FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Man’s search for meaning and truth, questions about death and beyond can find fulfilment under a single phenomenon that in religious terms may be called “God”. Every person, consciously or unconsciously, yearns to know how he came into existence. Everyone tries to understand the meaning of his existence in this world. There are few who have not frequently reflected on existence. When a person is born, he immediately finds himself in a world with a life-support system which he did not bring into existence. He then thinks that nature potentially had an entire technology hidden in it. Man later discovered and developed this technology to create the civilization we see around us. Thus, man questions himself: Who is behind this living drama? What is the relationship between me and that super-artist? Then, there is the question of death, the most enigmatic question of all: Why does man die and what lies beyond? Man’s search for meaning and truth, questions about death and beyond can find fulfilment under a single phenomenon that in religious terms may be called “God”. If we accept this term, we can say that, in fact, everyone is in search of God. It is God who gives meaning to all phenomena, because, after finding God, everything falls into place. Everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, is in search of God. During this search he runs towards various things, but when they come within his reach, he very soon realizes that he has not found the answer to his search. ‘God’ is not something which one finds from external sources. It is a matter of self-discovery. God can only be discovered by an individual himself. It is only the self-discovered God that can give you conviction. If you want to make your life meaningful, you have to take up this question on a priority basis. It is your own study and contemplation through which you can discover God. The sign of truly discovering God is that when you find Him, you will feel at peace with yourself and with the universe, like a little boy in the arms of his mother. The process of search has only one condition to it, and that is, sincerity. Jesus Christ has said: “The one who seeks finds.” (Matthew 7: 8) This is not a religious saying; rather it describes a law of nature. One who is truly sincere in his search will certainly reach his goal. o Prof. Farida Khanam hub@thespiritofislam.org