Ayesha Naseem, UK
Theology has every possible answer to explain and prove the existence of God Almighty. In fact, it is a subject so vast that no word limit would suffice to do it justice.
One way of finding God and believing in His existence is through the experiences of the prophets, the experiences of people in general with their stories of acceptance of prayers or their experiences of visions or dreams in which God Almighty manifested His Existence to them, and there is also the aspect of worship.
There is yet another way to find God – interconnected with the idea of worship and personal experience — by seeking and searching for a friend in Allah the Almighty.
In our lives, we are often confronted with moments when we are at a loss for words. We feel like we have a mountain worth to say but we don’t know who to say it to and most importantly, how to say it. At times we turn to our parents, at times to our siblings, our spouses, and at other times to our friends or closest confidantes. But it is all too human when sometimes none of these relations can provide the comfort we are longing for.
They say that talking and releasing what’s hidden in your mind and heart relieves pressure and lifts the burden from your chest. But what do you do when, no matter how many people you speak to, and no matter how much they comfort you and try to understand you, you don’t get the sense of peace you were seeking?
In the Holy Quran, Allah the Almighty states:
فَاذۡکُرُوۡنِيۡۤ اَذۡکُرۡکُمۡ وَاشۡکُرُوۡا لِيۡ وَلَا تَکۡفُرُوۡنِ
“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you; and be thankful to Me and do not be ungrateful to Me.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.153)
In the Five-Volume English Commentary of the Holy Quran, it has been explained:
“Remembrance of God on the part of man means, to remember Him with love and devotion, to carry out His behests, to bear in mind His attributes, to glorify Him and offer prayers to Him; and remembrance of man on the part of God signifies, God’s drawing him near to Himself, bestowing favours on him and making provision for his welfare. Thus, we are here told that if we seek nearness to God, He will certainly draw us near to Himself. […]
“The expression, remember Me, I will remember you, can also mean that one who truly loves God will eventually attract the love of God. Remembrance is really born of love and is in a way synonymous with it. Indeed, nobody can remember an object more than a lover does the object of his love.”
In one of his lectures on the subject of remembrance of Allah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra also stated that this verse assures a believer that with remembering Allah the Almighty and glorifying Him, one can not only attain His Love but can also befriend Him. (Remembrance of Allah [Zikr-e-Ilahi], p. 109)
Discovering and attaining the love of Allah the Almighty can be realised and found through one’s effort in fervent and relentless worship. The act of prostrating during the five daily obligatory prayers and the voluntary prayers provides man with so many opportunities to open up to Allah the Almighty in solitude, to express one’s feelings, to shed tears and to pray to Him for ease and betterment. During prostration, you are in a space and time before that Benevolent and Merciful Being who does not judge your intentions, who knows the state of your heart better than you ever will yourself.
Personal experiences and reflections
One question that can arise on this topic revolves around the idea of how a person can recognise that the comfort and satisfaction they are feeling after a period of confusion or difficulty is an answer from God and not due to their own thought process. How do you know that what you feel after intense prayer or remembrance of Allah is a sign from Him?
The answer lies in the individual’s experience itself. This is why the focus here is more on personal experiences of man and less on the theological evidence for the existence of God – which will of course continue to be there on its own and will retain its legitimacy.
Years ago, when I had to decide between moving away from my parents to complete my higher education in London or staying in my home town, I decided without further ado to stay in Manchester. Despite having a confirmed place at Queen Mary’s University of London that was not dependent on my grades, I turned up at my college and told my teachers that I didn’t want to go to London and wanted to find a place at a local university by going through the process of clearing.
Anyone familiar with the UCAS application system and the process of university admissions in the UK will know that A-level results day is as chaotic as it gets where clearing helplines of universities across the country are at an all-time peak – something I have now seen first-hand as a member of the admissions team, rather than as a student.
