeds. Everything else perishes and only these survive.
Can you see a deed that's already been done? Can you touch it? Taste it? Smell it? Hear it? Can you develop an instrument that can detect a deed? How about the intention behind the deed? No, you cannot. The deed and its intentions therefore meet the criteria of the Unseen. And since all that can be 'seen' will disappear, our souls and the deeds they accumulate will be all that remain, since they are already part of the Unseen world.
When viewed from this perspective, we can see the Seen world is truly a game. That we are truly deceived to think that the purpose is only the Seen world itself. And that the Seen world is truly illusory because it is temporary. The Unseen world is the true life. It is real now, and it will continue to be real for eternity after the Seen world ceases to exist.
I feel sad for the disbelievers, who spend their entire lives searching for pleasure, of one sort or another...for something that is so short lived...at the expense of what really matters; our eternal life waiting for us in the Unseen world.
Monday, February 2, 2009
What is Submission?
Note to Reader: This post is an exception since it is not based on my views alone and is largely based on a sufi book I read sometime ago. I am not a sufi supporter per se, and to be frank, I'm not sure if this view of submission is correct. It is an interesting concept however, which I want to share. But the post does make a point...we should consider what it really means to submit...for it is a root issue.
Islam means submission, and a Muslim is he who submits. But what is submission? What does it mean to submit? How do you go about submitting? These are important questions, as they form the very backbone of following the straight path as commanded to us by God.
Muslims have always been told to submit to God, to be devoted to God, to be mindful of God and to fear God. These are really variations of the same command. And typically we are told the way to submit is to follow the do's and the don'ts. Do your prayers, don't backbite, do your fasts, don't be greedy, and so on. But fundamentally the list of do's and don'ts are only the outward manifestations of submission; they do not get at the root issue - that which drives the behaviour of submission in the first place.
And what drives submission? It is that which is at the very core of us. It is the understanding the soul given to each of us by God is part of His very spirit, and the soul longs to be close to its Master. It is only Satan who tempts us and arouses our ego so as to make pride and arrogance our Masters instead of God. This after all, is exactly what Satan tempted Adam with, when he promised Adam immortality if he ate from the tree...as stated in the Qur'an. Satan, essentially, awakened Adam's ego.
So what is ego? It is the identification of yourself as its own force. The "I". "I" am great. "I" am smart, "I" am strong, "I" am...and the list goes on. So our challenge at the very core, is to recruit our ego away from the service of the self, the "I", to the service of Allah. The ego cannot be eliminated, an ego is given to us by God as a gift...for without it we will not create, we will not accomplish, we will not do. The challenge is to harness the ego, and use it to do work that is good, work that is in the cause of Allah.
So I define submission/fear/devotion/mindfulness of Allah as:
The recruitment of the ego away from the service of the Self to the service of Allah.
When you are in submission - in the true sense, not only the ritual sense - you become an observer of yourself, just as you observe anyone else. You are no longer identified with yourself, but rather you are an Observer. The Observer now has a non-biased choice of recruiting the ego to serve either you (and that means your desires) or serve God. When you, as the Observer, decide and successfuly guide your ego to serve God instead of your desires, then you have reached the state of submission.
And a state of submission to Allah, is actually a state of freedom from the desires...and I would say meanness of the Self. When put in this way, submission is actually freedom...and freedom from your own desires is peace; you are no longer searching for your next buzz, your next source of excitement, your next activity that will satisfy whatever craving YOU want.
Now all this sounds nice...but its easier said than done. By no means have I personally achieved this on a sustained basis as of this writing. But I am striving. I am in and out of submission. But in those periods when I am in submission, well it is nothing but peace. I get an inkling of what the serenity in heaven might be like.
When you achieve this state, of recruitment of your ego away from the service of the Self to the service of Allah, a number of other things happen. First, the ego simply cannot be hurt, cannot be disappointed, cannot even pick you in preference to others because it is not serving you, it is serving Allah. And therefore you cannot get angry, regretful or impatient. Since the ego is in the service of Allah, you are therefore obliged to follow the guidance of the Qur'an, and part of that guidance is to provide for yourself...but to do so in an appropriately measured amount...and greed is eliminated as are all other vices.
