THE MEANINGFULNESS OF THE UNIVERSE
The Way to God-realization
SCIENCE is the study of nature. Nature comprises of everything we call the universe. The study of science began initially with very few discoveries, however, as research in the subject increased and advanced knowledge was gained, it became clear that the universe is extremely meaningful. Any explanation of the universe which does not take into account its meaningfulness contradicts the findings of science.
Consider, for instance, that scientific knowledge has revealed that our vast expanding universe is characterized by intelligent design in its every aspect. Now if it is not accepted that the universe has an intelligent designer behind it, then this extraordinarily meaningful universe and all of its phenomena become strange and inexplicable. Similarly, research on the universe has shown that it is custommade for human beings, or in other words, the universe is completely in accordance with the requirements of sustaining a creature like man.
If we do not believe in the existence of a Creator who created such remarkable consonance between the universe on the one hand and human beings on the other hand, then there would not be any other coherent explanation for this harmony between two distinct entities. Moreover, discoveries in various scientific disciplines indicate that there is a meticulous coordination between the numerous components of the universe. An attribute of the universe which has astonished scientists is the presence of fine-tuning in the constants of nature. For example, the cosmological constant is responsible for the acceleration of the universe at its current rate. This constant has a very precise value, a value it had to have for galaxies to form, for stars to form, and for us to be here. Such features of the universe are truly mind-boggling.
To quote an excerpt from a book review by physicist Alan Lightman on the book Why Science Does Not Disprove God? by mathematician Amir D. Aczel:
“There is plenty of good scientific evidence that our universe began about 14 billion years ago, in a Big Bang of enormously high density and temperature, long before planets, stars and even atoms existed. But what came before? Krauss in his book discusses the current thinking of physicists that our entire universe could have emerged from a jitter in the amorphous haze of the subatomic world called the quantum foam, in which energy and matter can materialize out of nothing. (On the level of single subatomic particles, physicists have verified in the lab that such creation from “nothing” can occur.) Krauss’s punch line is that we do not need God to create the universe. The quantum foam can do it quite nicely all on its own. Aczel asks the obvious question: But where did the quantum foam come from? Where did the quantum laws come from? Hasn’t Krauss simply passed the buck? Legitimate questions. But ones we will probably never be able to answer…[the finetuning problem].
For the past 50 years or so, physicists have become more and more aware that various fundamental parameters of our universe appear to be fine-tuned to allow the emergence of life—not only life as we know it but life of any kind. For example, if the nuclear force were slightly stronger than it is, then all of the hydrogen atoms in the infant universe would have fused with other hydrogen atoms to make helium, and there would be no hydrogen left. No hydrogen means no water. On the other hand, if the nuclear force were substantially weaker than it is, then the complex atoms needed for biology could not hold together.
In another, even more striking example, if the cosmic “dark energy” discovered 15 years ago were a little denser than it actually is, our universe would have expanded so rapidly that matter could never have pulled itself together to form stars. And if the dark energy were a little smaller, the universe would have collapsed long before stars had time to form. Atoms are made in stars. Without stars there would be no atoms and no life. So, the question is: Why? Why do these parameters lie in the narrow range that allows life?”
Science is not a religious subject, and its concern is certainly not the discovery of God. The subject of science is simply the objective study of creation. However, the study of creation naturally includes the study of the Creator as well. This is why scientific research into creation has become a means of unraveling aspects of the Creator. The findings of study on nature are, in other words, discoveries of the signs of God (51: 20). From this perspective, it would be right to say that the discovery of the meaningfulness of creation is essentially the discovery of an intelligent Creator.
The purpose of human life has been stated in the Quran in these words: “I created the jinn and humankind only so that they might worship Me” (51: 56). Noted scholars of Quran such as Ibn Kathir and Mujahid interpret the words ‘so that they might worship Me’ as ‘so that they might discover Me’.
A human being has been created with independent thinking and free will. This is why a human being is defined as a creature who possesses the capacity for conceptual thought. The test of an individual is to utilize this mental ability granted to him, develop his thinking power and discover God through a process of study, observation and contemplation.
There are two levels of this discovery of God. The first is to discover God at the level of common sense and, the second is to discover one’s Creator at the level of scientific knowledge and understanding. Since past thousands of years it was required of man to discover God by putting to use his basic level of reasoning and awakening his inherent nature. If a person is truly sincere, his common sense alone would be instrumental in making him reach God.
The second level of discovery of God is through study of science. This involves gaining knowledge about the signs of God hidden in the universe and arriving at a rational discovery of God by increasing one’s learning of natural phenomena. For such kind of comprehension the supporting data provided by scientific research is crucial for study and reflection. Merely logical thinking is not enough to arrive at a scientific realization of God—for this scientific findings on nature are a prerequisite. The knowledge of the laws of nature therefore play a very important part in discovering God at a rational level. This knowledge was not available to ancient man, which is why he could not reach the second higher level of discovery of God.
An attribute of God is that He manages human history. That is, while keeping human freedom intact, God makes human history arrive at a stage necessary according to the divine scheme of things. God thus develops a plan for human beings and achieves it without abrogating human freedom. This is a very complex task, one which only the Creator in all His superior powers can bring about. Our task is to understand this plan of the Creator, rather than try to change it.
God has repeatedly informed in the Quran that the universe has been subjected for human beings (45:13). Man was enjoined to discover these laws governing the universe and then through this deep knowledge of creation, attain a high level of discovery of the Creator. However, Muslims proved to be inadequate for this task of discovering the laws of nature. Then God raised up another community to fulfil His plan (47: 38). This was the Christian community of Europe and America. It so happened that the European Christian nations suffered a defeat in the Crusades and as a consequence had to discontinue the fight. The only option left before them was to re-plan their course of action, and turn their energies in a direction other than the battlefield. Gradually, they diverted their attention to studying and discovering the laws governing nature and the universe.
The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei is regarded as the father of modern science. The scientific method began largely with Galileo’s efforts to observation and study of celestial objects, and the physics of their motion. After him, the process of study of nature continued for up to 400 years and reached its culmination in the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. The tremendous discoveries made in the physical world, both at the microscopic and macroscopic levels, provided enormous amount of information to attain an exalted level of understanding of the Creator of the universe.
In the universe that God has created, every infinitesimally small component has the Creator’s imprint stamped upon it. Knowledge of this is scattered throughout the cosmos. God gave human beings a rational way of thinking so that they could themselves discover the hidden wisdom of the Creator in His creation. Modern science is the other name for unfolding of the hidden wisdom and truths of the universe.