Courses that open at clearing are often leftovers, and even if they aren’t, the demand is so high that they fill up within minutes rather than hours. Not just this, but the grades, which did not matter for my place at Queen Mary’s, were now a major factor in having any chance of being considered for a place. But despite all these challenges, I stuck to my decision and started calling universities. My grades were not good enough for some places while other places had alternative choices. But securing a place was not the only dilemma, securing a place on a course that I actually wanted to study was a bigger challenge.
But the Knower of the Unseen, the Most Gracious and the Ever Merciful Allah Almighty made it all so easy for me that within hours I left my college with a place for my preferred course at the university that He had chosen for me. It was the most unexpected decision I had to make, yet it came with so much satisfaction and peace of mind that I see and feel its blessings to this day.
There is something so profound about the prayer that Allah provides you with everything and blesses you only with what is good for you. It encompasses everything you can possibly pray for. From the most insignificant matters like choosing a degree to life-changing decisions, this one prayer has been protecting my affairs that I entrusted to Allah the Almighty at every turn. Its acceptance has manifested itself in so many different ways that they are difficult to describe.
Adulthood comes with different questions and struggles. By this point, you have either almost finished your education or have already entered working life. This is the stage where one has to experience and adjust to the world’s difficult and easy things. It is overwhelming and you’re now in a competitive environment where you’re expected to achieve your goals, do your job to the best of your ability and take on and deal with any difficulties that come along the way without complaining.. No one is your friend – essentially you are on your own.
In September 2023, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) released a report revealing that “those aged between 16-29 are over two times as likely to report feeling lonely often or always than those over 70 (9.7% versus 3.7%), with those aged between 30-49 close behind at 8.2%.” (“Younger Brits report higher levels of loneliness”, campaigntoendloneliness.org)
These figures and statistics are also difficult to relate to if you have not experienced it yourself. It is not just about not having people around you or not socialising enough. This type of loneliness also affects people who may have large friend circles, families, and relatives around them, but still feel unfulfilled and alone. The sense of belonging and comfort they believe they will find around other people, when unattainable, makes them feel lonely.
This is where Allah the Almighty and belief in His Existence can pull one out of this kind of loneliness. Where no friend or relative can understand or be the source of peace one is seeking, there is the prayer mat, some space and all those conversations and tears with which one finds the friend who’s the Best of Friends.
The Holy Quran shows us the path to this friendship, where it is stated:
اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَتَطۡمَئِنُّ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ بِذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اَلَا بِذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ تَطۡمَئِنُّ الۡقُلُوۡبُ
“Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Aye! It is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort”. (Surah ar-Ra‘d, Ch.13: V.29)
This beautiful and profound verse is a source of support for so many believers through the most difficult of times. It is an assurance, a promise and a door that leads one to their most sincere and most trustworthy friend, Allah the Almighty.
Hazrat Anasra relates that the Holy Prophetsa once said, “Allah says, ‘When a servant of Mine advances towards Me a foot, I advance towards him a yard, and when he advances towards Me a yard, I advance toward him the length of his arms spread out. When he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab at-Tawhid)
Further describing the characteristic of God Almighty as a friend, the Promised Messiahas has written:
“God Almighty operates in this world in three capacities: one, in the capacity of God; two, in the capacity of a friend; and three, in the capacity of an enemy. His treatment of His average creatures proceeds from His capacity as God and His treatment of those who love Him and whom He loves, proceeds not only in His capacity as God, but also predominantly in His capacity of a friend. The world feels that God is supporting the person concerned like a friend.” (Nuzulul-Masih, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 18, pp. 517-518)
On deriving the comfort of heart with the remembrance of Allah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, has said:
“Hearts find comfort in dhikr [remembrance]. Why? This is so because anxiety develops when man thinks that he is about to be destroyed by some calamity and if he believes with certainty that there is a remedy for every calamity and ailment, then he will not become anxious. Thus, when someone remembers Allah and understands that Allah possesses unlimited powers and can remove all types of ailments, his heart tells him that when he has such a God, then what is the need for him to become anxious about any difficulty? He will Himself remove it. In this way he finds comfort.” (Remembrance of Allah [Zikr-e-Ilahi], p. 109)
Khilafat: A divine manifestation of hope and comfort
There is also another way to reach God Almighty, which not only serves as another proof of His Existence, but also helps strengthen one’s already recognised belief in Him, in the form of the institution of Khilafat, which is established on the precepts of prophethood. In this era and age, it is the Khilafat that is the successor to the Promised Messiah and Mahdias.
