PREFACE
"Eternity"
propounds a new philosophy of life, and tackles the age-old puzzle:
a. Where do we come from?
b. Do we have a destination?
c. Are we on the right path to
attain our goal?
d. If not, then what is the right
way to achieve the final purpose of life?
The above seems to be the natural
order of the puzzle but it is not logical to follow this pattern because one is
bound to seek a solution by arguing from the present to the past. Therefore I
have adopted the following plan of discussion:
Book One investigates if we are on
the right path to attain our goal i.e. everlasting life. Unfortunately, the
answer is a categorical "no". Why? It is because some people have the
compulsive urge to dominate their fellow-beings. They know that man is afraid of
death and longs for an everlasting life, which is the biggest favour that he can
expect; they also realise that it is for this reason that man worships the
forces of nature as gods and goddesses. For replacing these gods and goddesses
with their own divinity, they exploit man's complex of fear and favour and
project themselves as messiahs and messengers on the pretext that God who is the
Creator, reveals Himself through their agency. This claim is reinforced by the
threat of hell and promise of paradise to take advantage of their psychological
attitudes, made receptive to such claims by the existing mythological tales. The
truth is that revelation is the biggest fraud that man ever invented and the
concept of a Creator God is the most fallible: if nothing can come into being
without a creator, then who created God?
This is what makes revealed
religion the biggest business and its beneficiaries feel inclined to defend it
at all costs to protect their godly, financial and hierarchical interests.
Book Two analyses the Semitic
religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, to support the conclusions of
book one. This is done with reference to the Scriptures and care is taken to
avoid misquotation and deliberate misinterpretation. Hopefully, the faithful
will defend themselves with the power of reason and not with the brute force of
arm which is usually a symptom of desperation to suppress the truth.
"Where do we come from? And do
we have a destination"? form the subject matter of Book Three.
Where do we come from? This is no
enigma. Either the universe comes from nothingness or it has always been here.
If nothingness is the fountain of existence, then nothingness and existence are
one and the same thing. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that we have always
existed: my atoms have been here for billions of years and it took them all that
time to evolve as "me". But when I decompose, that is, I die, I do not
necessarily become extinct. This is where I differ with the evolutionists,
materialists, naturalists and even fellow-rationalists.
Why don't I die? It is because
everything has always existed in its potential form, therefore, death does not
occur; what takes place is the change of form, and one disintergration leads to
another integration i.e. a new form of existence.
I Pave not discussed the lowest
form but I have dealt with the highest form because this book is about eternity,
that is, life-after-death. Hopefully, the arguments that I have advanced are as
credible as those of the scientists who believe that man is born to eat and
drink and then crumble into dust after a few decades. This is against the
evidence. Contrary to the opinion of the physicists, the cosmos has ~ purpose,
and this is proven by the fact that it has been climbing higher and higher on
the evolutionary ladder. This upward spiral is indicative of a definite purpose
which cannot be anything but self-improvement. It means that evolution is a
gradual realisation of the design inscribed into atoms (particles). It is
intrinsic and not imposed from without. Since man represents the known apex of
evolution, he is the cosmic baby because the cosmos seeks its elevation through
man. As there is no evidence that evolution stops at man, there must be another
existence which is superior to that of man's. This assumption gathers
credibility because evolution means rising from chaos to order, from a lower
point to a higher point and from imperfection to a comparatively perfect
position. Man is very imperfect indeed; therefore, evolution cannot stop at him.
Just look at the gradual process of development: particles change into atoms and
atoms evolve into cells which become the basis of life. Man is the apex of
cellular existence yet he is frail and fallible. Therefore, it is likely that
the cells have the potential to develop into a soul which is the Master
Spiritual Cell, that is, the seed of future life. The arguments that I have
advanced to this effect, hopefully, carry greater credibility than the
science-fiction which declares death as the end of man.
Here, I am at loggerheads with the
theologian who believes that every human is barn with a soul which goes to hell
or heaven. On the contrary, soul is the seed of future life and comes into
existence at death. However, there is no guarantee that soul will come into
being at death. It all depends upon one's righteousness of deeds. An atheist
stands an equal chance of developing a soul as anybody else because grace and
intercession have nothing to do with it.
The birth of a soul is the start of
eternity. It has the virtue of uniting with other souls and live in complete
harmony. The union of souls creates Godhead the same way as atoms create
inorganic bodies, and cells combine to produce living beings. As marvel of man
emerges from the way that human cells combine, the supreme qualities of Godhead
spring from the manner of union of souls.
Change is the medium of evolution,
and thus qualifies as the Creative Principle. Its operation is universal, and
even Godhead is not immune to it. However, Godhead being the highest point of
existence, is capable of perpetuating itself through a continuous supply of
souls. As Godhead is the union of souls, and man is the source of souls,
contrary to the common belief, it is man who is the fountain of Godhead, which
speaks for the dignity of man!
However, dignity of man depends
upon his moral behaviour which is a must for the birth of soul. Therefore, man's
main concern is the creation of a social order which inhibits conditions
injurious to morality and encourages burgeoning of a cultural system based on
natural justice, and freedom from fear of hunger, disease and ignorance. Harmony
and the operation of free will, are the foundation stone of such a society. With
this purpose in my mind, I have discussed the following subjects, which I
believe, play a major role in building the society congenial to man's social and
spiritual development, eventually leading to eternity:
1. Ethics (vice and virtue),
2. Psychology (individuality),
3. Sociology (society),
4. Law (and morality),
5. Politics (state),
6. Taxation,
7. Economics, and
8. Mysticism.
These subjects have received attention
of scholars and philosophers since time immemorial; opinions differ on each
subject; some seem to be even contradictory. To my mind, they are the links
which forge the chain of practical life, and its strength and magnitude depend
upon their right linkage.
Man is God and God is Man. The
secret of developing his divine potential lies in building a fair society. He is
his own redeemer, and concepts of grace and intercession have no relevance to
reality. The divine potential of man makes him the most significant being, yet
he is afraid. Why? Because he has been convinced of his insignificance by the
messiahs and prophets who exaggertate their own importance to look the greatest
and the holiest to dominate mankind. This is how they turn a lion into a lamb
which begins to think and act like a lamb and displays the symptoms of fear and
smallness associated with a lamb.
Revelation is a cruel joke based on
contempt of human dignity; man will continue to be afraid until such time that
he becomes aware of his divine grandeur.
ANWAR SHAIKH
CARDIFF
1st June, 1990
| 
