1981-March-27

Bialian News

Nature Over Form

Imam Warith Deen Muhammad

(Editor's note: Following are excerpts from Imam Warith Deen Muhammad's publication, "As The Light Shineth From The East. " Bilalian News takes this opportunity to provide its reading public with brief glimpses of this historical work. We not only recommend that everyone purchase a personal copy, but also additional copies for friends and relatives.)

In the clear focus that religion provides for us we see the importance of nature over form, Many people in religion read the allegorical or symbolic language of scripture and they can't see beneath the surface to read the real message that is in the symbolism or the allegorism. They come to the conclusion that religion is telling us how the sun was put in the sky, how the moon was put in the sky, how stars were put in the sky, how fish were put in the water, and how trees and other life sprung up from the physical earth.

But actually, God is saying to us with scripture—and the great prophets made this knowledge available to us—that the world without is only a sign and a signal that He has made to direct you and your growth. As He has placed the sun that rises up from the horizon at dawn breaking in the night and giving day, He has also placed a sun in your nature and in your structure —the light of intelligence. You fall asleep and darkness comes over you at night, but you awake because He has designed you that way. You awake and open your eyes, and the light of intelligence begins to operate; it operates until you get tired, it begins to set and you lie down and sleep again.

These lights are descriptive of the kinds of leaders we have on this earth. Some are like the sun. They rise and they cause a lot of activity. They make the little birds jump up out of their nests. They bring the animals out chirping and making a lot of noise. They give warmth like the sun does, and show us all the physical objects. But then there are some that are like the moon; they seem to be lesser in light, but their light penetrates the darkness that the sun has left on us.

And then we have some that are like the stars. They're very far away, and they seem small to us, but in reality, most of the stars that we think to be small are bigger than our moon, bigger than our earth, and many of them bigger than our sun.

We have people like that who are so far away from the foolishness we're involved Jn that we think them to be very small, but in reality they are bigger than the things that we are idolizing and admiring. Almighty God, He is the One that created us, and Almighty God is the One to inspire us; and Almighty God is the One to reveal the hidden secrets of the world and of our own life. That has been done by Almighty God through His great prophets, from Abraham to Muhammad.

Genesis tells us of the beginning of creation in these words: In the beginning the earth was without form and void; and darkness covered the deep; and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, let there be light, and there was light. And He hung a great light in the heavens to rule the day, and a lesser light to rule the night. And He hung the stars also.

Now, let's look at the Quran to see how the Quran treats the same subject; to see how Almighty God revealed to a later prophet that was to complete the message of religion for the total development of the individual in society- It reads:

"Read in the Name of your Guardian, Evolver and Sustainer who created the being from a clot of blood.”

Here we are getting the same message. But it is brought to us clear. The light is coming on to stay. God says: Read, and your Lord is most bountiful who taught the man, the human being, the use of the pen. So, here Almighty God has revealed to Prophet Muhammad the real-meaning of the Genesis; the growth of intelligence is the answer to the riddles, the rising of the sun, the hanging of a moon and the placing of stars in the heavens. As a result, fish come in the water, life grows all over the land, people begin to populate— God is telling us that in order for us to have a healthy, beautiful, full life on earth we must have intelligent life first. So, the Holy Quran doesn't leave us in doubt.

The first verses that came to Prophet Muhammad says: Read in the Name of your
Guardian, Evolver and Sustainer who created man from a small clot of blood. Read and your Lord is most bountiful who taught man the use of the pen.

And for those who doubt that God is speaking to the need for intelligence to grow, let us go again to the same term, "create," in the Quran. God says; Create yourselves! God challenges us to create ourselves, God says: Create yourselves with the character building blocks revealed to you by God. Create yourself in the character-image of God. This is character building; one speaking directly to intelligence growth, and the other speaking to character building. How can you build intelligent character if you don't have any good sense? A foolish people cannot build intelligent character. They have to be ordered about, disciplined and forced to conform to good manners by adult people. Can we remain children forever on this earth?

(To be continued)