One may wonder how one can experience the peace and comfort of turning to God Almighty through another human? How is a Khalifa different from other people or relatives?
Allah the Almighty establishes the status of the Khalifa by promising that in return for doing good, the believers will see their fear transformed into security and peace. The Holy Quran states:
وَعَدَ اللّٰہُ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّہُمۡ فِي الۡاَرۡضِ کَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ ۪ وَلَيُمَکِّنَنَّ لَہُمۡ دِيۡنَہُمُ الَّذِي ارۡتَضٰي لَہُمۡ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِہِمۡ اَمۡنًا ؕ يَعۡبُدُوۡنَنِيۡ لَا يُشۡرِکُوۡنَ بِيۡ شَيۡئًا ؕ وَمَنۡ کَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِکَ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ
“Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious.” (Surah an-Nur, Ch.24: V.56)
A Khalifais a successor of someone appointed by God, due to which his status is not that of an ordinary man. He is granted a special closeness with Allah Almighty and receives His blessings and support. By establishing and maintaining a connection with the Khalifa of the time, we can not only reach the benefits of his constant prayers to God Almighty, but also get closer to Allah Almighty.
The Promised Messiahas has said:
“It must be borne in mind that true righteousness can never be attained until one benefits from the company of the truthful and holy men of God, and until one annihilates themselves completely in obedience to the chosen ones of God.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 3, p. 39)
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra once stated:
“Be exceedingly mindful of the fact that Khilafat is hablullah [rope of Allah]. It is such a rope that holding fast to it alone will lead you to progress. The one who will let go of it will be destroyed.” (Nizam-e-Khilafat, Barakat aur Hamari Zimadarian, p. 77)
That one letter you write to Hazrat Amir-ul-Momineenaa, where you share your highs and your lows, your happiness and your sorrows, your ease and your troubles, or where you ask him a question or request him for prayers, or where you feel like you have plenty to say but words fail you, or where you seek his guidance on important decisions of life – these are all proof of God’s existence.
Reaching out to the rope of Allah, choosing to stay under the shadow of the leadership and care of the Khalifa of the time, believing that he is supported by God, and believing that Allah will lead you to your success answering the Khalifa’s prayers and making his guidance fruitful, you will eventually testify that fear has turned into security and peace, and you will witness the blessings of Allah Almighty that He bestows upon His friend.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh explained that our relationship with Khilafat should be based on our relationship with Allah the Almighty. During one of his Friday Sermons, he stated:
“The relationship of every Ahmadi with the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and his Khulafa or the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa, should be based on the relationship of Allah. If the foundation of their relationship is not built on the relationship of Allah, then this relationship is artificial, fake, and meaningless. If the love of Allah gives rise to that relationship and as they grow in their love for Allah, the said relationship with the Holy Prophetsa [and others] also grows, then rest assured that such people are not in any kind of danger, neither in this world nor in the next. Those who possess this kind of relationship, as I have explained, will remain safe from every strife.” (Friday Sermon, 23 November 1990)
Recently, a tifl asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa about the ways in which we can attain his love. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa replied:
“If you attain the love of Allah, you will attain the ultimate love. In order to attain Allah’s love, it is important that you observe salat as stipulated by Him. Thus, offer the five daily prayers, pray to Allah, that you may attain His love, and He may grant you the love of the Holy Prophetsa, then of the Promised Messiahas and then of Khilafat. Then, if you pray to Allah, He will grant you.” (Al Hakam, 9 December 2022, Issue CCXLVII, p. 3)
May Allah enable us all to attain His love and friendship, and make us devoted and obedient followers of the Khilafat that He bestowed on us. Amin.