THE CONCEPT OF RELIGION

receives after accepting the Quran is ta’alluq billah (connection with God). This is the greatest gain of a believer in this world. This connection with God does not imply a belief in God as merely the intellectual basis of a specific “code of life.” Instead, it refers to a profound attachment that forms on a vital psychological level between God and the servant. It signifies the psychological state of a servant who has developed an intense love for God (hubb-e-shadeed, as referenced in the Quran, 2:165); who begins to experience closeness to God through the prayer of “prostration of nearness” (Sajda-e-Qurb)(Quran, 96:19); who calls upon God with both “fear and hope” (Quran, 7:56); and upon whom descends such a state of presence (of God), described in Hadith as the semblance of seeing. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 50) However, in this book’s portrayal of the Quran’s intended purpose, this most important aspect seems lost. It no longer remains intact in its true form. This is similar to photographing someone from the back instead of the front; while the photo may appear complete, the face—the true representation of a person—remains hidden. According to this interpretation, Ilah refers to a type of relationship where a person regards God as the possessor of “supreme authority”: first, as the sovereign ruler over the heavens and the earth; second,