Physics can be an eye-opener. Not only opening one's eyes to the wonders of the machinations of this universe but also to the metaphysics behind how this reality is structured and the teachings of religion.
You see, I've been reading the book "The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene, reknowned physicist and writer of popular books on physics and cosmology. In this particular tome, he explains the mysterious and often befuddling concepts of space, time and the structure of reality. Here's the part where I was dumbstruck by what I was reading:
Reality is not what we think it is.
I shall spare you the details, as I am sure you may be piqued sufficiently enough to go read the book yourself. Suffice it to say that the concept of Einstein's Special Relativity and quantum mechanics implies that the past, the future and the now are illusions. Time seems to flow forwards, yet time has already happened. Everything that ever was and everything that ever will be, by implications of the relativity of spacetime has happened, is happening and already has happened.
What does this mean?
Are we in delusion by the inexhorable forward march of time and reality we see around us? Are our efforts in vain if everything has happened? Is there no space for us to make a difference in the outcomes of our actions? This seems so.
If you're reading this and you're muslim, you may be familiar with what the Qur'an says with regards to the reality of the universe of this world, and that everything in it has been preordained:
"Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation, as written in the Book of Decrees Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz)." Surah Al Qamar (54):49
"And everything, small and big is written (in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz already beforehand i.e. before it befalls, or is done by its doer)" Surah Al Qamar (54):53
"No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz), before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah." Surah Al Hadid (57):22
Amazingly the understanding of the physics mentioned above is affirmed very nicely by these ayaat. Allah has created everything beforehand, and physics theoretically has affirmed that spacetime, that combination of events and time, are possibly existing all at the same time. In other words, the past, present and future are existing. This is too awe-inspiringly mind blowing to not be coincidence.
So what of it?
Yet, Allah has guided us to make effort. There is qadr and there is qadha. How do we reconcile this if everything has been set by Allah?
Tawakkal: the concept that we may and must exert effort to reach our goals, but it is Allah that sets the outcome. Couple this teaching with Allah admonishing us to start everything we do with his name, with Bi ism allah (bismillah, in the name of Allah) and all that we do from then on becomes a form of ibaadah for us, a form of worship. We may, in the grand scheme of Allah's plan, not get what we want, but our effort to get there by turning our mundane acts into devotion to Allah is why we say that holiest of names: to give ourselves the gift of pahala in everything we do, despite everything being pre-ordained. And that is the ultimate reward of our submission to Allah in everything we do: jannah, heaven, eden, the Garden, Paradise, the ultimate of rewards of what we are striving for, and not the ephemeral rewards of this finite world.
You see, I've been reading the book "The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene, reknowned physicist and writer of popular books on physics and cosmology. In this particular tome, he explains the mysterious and often befuddling concepts of space, time and the structure of reality. Here's the part where I was dumbstruck by what I was reading:
Reality is not what we think it is.
I shall spare you the details, as I am sure you may be piqued sufficiently enough to go read the book yourself. Suffice it to say that the concept of Einstein's Special Relativity and quantum mechanics implies that the past, the future and the now are illusions. Time seems to flow forwards, yet time has already happened. Everything that ever was and everything that ever will be, by implications of the relativity of spacetime has happened, is happening and already has happened.
What does this mean?
Are we in delusion by the inexhorable forward march of time and reality we see around us? Are our efforts in vain if everything has happened? Is there no space for us to make a difference in the outcomes of our actions? This seems so.
If you're reading this and you're muslim, you may be familiar with what the Qur'an says with regards to the reality of the universe of this world, and that everything in it has been preordained:
"Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation, as written in the Book of Decrees Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz)." Surah Al Qamar (54):49
"And everything, small and big is written (in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz already beforehand i.e. before it befalls, or is done by its doer)" Surah Al Qamar (54):53
"No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz), before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah." Surah Al Hadid (57):22
Amazingly the understanding of the physics mentioned above is affirmed very nicely by these ayaat. Allah has created everything beforehand, and physics theoretically has affirmed that spacetime, that combination of events and time, are possibly existing all at the same time. In other words, the past, present and future are existing. This is too awe-inspiringly mind blowing to not be coincidence.
So what of it?
Yet, Allah has guided us to make effort. There is qadr and there is qadha. How do we reconcile this if everything has been set by Allah?
Tawakkal: the concept that we may and must exert effort to reach our goals, but it is Allah that sets the outcome. Couple this teaching with Allah admonishing us to start everything we do with his name, with Bi ism allah (bismillah, in the name of Allah) and all that we do from then on becomes a form of ibaadah for us, a form of worship. We may, in the grand scheme of Allah's plan, not get what we want, but our effort to get there by turning our mundane acts into devotion to Allah is why we say that holiest of names: to give ourselves the gift of pahala in everything we do, despite everything being pre-ordained. And that is the ultimate reward of our submission to Allah in everything we do: jannah, heaven, eden, the Garden, Paradise, the ultimate of rewards of what we are striving for, and not the ephemeral rewards of this finite world.
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