Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (1925-2021) was an Indian, Islamic scholar born in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh. He is best known for his Quranic commentary in light of science. He was a peace activist, who was listed among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world.
The maulana’s writings and commentary regarding the hereafter world, is bound to give any reader goosebumps. The way he puts his thoughts across, in light of the “Quran”, makes them quite worthy of reading. He has been a multi-dimensional author of various books.
Today, it is my pleasure to write a review of his book “In Search Of God”, published by Goodword Books. The book contains six chapters which are diverse in nature, but still relevant to the larger theme and title of it.
The book actually answers the questions a person might have regarding the existence of almighty god. The way the maulana has briefly answered such doubts using a logical, scientific and Quranic perspective, depicts his vision of spirituality and belief.
Every Human Is Born A Believer
Firstly, he talks about the existence of humans which is a most evident mystery. For humans are not what they physically appear to be, but consists of what we call “I”. And, the I is not observable. The maulana tries to answer and revolve his pen around this theme in the whole book.
He says that if you accept your own existence then logically, you are compelled to say: “I exist, therefore, God exists.” He then moves further and starts questioning if god exists. He says that he does believe in god based on his studies and experience of life.
Here, the maulana describes the belief that people generally have that they are in a position to prove or disprove anything, But, this is not a scientific position according him. We can’t prove or disprove anything, we can only arrive at a point of probability rather than certainty.
According to anthropology i.e., the study of what makes us human, the concept of god is ingrained in human nature. If a belief in god runs in our blood, then every human is a born believer.
Everyone, in their lifetime, faces circumstances where they feel helpless. This is when most of us experience that there is a supreme being present. Then why are we still stuck with the question of god’s existence?
Someone Is Making Sure The Universe Runs Smoothly
Moving on, the maulana highlights that according to the encyclopaedia of ignorance, an increase in knowledge has also increased our ignorance. Human knowledge has two different phases: the pre-Einstein period and the post-Einstein one.
In the pre-Einstein period, human knowledge was mainly about the macro or material world, which was observable and measurable. It dealt with the logical aspect that real existence should be observable. It led to the creation of a theory called logical positivism.
But, later on, with the advent of technologies, when the atom was split, the whole situation changed from focusing on the macro world to studying unseen waves, particles etc. Here, it also pushed humans towards thinking about the existence of god.
These are all examples which are put forth by the author to make readers understand and give them a logical view regarding the existence of god. The author also describes the “big bang theory”, which also supports the existence of god according to him.
Science has been witness to the fact that whenever an explosion occurs, it causes destruction, except the pre-planned ones. So, it only follows that the creation of universe caused by an explosion of a cosmic ball, should have been destructive. But, no! It created the universe, where every tiny particle is in its accurate position.
Why We Believe That God Created The Universe
This helps us understand that there is someone who has the supreme authority of designing the world in such a beautiful way, and he is none other than god. This miraculous phenomenon is enough to make us believe that the big bang explosion was certainly pre-planned, under the supervision of the supreme planner.
The maulana talks about various characteristics of the universe in which we reside. The harmony in the between the innumerable stars and planets in space, is perhaps more than the grains of sand in the coasts of seas. All these bodies are continuously in motion, with rapid speed, but there is no collision between them.
There are various other phenomenon which serve the example of such harmony. All these miraculous phenomenon speak to the fact that there is a central management behind this universe. And, the manager is no-one except our almighty Allah.
The maulana speaks about the most beautiful topic here: the right proportion of things in the universe. He talks about the trees and says that their model is final. No-one can create other model. Similarly, with humans. A human is the best creature on earth and this model is also final. No-one has ever created a modified human.
But, when we look at human-made things, they tend to be flawed and always go through modifications. This shows that the one who created us and the universe is a perfectionist. His work needs no modification. His model is the ultimate one.
Do Humans Stand Alone In This Universe?
The distance from sun to earth is such that if the sun moves closer to the earth by a few miles, the whole of our earth will get burnt and will destroyed. And, if the sun moves slightly higher than its actual position, everything will be frozen and the earth will still get destroyed.
Hence, this also shows there is someone who is the master of this, and it is none except Allah. The maulana further speaks about the fact that humans aren’t standing alone in the universe.
Julian Huxley, the well-known British writer, was an atheist and his perception was that humans don’t need god, and they are sufficient by themselves in this world. He has written this in his book “Man Stands Alone”.
Huxley’s ideas were challenged by the American scientist Cressy Morrison, in his book “Man Doesn’t Stand Alone”. Even in the present era, many people are of the same belief proposed by Huxley, but when they feel helpless in life, they start believing that there is someone superior than us, who can help them move past their troubles.
Why Spirituality Is Essential For All Humans
A human experiences this in different ways in their lives, with the passage of time. All humans have the feeling that they suffer from limitations when they can’t achieve what they actually want to.
These limitations make them feel helpless. Everyone experience these moments when there is a loss, death, an accident or due to old age. Here, the maulana writes in a deliberative way that these all helpless moments repeatedly remind us of the fact that we are in need of a superior power.
This is because without that very superior power, we can’t move ahead in our lives. So, all these feelings provide us with the psychological proof of the existence of god.
The maulana then says that spirituality awakens the mind. According to him, spirituality is a great strength and the best formula for character-building.
Why One Should Remember God In Every Waking Moment
In the last two chapters, the maulana addresses those people now who have come to the point of belief in the existence of one god. He says that when we accept the reality of the existence of god with all our senses, we have to live a life which is wholly god-oriented.
The earth revolves around the sun for its smooth functioning, and if it doesn’t then its existence would have been of no meaning. This is a practical demonstration for humans. If we do not live a life according to the divine book of the almighty Allah, our existence holds no meaning.
Humans have been created a superior creature among all other creatures. Hence, it’s our main responsibility to adopt the only way which has been mentioned in the holy scripts of Allah. All our worldly affairs should revolve around the orbit of Allah so that we can prosper in our lives.
The god-oriented life begins when we start remembering god and begin to feel his presence. No matter what we do and where we are, we are reminded of the presence of god. Just as rain nourishes the crops, so does the remembrance of god for humans, if we remain ever-immersed in it.
Who Is A True Believer Of God?
Through remembering god, we enter the domain of spirituality. The maulana says that god is the spiritual focus for humans. One whose heart is attached to god, undergoes spiritual experiences at every moment. The belief in one god is meant for the spiritual development of humans. The main aspect here is a sense of accountability.
We should fear the hereafter, as we have to stand in front of almighty Allah who knows each and every deed we did. So, this sense of fear and love of Allah will enhance the seed of spirituality sown within us. It will make humans a true believer of god.
When there is an ever-present threat of being chased by Allah, our deeds will be on the right path—which Allah and the prophet Mohammed have guided us towards. Therefore, the maulana also emphasises that main element that will lead to a god-oriented life is a sense of accountability.
In Search Of God clears the doubts a person might face in the modern world. The author’s approach in the religious and modern contexts is appreciable. Quran is the ultimate, divine book which shows us the righteous path to lead our lives. We should remain focused on it and sunnah (the Arabic term for the prophet Muhammad’s way of life and legal precedent).
We should not get stuck on the basis of ideological clashes. This book is really a masterpiece. May almighty Allah reward the author’s soul with his blessings, amen!
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Faheem Ul Islam hails from Achan, a part of Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Faheem is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Aligarh Muslim University.