The soul therefore, which is God's very own spirit, effectively holds on to God by a rope, just as the Qur'an says. In this state, praying 5 times a day is not only easy, you actually long for the next prayer. In this state, you look out for other's needs in a measured proportion according to God's guidance without neglecting your own needs and your family's needs. In this state, the veil is lifted, the 'game' of this life becomes evident...and you begin to treat it as such. You realize that 'things' in this life are not so important. In this state, Satan has no temptation over you at all.
And what does God say? He says in the Qur'an (paraphrased) 'Satan will be able to tempt all but the true Believers'. This to me, gets at the root of what it really means to be submitted to God...and what it means to be a Muslim...he who submits. Once the soul reaches this state of submission, it is now able to fully follow the guidance of the Qur'an without exception because it no longer is vulnerable to Satan's temptations.
To truly follow the guidance of the Qur'an in a state of submission is what is meant by "Guide us to the straight path.." in sura Fatiha, The Opening.
Islam means submission, and a Muslim is he who submits. But what is submission? What does it mean to submit? How do you go about submitting? These are important questions, as they form the very backbone of following the straight path as commanded to us by God.
Muslims have always been told to submit to God, to be devoted to God, to be mindful of God and to fear God. These are really variations of the same command. And typically we are told the way to submit is to follow the do's and the don'ts. Do your prayers, don't backbite, do your fasts, don't be greedy, and so on. But fundamentally the list of do's and don'ts are only the outward manifestations of submission; they do not get at the root issue - that which drives the behaviour of submission in the first place.
And what drives submission? It is that which is at the very core of us. It is the understanding the soul given to each of us by God is part of His very spirit, and the soul longs to be close to its Master. It is only Satan who tempts us and arouses our ego so as to make pride and arrogance our Masters instead of God. This after all, is exactly what Satan tempted Adam with, when he promised Adam immortality if he ate from the tree...as stated in the Qur'an. Satan, essentially, awakened Adam's ego.
So what is ego? It is the identification of yourself as its own force. The "I". "I" am great. "I" am smart, "I" am strong, "I" am...and the list goes on. So our challenge at the very core, is to recruit our ego away from the service of the self, the "I", to the service of Allah. The ego cannot be eliminated, an ego is given to us by God as a gift...for without it we will not create, we will not accomplish, we will not do. The challenge is to harness the ego, and use it to do work that is good, work that is in the cause of Allah.
So I define submission/fear/devotion/mindfulness of Allah as:
The recruitment of the ego away from the service of the Self to the service of Allah.
When you are in submission - in the true sense, not only the ritual sense - you become an observer of yourself, just as you observe anyone else. You are no longer identified with yourself, but rather you are an Observer. The Observer now has a non-biased choice of recruiting the ego to serve either you (and that means your desires) or serve God. When you, as the Observer, decide and successfuly guide your ego to serve God instead of your desires, then you have reached the state of submission.
And a state of submission to Allah, is actually a state of freedom from the desires...and I would say meanness of the Self. When put in this way, submission is actually freedom...and freedom from your own desires is peace; you are no longer searching for your next buzz, your next source of excitement, your next activity that will satisfy whatever craving YOU want.
Now all this sounds nice...but its easier said than done. By no means have I personally achieved this on a sustained basis as of this writing. But I am striving. I am in and out of submission. But in those periods when I am in submission, well it is nothing but peace. I get an inkling of what the serenity in heaven might be like.
When you achieve this state, of recruitment of your ego away from the service of the Self to the service of Allah, a number of other things happen. First, the ego simply cannot be hurt, cannot be disappointed, cannot even pick you in preference to others because it is not serving you, it is serving Allah. And therefore you cannot get angry, regretful or impatient. Since the ego is in the service of Allah, you are therefore obliged to follow the guidance of the Qur'an, and part of that guidance is to provide for yourself...but to do so in an appropriately measured amount...and greed is eliminated as are all other vices.
The soul therefore, which is God's very own spirit, effectively holds on to God by a rope, just as the Qur'an says. In this state, praying 5 times a day is not only easy, you actually long for the next prayer. In this state, you look out for other's needs in a measured proportion according to God's guidance without neglecting your own needs and your family's needs. In this state, the veil is lifted, the 'game' of this life becomes evident...and you begin to treat it as such. You realize that 'things' in this life are not so important. In this state, Satan has no temptation over you at all.
