INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

experience with others. You will cry out, “I have to tell the world about God! O humankind, I have to tell you who the Creator of the universe is!” You think, ponder, study, until you discover God. This thrilling discovery will guide you, even in the middle of the night, you might find yourself standing up and speaking to a human being, exclaiming, I’ve discovered our Creator! Believe Him and follow His guidance.” This is the secret of the unseen. If God were like Qutub Minar and Taj Mahal, where would this thrill come from? Such discoveries are made from the deep meaning and thoughtful study of the Quran. Therefore, the Quran is a treasure of God-realization. It is narrated in the Hadith: There is no end to the wonders of the Quran. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) How can a person discover these wonders? Through study, thinking and reflection. If God were not in the unseen, how would all this happen? If He had appeared, how could one go somewhere and see Him? God’s being in the unseen invites you to think, study, and reflect. And when, after a long process, you discover God, you cry out, “Today I have discovered the truth!” The greatest fact is that God is the Creator of the universe. That’s where the emotion and the urge to share this discovery with others comes from. Sharing this discovery with others is not an announcement; it’s an expression of a thrilling discovery. It’s not like, “Qutub Minar was built in such and such year” or “Taj Mahal in such and such year.” This feeling is akin to fire that comes to the heart after the discovery of reality. The only thing you remember is that you have discovered that there is a Creator of this universe, and I wish to share this discovery with my fellow beings. This verse that we have been discussing I have been reciting since childhood. I had no idea what the real import of this verse was. However, deep thinking, reflection and study guided me to discover that this verse of the Quran makes a revolutionary statement. This verse addresses people all over the world: “O people! You say, ‘I will believe in God when I see Him—so wait here for a few days, when the journey of knowledge reaches its peak, you will know that this view is wrong.” It’s not just God—all things are unseen! May God enable all of us to read the Quran correctly, to know the truth that He has declared in the Quran, to discover the wisdom contained in the Quran, and then to become true believers, to be true worshippers.