The Proofs of Creation # 5: Names and characteristics cannot exist without having owners
Names and characteristics cannot exist without having owners.
We think that the sun and its seven colors brighten and warm the windows of our home. Now, if we disaffirmed the sun that brightens our windows, then, what would we have to accept? We would have to accept that a sun, its body, and its reality are found within our window... Nevertheless, there is a light and warmth. In that case, a sun possessing this light and warmth is necessary. If a sun’s absence was assumed, and if it was not accepted that the sun was the heat’s source then we would have to accept that this light and heat were products of the window. Since the presence of the heat and light are evident, they must undoubtedly have a master that possesses them.
Besides, this kind of light and heat could only appear through a source that is the size of the Sun.
In that case, when we disaffirm the sun then we would be obliged to accept that a real sun is in our window and that “the possessor of this light and heat is the window itself”. If the warming and lightening of things through the sun’s measureless light and heat is considered, then disavowing the presence of the solitary sun in the sky will result in the obligation to accept that all materials hold a true sun in themselves.
That means that the one who is unable to accept the presence of the solitary sun in the sky will be obligated to accept the “suns” when he/she sees the sun’s light and warmth appear on the materials themselves.
However, as we have already expressed, a light and warmth are evident and these can only emerge through one sun.
Just like this example, God, who is the infinite and eternal Sun, has lightened everything in this realm and the universe with His Divine Names (Asma al-Husna). Like in our given example, the names and qualities that appear in this realm and the universe cannot be ownerless. Nevertheless, both a name and a characteristic must belong to something/someone.
If a name exists, then, there must be an entity that has such a name. Likewise, if a characteristic exists, then someone/something must certainly possess it. For example, let us imagine that we wrote a letter on a piece of paper with a pen. In this act and in the letter “A” on the page, the following are seen:
1- The presence of the letter “A” on this page was preferred to its absence. However, this letter “A” was not on this page earlier and has just appeared.
For something to appear from nothing, a possessor of freewill must be present to prefer its presence to its absence.
A doer must have a will, so that he will prefer existence to non-existence. An action that does not have freewill and volition cannot be the scribe of the letter “A” and cannot make such a claim, either. In that case, the appearance of the letter “A” from nowhere requires a scribe that has freewill.
2- The letter “A” on this page is not just an ordinary drawing. It is an artistic drawing with meaning. In that case, the entity who is both a scribe and artist, must have knowledge; in other words, he/she must be a “scholar”. It is not possible for someone who does not have knowledge and literacy to write the letter “A”, which signifies meaning. In that case, the appearance of the letter “A” from nowhere necessitates a scribe who has knowledge.
3- In addition, this scribe must also possess strength. If he/she had knowledge and freewill, but did not have strength, in other words, was paralyzed and could not move his/her hand, then he/she would not be able to write the letter “A”. The presence of the letter “A” indicates its scribe’s strength.
4- The scribe must also be a living being. Someone who is not living cannot have knowledge, freewill, and strength. If we put a pen and paper next to a lifeless rock and left them there for a million years, we still would not be able to see a letter “A” written on that paper. This means that the presence of the letter “A” indicates that its scribe is a living being (is Hayy).You can increase these examples and the implications that the letter “A” denotes for its scribe. Now we are going to look for a scribe for the letter “A”.
If we disaffirmed the person who drew the letter “A” as being the scribe, and instead said that “this pen wrote this A”, then, we would be assigning the characteristics that are required in a scribe, which are freewill, knowledge, and strength, to the pen. And we would be obligated to accept nonsensical talk such as “This pen is a scholar, it possesses freewill and strength, and is a living being” since a name and characteristics are apparent. Names and characteristics cannot exist without having owners. (Names and characteristics cannot exist without someone/something owning them). For this reason, we would have to associate knowledge, freewill, strength, and life, to whomever we accept as being the scribe since these are the qualities that required of such an entity. Similarly, the universe is a letter and a book. If God were not accepted as its scribe, then, all the names and characteristics that are visible in this book would be attributed to atoms, causes, coincidence, and nature; and such an attribution would be elevating them to the station of God.