And what does God say? He says in the Qur'an (paraphrased) 'Satan will be able to tempt all but the true Believers'. This to me, gets at the root of what it really means to be submitted to God...and what it means to be a Muslim...he who submits. Once the soul reaches this state of submission, it is now able to fully follow the guidance of the Qur'an without exception because it no longer is vulnerable to Satan's temptations.
To truly follow the guidance of the Qur'an in a state of submission is what is meant by "Guide us to the straight path.." in sura Fatiha, The Opening.
Why did God make the Universe so BIG?
Have you ever thought about how big the universe is? I mean it is HUGE. Imagine you are travelling at the speed of light, at 300,000km/sec. That means you'd circle the earth 7.5 times in one second! Now imagine going at this speed for about 15 billion years. Okay, well now you have only crossed half the distance of the universe!
There are more galaxies in the universe then there are the number of neurons in our brains. And there are millions and billions of stars per galaxy depending on its size. To put it another way, if you gathered up all the human beings who have ever lived since the time of Adam, and you gave each person their very own galaxy...you'd still have billions of galaxies left over. Now that's a pretty large piece of real estate for each person! I am not suggesting each Believer will have his very own galaxy - especially since the Qur'an clearly states heaven will turn into another heaven on the Day of Judgement. I am however trying to illustrate, by way of comparison, God does mean exactly what He says when He promises each Believer a garden as large as the heavens. But what's more...the universe we see is only the first or lowest level of heaven. There are six more heavens above this one. The virtual infinity of God is staggering.
And I think that's one of the reasons God has made the universe so large. It is to show He is speaking the truth in the Qur'an when He says He is infinite in bounty. He wants us to get a glimpse of the understanding of what He means when He says He's infinite. I am certain the first level of heaven, or the universe we see, is still miniscule in comparison to the sum total of all of God's creation.
There is another reason still why God made the universe as large as it is, and the earth the size it is. God made the universe so immense...simply to do justice to the intellect He gave man. Think about it. If the universe was small, say just the size of our earth and the stars were just jewels encrusted in our sky which was only a canopy....if that was all there was, well...eventually humans wouldn't buy it. Just like the movie, 'The Truman Show.' It simply wouldn't do justice to our intellect. God gave man the intellect to peer into the very beginnings of the universe, and the cognitive capability to comprehend the structure, formation and evolution of the universe. So far, our intellectual limit seems to be the comprehension that something came from nothing in the event known as the Big Bang.
He also made the earth the size it is so we can easily navigate it, at a speed and distance, according to whatever level of our technology. So, for most of the history of man...although we didn't understand the structure of the universe, at the same time, we didn't yet develop transportation and communication technologies that would make the earth a 'global village'. Back then, the earth was a big place, and much of it remained unexplored. So even if we thought the sky was only a canopy with encrusted jewels, the earth was big enough to effectively seem relatively infinite. In other words, God's home for us remained 'infinite' according to our relative development levels of science and technology...so our minds never felt anything was 'fake'.
There is another reason still why God made the earth so big and beautiful. It is to demonstrate His capability and creativity...so there is no doubt in our mind He truly is capable of providing whatever we want for those striving to be close to Him in our next life in heaven, that He is fully capable of delivering His promise. Just look at God's beauty in our earth. The breath taking views of mountains and valleys, all the wonderful plants, flowers and trees, the magnificent animals on both land and sea...both in the present and the past. Can anyone deny God's artistry?
At the same time...He has made volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail storms, tsunamis, floods, meteor impacts, and the heat of the sun itself, to demonstrate He is fully capable of severely punishing...that it is easy for Him to bring the punishing fire of Hell into being.
That is God, there is no God but Him.
