Article appeared Friday, January 17th, 2014 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Re elation !"11#

yousu$ %ah&u&ul 'sla%, (h)

*an &elie$ or $aith enter our hearts without e$$ort, i+e+ auto%atically, &y itsel$, Be$ore we analy-e the .uestion to answer it, we need to decide where e/actly &elie$ resides+ A$ter so%e thought, we %ay co%e to the conclusion that &elie$ %ust reside in our personal thoughts+ 0ur thought processes or intelligence is what sets hu%an &eings apart $ro% all other ani%als+ 1u%ans are the only creation that can logically and analytically see2 and $ind the *reator without physically seeing 1i%+ This is the a&ility that sets hu%ans apart $ro% the rest o$ creation+ That &elie$ %ust lie in our thoughts %ay lead to an understanding o$ what the A%erican e angelical pastor, spea2er and writer A+ 3+ To-er !1457 6 157"# was trying to e/plain in the $ollowing .uote8 3hat co%es into our %inds when we thin2 a&out 9od is the %ost i%portant thing a&out us+ {1} :o what is it that co%es into our %ind when we thin2 a&out 9od, i+e+ our *reator, 0r are we too &usy with our li es to spare a %o%ent $or 1i%, Regardless o$ how &usy we are there co%es a ti%e, when the *reator does occupy our thoughts+ This occurs when we are in serious trou&le+ 3hen in trou&le, we intuiti ely 2now that it is only the *reator that can get us out o$ trou&le+ 3e there$ore go all out and pray to 1i% directly+ 1owe er, when the pro&le% is sol ed, we o$ten con eniently $orget to than2 1i%; Are thoughts that o erloo2 to than2 the *reator <usti$ied, :o, generally, we loo2 $or the *reator when we need 1i% = <ust to get us out o$ the trou&le, to help us pass e/a%s, etc+ )oes this %ean that we loo2 upon the *reator just as our personal pro&le% sol er or treat 1i% li2e %edicine as B+ 9raha% )ienert {2} points out, >any people pray as i$ 9od were a &ig aspirin pill? they co%e !to 9od# only when they hurt; {2} )id the *reator go to all the trou&le o$ gi ing intelligence to hu%ans so that they can treat 1i% li2e a big aspirin pill? 3hy indeed did the *reator go to all the trou&le o$ %a2ing the @ni erse and putting intelligent hu%ans inside it, 3hat additional contri&ution could the di$$erentiating .uality o$ analytical intelligence %a2e to the *reator, Analytical intelligence has the a&ility to search $or the *reator, independently recogni-e 1i%, wor2 out 1is *ontri&ution to the @ni erse, 1is %o%ent6to6%o%ent *ontri&ution to our personal li es and pro%pt us to praise 1i%, lo e 1i%, trust 1i% and &e grate$ul to 1i% in return+ This is the highest thing that hu%an thoughts or intelligence can do+ There$ore, as To-er pointed out what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us+ 'n $act, a hu%an %ind that does not thin2 a&out the *reator would &eco%e li2e an ani%al &rain that is in co%plete dar2ness a&out 1i%+ The .uestion is8 ha e we wor2ed out what the *reator wants $ro% our indi idual thoughts, And i$ our thoughts do not $ul$ill the purpose $or which 1e has gi en us analytical %inds what %ight 1e do, 3e %ust re%ind oursel es that 1e has the power to do as 1e (leases since the @ni erse and e erything in it &elong to 1i%+ 1e is the sole 0wner o$ e erything in the @ni erse and has co%plete authority o er e ery %o%ent o$ e/istence+ To help us de elop our thoughts regarding the *reator, To-er {1} said the $ollowing, :o%eti%es ' go to 9od and say, A9od, i$ Bou ne er answer another prayer while ' li e on this earth, ' will still worship Bou as long as ' li e and in the ages to co%e $or what Bou ha e done already+ 9od has already put %e so $ar in de&t that i$ ' were to li e one %illion %illenniu%s ' couldnCt pay 1i% $or what 1e has done $or %e+ {1} :o how does 1e 2now a&out our thoughts, To-er D1E points out8

3e need ne er shout across the spaces to an a&sent 9od+ 1e is nearer than our own soul, closer than our %ost secret thoughts. {1} This concept o$ e/actly how close the *reator is to each indi idual hu%an is echoed &y the %ost recent di ine Re elation, the FurCan8 't was 3e who created %an and 3e 2now what dar2 suggestions his soul %a2es to hi%8 $or 3e are nearer to hi% than !his# <ugular ein+ GH0+17I :o the *reator is aware o$ the inner%ost state o$ our thoughts and $eelings+ 1e there$ore is $ully aware o$ e/actly what we indi idually thin2 o$ 1i%, how %uch we are willing to do things $or 1i%, how %uch we lo e 1i%, whether we mean what we say, etc+ As the *reator is constantly in search $or thoughts that de%onstrate lo e $or 1i% is it surprising that Jesus !p&uh# co%%anded, Jo e the Jord your 9od with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your %ind and with all your strength+ G>ar2 128"0I {3} Ji ing in todayCs world, with all distractions and te%ptations, $ollowing the co%%and%ent is indeed a di$$icult tas2+ 1owe er, while atte%pting to analy-e e ents and happenings one %ust learn to trust the *reator with patience and perse erance+ The *reator inclines towards those who incline towards 1i% while atte%pting to trust 1i% during trials or on the &attle $ield+ 1e appreciates any thoughts $or 1i%+ )uring the trials that 1e gi es, 1e tests our thoughts and helps those who are atte%pting to trust 1i%+ 1e there$ore lightens the &urden o$ such people+

8.66 For the present Allah has lightened your (test) for e !no"s that there is a "ea! spot in you# $ut (e%en so) if there are a hundred of you patient and perse%ering they "ill %an&uish t"o hundred and if a thousand they "ill %an&uish t"o thousand "ith the lea%e of Allah# for Allah is "ith those "ho patiently perse%ere.
'n the Kerse a&o e, our *reator, Allah is in$or%ing us how 1e helped &elie ers against those who persecuted the% in the past, i.e., e en when they de%onstrated wea2 &elie$ = and 1e pro%ises to continue to help in the present day and ti%e+ For our part, Allah co%%ands8 And stri e in 1is cause as you ought to stri e !with sincerity and under discipline#8 1e has chosen you and has i%posed no di$$iculties on you in religion? it is the cult o$ your $ather A&raha%+ 't is 1e 3ho has na%ed you >usli%s &oth &e$ore and in this !Re elation#? that the Apostle %ay &e a witness $or you and you &e witnesses $or %an2ind; :o esta&lish regular (rayer, gi e regular *harity and hold $ast to Allah; 1e is your (rotector, the Best to protect and the Best to help; G22+74I 666666 {'otes}8 {1} http8LLwww+goodreads+co%LauthorL.uotesL1042250+AM3MTo-er {2} http8LLthin2e/ist+co%L.uotesL&+Mgraha%MdienertL {3} http8LLwww+&i&legateway+co%LpassageL,searchN>ar2O20128"0