¶ Door Number Twenty-Two
¶ Karma
¶ “As you do shall be done to you.”
According to some studies on atheism, approximately 7 percent of the human population identify as nonbelievers, which amounts to about 450 to 500 million individuals. They are unconvinced that the Qur’an, Gospels, Torah or any other book is really from God. To answer their wonderings and justify their denial of God, they resort to science. They may reference theories such as evolution to explain the creation of humans. They point out errors and inconsistencies in scriptures. For example, they may say there is no empirical evidence of a Noahic Flood, a Mosaic Exodus, or a Jesuit Resurrection. The anti-theists go further and consider religion to be a disease that plagues humanity and hinders development. Religion is “the opium of the masses” and a tool to control people’s minds. Ultimately, they are people looking for proof of God’s existence. They say there is no proof that God exists and many of them say if there was proof they would believe. One day I was speaking with someone and they jokingly said: “If this religion turned out to be false, I would become an atheist.” I mentioned these comments to Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
¶ Religions Are Corrupt
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) said, “Let me ask you the same question, hypothetically speaking, if this religion turned out to be false, what would your response be?”
I said, “I would be a Christian.” (I meant by this that if Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH & His Family) Will is false then the whole religion of Islam is false).
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “And what is the difference between Christianity and the current form of Islam? It is a religion that consists of lies upon lies. Even Buddhism and all other religions, what is the difference between them? They all consist of lies upon lies. The true word in the response of the believer is atheism. Is that correct or wrong? I want you to answer me from your heart. Isn’t atheism in this case the truth if all religions are a lie, even though it is an ugly truth?”
I said, “There must be a Creator…”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Why?”
I said, “No one passes by an old, abandoned building and says: ‘This building came into existence spontaneously.’ ”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Prove to me that the Creator exists and do not depend on anything I said previously.”
I said, “The existence of things is proof enough of the existence of a Maker or Creator.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “That is not proof.”
I said to the Imam (From Him is Peace), “Well then there is no proof.”
¶ An Intelligent, Infallible Creator
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Because if you told me that creation and things that exist were created by a Creator, I will ask to see that Creator, and who created Him and where is He and what is the proof that He actually created everything.”
I said, “Osho said before that ‘the reasoning is that how can existence be there without being created by someone? That is the reasoning of all religions. But if you accept the reasoning, the question arises of who created the Gods. And if God can be there without being created, then what is the problem? Then existence can be there without being created, for you accept principally that something can be there without being created.’ ”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “We are talking about an intelligent Creator, correct?”
I said, “Yes.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “An infallible Creator, correct?”
I said, “Yes.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “That is not correct, the Creator who is present makes mistakes. I am talking to you now as a person who is debating you, away from all religion, forget that I am Ahmed. If I place some food somewhere and it rots, and worms come out of it, whom will you attribute this to?”
I said, “God?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “What is your proof?”
I said, “My proof is science.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “What is this science?”
I said, “Human science has reached the point that it knows that when you mix certain chemicals in a certain environment, life can sprout out of it.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Ok stop there, chemicals and a certain environment. What does that have to do with God?”
I said, “Because He is the primary source. Everything must have a source and energy.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Give me one proof that the primary source is God and give me another proof that the source itself exists.”
I said, “Every book has an author, and there is no such thing as a book which is written by itself.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “But there is, son.”
I said, “What is this book?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Air and nature, they have written and carved sentences, such as the name ‘Allah’, appearing in nature. Respond to this.”
I said, “Intelligence is the proof.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “And who said that this is intelligence? The so-called intelligence which you consider to be intelligent is what is calling itself intelligent. I mean that nothing else came one day and said that human beings are intelligent. Human beings are the ones who decided that what they have is intelligence. ‘And a witness witnessed for themselves.’ You are the one who testified for yourself that you are intelligent and this is not a competent testimony. Let the cattle testify to it and I shall admit that you have won. Let a horse come and say human beings are intelligent or chickens or let the jinn come and testify or even let the devil testify.”
I said, “I give up. There is no proof then, right?”