There are more galaxies in the universe then there are the number of neurons in our brains. And there are millions and billions of stars per galaxy depending on its size. To put it another way, if you gathered up all the human beings who have ever lived since the time of Adam, and you gave each person their very own galaxy...you'd still have billions of galaxies left over. Now that's a pretty large piece of real estate for each person! I am not suggesting each Believer will have his very own galaxy - especially since the Qur'an clearly states heaven will turn into another heaven on the Day of Judgement. I am however trying to illustrate, by way of comparison, God does mean exactly what He says when He promises each Believer a garden as large as the heavens. But what's more...the universe we see is only the first or lowest level of heaven. There are six more heavens above this one. The virtual infinity of God is staggering.
And I think that's one of the reasons God has made the universe so large. It is to show He is speaking the truth in the Qur'an when He says He is infinite in bounty. He wants us to get a glimpse of the understanding of what He means when He says He's infinite. I am certain the first level of heaven, or the universe we see, is still miniscule in comparison to the sum total of all of God's creation.
There is another reason still why God made the universe as large as it is, and the earth the size it is. God made the universe so immense...simply to do justice to the intellect He gave man. Think about it. If the universe was small, say just the size of our earth and the stars were just jewels encrusted in our sky which was only a canopy....if that was all there was, well...eventually humans wouldn't buy it. Just like the movie, 'The Truman Show.' It simply wouldn't do justice to our intellect. God gave man the intellect to peer into the very beginnings of the universe, and the cognitive capability to comprehend the structure, formation and evolution of the universe. So far, our intellectual limit seems to be the comprehension that something came from nothing in the event known as the Big Bang.
He also made the earth the size it is so we can easily navigate it, at a speed and distance, according to whatever level of our technology. So, for most of the history of man...although we didn't understand the structure of the universe, at the same time, we didn't yet develop transportation and communication technologies that would make the earth a 'global village'. Back then, the earth was a big place, and much of it remained unexplored. So even if we thought the sky was only a canopy with encrusted jewels, the earth was big enough to effectively seem relatively infinite. In other words, God's home for us remained 'infinite' according to our relative development levels of science and technology...so our minds never felt anything was 'fake'.
There is another reason still why God made the earth so big and beautiful. It is to demonstrate His capability and creativity...so there is no doubt in our mind He truly is capable of providing whatever we want for those striving to be close to Him in our next life in heaven, that He is fully capable of delivering His promise. Just look at God's beauty in our earth. The breath taking views of mountains and valleys, all the wonderful plants, flowers and trees, the magnificent animals on both land and sea...both in the present and the past. Can anyone deny God's artistry?
At the same time...He has made volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail storms, tsunamis, floods, meteor impacts, and the heat of the sun itself, to demonstrate He is fully capable of severely punishing...that it is easy for Him to bring the punishing fire of Hell into being.
That is God, there is no God but Him.
Why should we be mindful of God lying, sitting and standing?
Allah instructs us in the Qur'an the true Believers are those who are mindful of God as much as possible - they remember Him lying, sitting and standing. So the question is why does God want us to be mindful of Him at the highest level possible? Well first of all, to be mindful simply means to remember God, to keep him at least in the back of your mind if not the forefront when you are doing a task or engaged in a conversation.
Now, let's look at some of the reasons why.
Consider we wouldn't even be alive if God didn't exist. And if God ceased to exist (which is an impossibility), then we too would also cease to exist along with everything else. This is because God is both the Creator and the Sustainer of His creation. So if God created us, and He sustains us...right through each and every one of our breaths...well, don't you think we ought to be thinking about him lying, sitting and standing?
Let's not take this lightly. Let me put this in perspective. How much do we think about our upcoming exam? How much do we think about our upcoming job interview, our big sales meeting, our meeting with our boss, or even a movie we recently saw? An awful lot don't we? And yet, these things pale in utter insignificance in the face of the importance and gravity of what God does for us in each and every single moment of every day. The Qur'an says (paraphrased), 'if you tried to count God's favours, you could never count them all'.
Do you want to know what the real question is? How can we be so deluded as to not think about God as often as possible...that is, when we are lying, sitting and standing?
By being mindful of God, it keeps us more aligned with God's attributes, which is our natural disposition if we allowed since He breathed our souls into us from His very spirit. God says to hold tight to His rope. He also says to take refuge in Him from the temptations of Satan. How else do we do this except by being mindful of God, by remembering Him. Human beings are capable of only one thought at any given time...so if we are thinking of Allah, then it is impossible to be tempted by Satan at that particular point in time. So the remembrance of Allah, by consequence, encourages us to behave in ways that are more in line with, and thus express, Allah's qualities.
