Article appeared Friday, March 31st, 2017 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (470) yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

From day to day, what kind of thoughts do we entertain? Among these thoughts do we ever turn
our thoughts to God? For example, how does He create or even what it means to create? Or for
that matter, is it possible for human beings to think about God or even, how does a human being
have a thought?

How do humans have thoughts? What is a thought or how do/can humans think? To
understand, we may consider what happens when we hear a word or read a word, i.e., when a
particular word enters our brain? Does the image of the word read or the sound of the word
itself carry a meaning? Or does the brain have to attach a perceived meaning? Lets consider
the word, God. When we see and read the written word, what significance does it carry?
Without mentally attaching a meaning, can the word God have any impact? How can we attach
a meaning? One way could be to consider the qualities of God. If we accept that God creates
from nothing what significance does it carry for our own creation? At some point in time, we did
not exist, i.e., we were individually nothing. From nothing, how did we then become a baby?
Does the sperm have the intelligence and the power to force multiplication into millions of cells
and create a baby with a personality and intelligence?

Can we visualize God creating and putting together multiple cells to make us individually just
like one would construct a building by piling on layers of bricks and finally putting on a roof with
all the systems necessary to run it? A bricklayer needs bricks for construction. In comparison,
how can God create from nothing? What kind of intelligence, planning and power would He
need to construct a human being? If we could visualize ourselves being constructed by God
would this help attaching a meaning to the word God when we read or think about Him? Are
there any other meanings we could individually apply to the word God?

Words represent logic; however the logic is only as it is perceived by the individual by attaching
meaning in various ways to develop understanding of the logic. Significance and value will
then follow understanding. As perception has to be a personal guess, it is like a hypothesis
which needs to be checked by collecting data from other sources. What can be said of people
who do not check their perceived thoughts and feel that any initially applied meaning is correct?
Should one make the effort to get at the correct logic, i.e., the truth?

Without applying meaning to the word God, there are people who, without realization ridicule
and persecute those who give God value and importance. The Holy Quran reports on a story of
a number of youths who hid in a cave to avoid persecution from those who disbelieved.
When you have withdrawn from them and the things they worship other than God,
settle yourselves in the Cave: your Lord will extend His Mercy on you and organize
everything for you with comfort and ease. [18.16]

If God is the Powerful Being who creates from nothing, what kind of support could He give to the
believers? The next Verse describes us how the mouth of the cave was always kept in the
shade as the sun rose and as it declined.

18.17 The sun could be observed when it rose declining to the right from their
Cave and when it set turning away from them to the left while they lay in the open
space in the midst of the Cave. Such are among the Signs of God: he whom God
guides is rightly guided; but he whom God leaves to stray for him will you find no
guide or helper to lead him to the Right Way.
Those who wish to attach meaning to this Verse may find that God powerfully produced a
miracle by making the sun incline away from the mouth of the cave both during its rising and its
setting. This had multiple benefits; being in the shade the mouth of the cave could not be seen
and the heat of the sun would not directly fall into the cave. The power demonstrated here is a
Sign of the Existence of the Creator for those who wish to believe.

18.18 Looking at them you would have thought that they were awake whilst they
were asleep and We turned them on their right and their left sides: their dog lay in
front of the cave with his two forelegs stretched: if you had come up on to them
you would have certainly turned back from them in flight and would certainly
have been filled with terror of them.
Regularly turning sides would help prevent bed sores and decay. One looking at them would
certainly be frightened as the bodies would appear awake but would be like the dead.

18.19 Such (being their state) We raised them up (after many years) that they
might question each other. One of them asked, "How long have we stayed
(here)?" They said, "We have stayed (perhaps) a day or part of a day." (At length)
they (all) said "Allah (alone) knows best how long we have stayed here. Now send
one of you with this money of yours to the town: let him find out which is the best
food (to be had) and bring some to you that (you may) satisfy hunger with it: and
let him behave with care and courtesy and let him not inform anyone about us.
The youths were raised as if being raised from the dead. A question can be asked here, would it
then be difficult for God to raise us on the Day of Judgment in a similar manner? At that time we
would also feel that we have been asleep for part of a day [10.45].

18.20 For if they recognise you they may stone you or force you to return to their
cult; and in that case you would never prosper.
However, eventually the townspeople did recognize them from the inscriptions left behind on a
lead plaque by the then king and understood the miracle of the Men of the Cave.

18.21 Thus did We make their case known to the people that they might know
that the promise of God is true and that there can be no doubt about the Hour of
Judgment. But, behold they dispute among themselves as to this affair. (Some)
said, "Construct a building over them": their Lord knows best about them: those
who prevailed over their affair said, "Let us surely build a place of worship over
them."
When the youths finally died, the townspeople who believed, i.e., applied and checked meaning,
wanted to erect a place of worship in recognition of the miracles demonstrated by God.

18.22 (Some) say they were three the dog being the fourth among them; (others)
say they were five the dog being the sixth doubtfully guessing at the unknown;
(yet others) say they were seven the dog being the eighth. Say, "My Lord knows
best their number; it is but few that know their (real case)." Enter not therefore
into controversies concerning them except on a matter that is clear nor consult
any of them about (the affair of) the Sleepers.
The miracles are for mankind to be convinced of the Power of God and the fact that He would
similarly raise us on the Day of Judgment there is no significance in the numeric details.