¶ Karmic Justice
How can one prove the existence of God in a way that every human being can verify? Is there tangible proof that could speak to every human being? Just when there seemed to be no proof, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) revealed something that shed light on an unexplored aspect of our human experience altogether.
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said,
I was talking to you as a person debating you, now I shall prove it to you. The proof is the constant feeling that everyone has, from all religious backgrounds, even atheists, all of creation, that there must be something that exists that we must worship. Our inner nature in the heart and mind of human beings, even if a person denies that he has this feeling. This feeling is the proof that God exists. Who made this feeling inside of creation and why did it come into existence? If you go anywhere, you will see this feeling is present with creation. If you go into the hearts of atheists, you will see it. And if you go to the heart of the jungles and approach humans who had never ever heard of any religion, you shall see that they too, worship something that they consider to be the Creator. In the end, everyone reaches one point, and that is, there is a hidden power which is controlling and ruling this world. And the proof is getting judged by the same (Karma). As you judge you shall be judged. Do you understand, son?
I said, “Yes.”
¶ Divine Justice
We have mentioned in previous Doors that God created the human being with a just nature, every human being has an inclination towards justice within them. This innate characteristic that expects fairness, equity, and justice leaves us with the following questions: Is there a link between this innate yearning and the existence of an Absolute Judge who can implement this justice? How is this justice/balance carried out throughout creation?
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said,
If a person doubts, he can think about one thing, and his certitude shall return to him if he uses it in a correct manner. If he thinks about the justice of the Creator. Who is the one who brings this justice, if someone does wrong to their parents or one of them for example? Who returns the actions of the person who wronged their parents? Who brought this justice into existence? You, for example, disrespect your parents, then the Creator responds to you with the likes of your own actions. Or a person who fornicates or transgresses against the honor of the people, God returns it to him and there shall come somebody who transgresses against the honor of the transgressor and as such. That is an example. “In the name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The fornicator shall marry none except a female fornicator or a female associator; (i.e., one who associates others with Allah) and the female fornicator, none shall marry her except a fornicator or a (male) associator; (i.e., one who associates others with Allah) and that is prohibited for the believers.” Fornication is a debt upon you, and you must pay for it from the people of your household. How could this be without a leader or judge? Does nature, for example, implement this justice? Justice, and He is the Just. He is God whom there is no God but He, the Eternal and Alive. This is enough for all fair individuals and for everyone who is sincerely searching for truth. Let them think of this justice. They shall know that there is a Creator. The one who is bad to his parents and the fornicator, I seek refuge with God. As you do shall be done unto you.
I said to the Imam (From Him is Peace), “So now you have said the human is a watcher over his own self and he is the one who judges his own self, and he is the one who creates his own paradise or his own hell. Is this correct?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
I said, “In this idea, God seems very far from interfering in our lives, and it seems that God leaves the freedom for every human being and his own conscience.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
I said, “And then there is this other thought, and it is the idea of a God who interferes and stands watching, giving everyone what they deserve, the killer is killed, the fornicator must have a member of his family fornicated with, as you do shall be done unto you. How can we gather between these two?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “There are two rights in this world. The right for the plaintiff and there is the public right. In some cases, the plaintiff will give up his right and release the accused because he did not cause any damage to the public or to the community. But the public right is never dropped because the accused caused damage to the community. Murder and fornication etc. must be returned to the one who committed them, because the person guilty of these things broke a divine law.”
I said to the Imam (From Him is Peace), “What if the fornicator is convinced he did not make a mistake, like for example, if the fornicator really loves the girl and considers sleeping with her to be normal like in the West?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Here there is a difference, but how much is the percentage of people like that? In reality, my son, if you enter into the hearts of the people, you will find that they know this is wrong. And you will find that they also have a bit of fear, but they do not show it.”
I said, “Glory be to God.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) continued and said, “But in general, if you find a person who truly believes inside of him that this is not forbidden and that it is permissible, this individual would never be judged.”
I said, “Then, judgment is in his mind, he is the one who created it?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Good job.”
I said, “So God never interferes in the first place and does not judge anything.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “God placed a (Karmic) law, and we must walk upon it and not go against it.”