Can there be any better qualities than Allah's?
Now, let's look at some of the reasons why.
Consider we wouldn't even be alive if God didn't exist. And if God ceased to exist (which is an impossibility), then we too would also cease to exist along with everything else. This is because God is both the Creator and the Sustainer of His creation. So if God created us, and He sustains us...right through each and every one of our breaths...well, don't you think we ought to be thinking about him lying, sitting and standing?
Let's not take this lightly. Let me put this in perspective. How much do we think about our upcoming exam? How much do we think about our upcoming job interview, our big sales meeting, our meeting with our boss, or even a movie we recently saw? An awful lot don't we? And yet, these things pale in utter insignificance in the face of the importance and gravity of what God does for us in each and every single moment of every day. The Qur'an says (paraphrased), 'if you tried to count God's favours, you could never count them all'.
Do you want to know what the real question is? How can we be so deluded as to not think about God as often as possible...that is, when we are lying, sitting and standing?
By being mindful of God, it keeps us more aligned with God's attributes, which is our natural disposition if we allowed since He breathed our souls into us from His very spirit. God says to hold tight to His rope. He also says to take refuge in Him from the temptations of Satan. How else do we do this except by being mindful of God, by remembering Him. Human beings are capable of only one thought at any given time...so if we are thinking of Allah, then it is impossible to be tempted by Satan at that particular point in time. So the remembrance of Allah, by consequence, encourages us to behave in ways that are more in line with, and thus express, Allah's qualities.
Can there be any better qualities than Allah's?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
What happens when you make a dua (prayer)?
We all make duas. Many of us make duas many times per day. But what exactly is a dua or prayer?
A dua is a specific request to God.
And what are you actually asking God to do when you make a specific request? It's an important question and deserves consideration.
When you make a dua...what you are really doing is asking God to change the normal course of events, into another course of events in such a way that the dua comes true. In other words, you are asking God to intervene in the natural laws He has set up for mankind here on earth. And to be more specific, you are asking God to use His forces of the Unseen to make your dua come true.
So when viewed from this perspective, when you are making a dua, you are really saying..."God, recruit your forces of the Unseen, which only you know, to help make my specific request come true."
Carrying this line of reasoning further...what then are God's forces of the Unseen? Well we know angels are a big of part of that. And Jinn too. And there are likely all types of other forces we have not been made aware of. Some examples of the use of angels in the Qur'an include:
1. God sent thousands of angels down to help the Prophet (pbuh) and the Believers against the disbelievers during the battle of badr. The much smaller force of believers triumphed against the much larger force as a result.
2. There are 8 angels that hold up God's throne.
3. We each have 2 recording angels and 2 guardian angels.
4. On the Day of Judgement, each of us will have 2 angels assigned to us, one to lead us on and the other to bear witness.
5. The angel of death will take our soul away when we die.
6. The archangel Gabriel is generally given the honour of transmitting God's messages to the Prophets.
So we can see from these examples God employes angels to do His bidding. Angels also have 2, 3 or 4 pairs of wings implying there are different types or classes of angels.
In some instances, God also employs Jinn to do His bidding. We know Solomon had mastery over the Jinn by God's leave. There were Jinn who dove for him, built all kinds of palaces, cauldrons and many types of fineries. However, unlike angels who are made specifically to obey God, Jinn are given free will, and hence seem to be reluctant when God specifically forces them to obey Him. For example, when the Jinn found out sometime after Solomon's death that he had passed away, they lamented doing, what they considered demeaning work, unnecessarily longer than they had to.
So by and large, in my opinion, when you make a dua, you are really asking God to send down angels and other unseen forces to intercede in the normal course of events to somehow make things happen according to your own specific request.
But now, here's the really important part. God has said in the Qur'an that He has made it His duty to help the Believers. If this is so, and it must be so because God does not break His promise, it is reasonable to conclude that one of the key ways God achieves this (although if God wanted He could simply say "Be" and it is) is by sending the angels down to the Believers just as he did during the battle of badr.
Now I want the reader to contemplate something. Doesn't it make sense the greater the belief of the Believer the more God will help him? So if the Believer only believes a little, God will send only a little help. It could be by instructing only one angel to help only a little for example. Now if the Believer is strong in his belief and trust in God, then God would help him more (e.g. by sending many angels with each given large help tasks). Doesn't that make sense?
Now can anyone have a stronger and truer faith in God than the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or the previous messengers? I think not. And since the messengers had the highest and purest faith, they received the highest level of help from Allah. This is one of the reasons why the Prophet (pbuh) succeeded in his mission.
There is a lesson here for all of us. I think it is obvious is it not? If we want God's help, I mean truly want it, we have to truly earn it. And we truly earn it by striving to attain the highest level of pure faith possible. It's not easy, it doesn't occur over night...it can take years.
It is in fact, a life long journey, but the only journey that has true meaning.
A dua is a specific request to God.
And what are you actually asking God to do when you make a specific request? It's an important question and deserves consideration.
When you make a dua...what you are really doing is asking God to change the normal course of events, into another course of events in such a way that the dua comes true. In other words, you are asking God to intervene in the natural laws He has set up for mankind here on earth. And to be more specific, you are asking God to use His forces of the Unseen to make your dua come true.
So when viewed from this perspective, when you are making a dua, you are really saying..."God, recruit your forces of the Unseen, which only you know, to help make my specific request come true."
Carrying this line of reasoning further...what then are God's forces of the Unseen? Well we know angels are a big of part of that. And Jinn too. And there are likely all types of other forces we have not been made aware of. Some examples of the use of angels in the Qur'an include:
1. God sent thousands of angels down to help the Prophet (pbuh) and the Believers against the disbelievers during the battle of badr. The much smaller force of believers triumphed against the much larger force as a result.
2. There are 8 angels that hold up God's throne.
3. We each have 2 recording angels and 2 guardian angels.
4. On the Day of Judgement, each of us will have 2 angels assigned to us, one to lead us on and the other to bear witness.
5. The angel of death will take our soul away when we die.
6. The archangel Gabriel is generally given the honour of transmitting God's messages to the Prophets.
So we can see from these examples God employes angels to do His bidding. Angels also have 2, 3 or 4 pairs of wings implying there are different types or classes of angels.
In some instances, God also employs Jinn to do His bidding. We know Solomon had mastery over the Jinn by God's leave. There were Jinn who dove for him, built all kinds of palaces, cauldrons and many types of fineries. However, unlike angels who are made specifically to obey God, Jinn are given free will, and hence seem to be reluctant when God specifically forces them to obey Him. For example, when the Jinn found out sometime after Solomon's death that he had passed away, they lamented doing, what they considered demeaning work, unnecessarily longer than they had to.
So by and large, in my opinion, when you make a dua, you are really asking God to send down angels and other unseen forces to intercede in the normal course of events to somehow make things happen according to your own specific request.
But now, here's the really important part. God has said in the Qur'an that He has made it His duty to help the Believers. If this is so, and it must be so because God does not break His promise, it is reasonable to conclude that one of the key ways God achieves this (although if God wanted He could simply say "Be" and it is) is by sending the angels down to the Believers just as he did during the battle of badr.
Now I want the reader to contemplate something. Doesn't it make sense the greater the belief of the Believer the more God will help him? So if the Believer only believes a little, God will send only a little help. It could be by instructing only one angel to help only a little for example. Now if the Believer is strong in his belief and trust in God, then God would help him more (e.g. by sending many angels with each given large help tasks). Doesn't that make sense?
Now can anyone have a stronger and truer faith in God than the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or the previous messengers? I think not. And since the messengers had the highest and purest faith, they received the highest level of help from Allah. This is one of the reasons why the Prophet (pbuh) succeeded in his mission.
There is a lesson here for all of us. I think it is obvious is it not? If we want God's help, I mean truly want it, we have to truly earn it. And we truly earn it by striving to attain the highest level of pure faith possible. It's not easy, it doesn't occur over night...it can take years.
It is in fact, a life long journey, but the only journey that has true meaning.
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