I said, “But it is all from the mind or the conscience as you say.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Belief. It is belief. If you think that fornication is hallal (permissible) then it is hallal.”
I said, “And if you think that murder is permissible then it is permissible? Correct?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes, but you will never find someone who believes that. I will simplify things for you. If you bring a rose, and you offer it to one thousand people or one million people, do you think that anyone will come forth and say to you the rose is ugly?”
I said, “No.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Murder and fornication are like that exactly. Those who do these two deeds, in the depths and far corners of their hearts, they know it is wrong and not lawful.”
I said, “So in terms of Karma, the person who murders will be murdered and the person who fornicates, someone will fornicate with their family member, and the person who mistreats his parents will see the same treatment from their children?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Yes.”
I said, “But what about the times when a murderer is not murdered?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Give me an example.”
I said, “For example the New York mafia crime boss, John Gotti. He was imprisoned and died in prison and was never murdered, even though he killed many people.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “What did he die of?”
I said, “Cancer.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “He was murdered by cancer. As you do shall be done unto you.”
I said, “Glory be to God.”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) continued, “As for those who have children that mistreat them, if you ask any of them, and they are honest, they will tell you that they did the exact same thing to their parents when they were growing up.”
I said, “And what about the person who fornicates but his wife doesn’t fornicate?”
The Imam (From Him is Peace) said, “Then his daughter will fornicate or one of the members of his household.”
So, in summary, God created man in His image, with the freedom to do what he wills and to be his own watcher and his own judge. There are no angels keeping track of a person’s good deeds and bad deeds, but rather the human being is lord over his own self. The soul is the lord of the self. Every person is his own prosecutor, defender, watcher, judge and executioner. This is the ultimate and most beautiful justice of God. He allows every person to judge their own selves. How could anyone object to that? How could anyone object to this justice? If a person accepts truly in their heart of hearts that murder or fornication or mistreating the parents is acceptable, they will not be punished for it. But to accept it as permissible means they would accept that it be done unto them. God sets up the justice system for creation and then leaves it to them.
Now, having shed light on the justice of God which no one can argue against, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) proves the existence of God in a way that no person who is honest with themselves can deny. Throughout the ages, religious leaders and followers of religion have tried through many different ways to prove the existence of God to atheists and agnostics. Some have attempted to do so using philosophical arguments, others have attempted to use science, yet those arguments were often incomplete, too abstract, and inaccessible. However, we are now provided with arguments that a person can verify within their own selves. They are no longer distant or hypothetical. They are observable and verifiable, with evidence from one’s own experiences. The concepts of Karma and the God-Instinct, together, provide undeniable proof for each one of us.
In ancient Gnostic and mystic Jewish sources, it is written that the soul upon death will forget its own identity, then watch its own life and finally judge it. Rabbi Benjamin Blech was given an unexpected diagnosis that he had months to live. His struggle with his own mortality led him to research Jewish mysticism and other stories of Near Death Experience (NDE). He wrote: “In Kabbalah, the mystics add a small piece to the story. It is not only God who judges us. As we bid farewell to the world, we are shown a film that contains scenes of our entire lives. We are witnesses to every moment of our days on Earth as they pass before us with incredible rapidity. And as we watch our own story unfold, there are times when we cringe with embarrassment; others when we smile with glee. Our past moral lapses cause us to shudder in pain; our victories over our evil inclinations provide us with a keen sense of spiritual triumph. It is then that we realize in retrospect that we alone are the greatest judges of our own lives. What happens after death is that we gain the wisdom to evaluate our own life by the standards of Heaven – because we have finally glimpsed an eternal perspective.”
¶ Sources
- The Oxford Handbook of Atheism, A World of Atheism: Global Demographics, Keysar & Navarro-Rivera
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 12 (Yusuf), Verse 26
- The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 24 (Al-Nur), Verse 3
- The law being referred to here is the Golden Rule of ethics found universally in all the major religions of the world. For example, in the book of Matthew it states: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” (The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 12).
- Hope, Not Fear: Changing the Way We View Death, Rabbi Benjamin Blech
- The Jewish Approach to Life after Death, Rabbi Benjamin Blech