A person, who disaffirms because he/she is unable to fit the concept of God into his/her mind, will have to accept cells and atoms as his/her gods. Let us try to understand this situation better through an example: We always see the clouds, from which rain pours, in front of our eyes. Have we ever thought about what qualities are required of the agent of rain? Now let us look at the names and qualities that appear in this event:
1- The rain’s presence has been preferred to its absence. Just a little while ago, the raindrops were not present, but now they are here. To prefer something’s presence to its absence is only possible if the characteristic of willpower is possessed. In that case, the entity that produces rain must have willpower. The one without willpower cannot claim to have produced a single raindrop.
2- The structure of rain contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The formation of raindrops through the bonding of two hydrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom is only made possible when a possessor of knowledge is present.
The entity that produces rain must also have knowledge and the one without knowledge cannot claim to possess a single raindrop.
3- In addition, the production of rain requires the possession of infinite strength. The production of water instead of fire, which results through the combining of two elements in which one is flammable and the other non-flammable, can only occur through infinite strength. In that case, the entity that produces rain must also have strength/power. The one without strength and power cannot claim to possess a single raindrop.
4- The ability to produce rain without having raindrops colliding into one another and the connection of the countless benefits of rain requires a possessor of wisdom. It is not possible for a being who is not wise to invent a single drop and to attach so many benefits to rain. In that case, the entity that produces this rain must also have wisdom. The one without wisdom cannot claim to possess a single raindrop.
5- When rain was created, it was not considered alone; its relation with all kinds of things was taken into consideration. For example, people and animals drink from that rain, the soil revives with it, and plants as well as trees find life with it. The entity that creates rain must be cognizant of humans, animals, and plants so that it can create rain in a way that is beneficial to their anatomies. This explanation encompasses all kinds of things. The one who is unable to encompass and see all kinds of things at the same time cannot make rain beneficial to them. In that case, the entity that produces this rain must be able to encompass and see.
6- The sending of rain to all inhabitants on the Earth is a work of infinite compassion. It would not be possible for the one who does not feel sympathy and compassion for the inhabitants of the Earth to create rain. In that case, the entity that produces rain must be compassionate. The one without compassion cannot claim to possess a single raindrop.
7- To possess the qualities that we have listed, one must first be living. The one who is not alive cannot have freewill, knowledge, power, and any of the other characteristics. There are dozens of more names and characteristics that are apparent with rain. However, we will now cut it short, as “a word to the wise is enough.”
Now, we are going to look for a doer that can create rain. We saw that the entity that creates rain must have freewill, knowledge, power, reason, compassion, sight, a life, the ability to encompass, and many other similar characteristics and names. The one who is unable to possess these characteristics cannot possess a single raindrop. Nevertheless, raindrops, which have been created with wisdom, are apparent, as are the names and characteristics that are seen with them.
Whose names and characteristics are they? We say they belong to God and do not accept that the creation of rain can be anyone else’s deed other than His since only God can be the creator of such a sapient act. If someone says the opposite by disaffirming God, then, he/she must attribute the creation of rain to someone. An action is apparent and actions must have agents. The person must also accept the candidate that he/she presents as having the aforementioned names and qualities.
It is not possible for the one who is unable to possess these names and qualities to actualize the pouring of rain and to create a single raindrop. In that case, there are two paths: Either, one accepts God and attributes the pouring of rain as well as the names and characteristics that are apparent in this situation to Him. Or, he/she accepts the cloud as being the agent and claims that it possesses the aforementioned names and qualities that are seen with rain. In that case, the cloud, which is the pretended agent, would possess God’s qualities and would be elevated to the station of God. In summary: There are names and characteristics that are visible in rain.
It is not possible for these names and characteristics to be ownerless. The one who disaffirms God will give a cloud that has no sense of itself the measures of knowledge, power, wisdom, compassion, and mercy that belong to God and will fall into disbelief. With this belief, they would make this cloud their god. What we mean by “god”, is the entity that possesses the names and qualities that we have listed.
It means that whomever you attribute these names and qualities to, you accept them as a god. Like in our previous example, the person who disaffirmed the sun would be obligated to accept the presence of a true sun in their window because the possessor of this light is called a “sun”. Similarly, whomever we accept as the possessor of the names and qualities that manifest in a material would be our god because we call the possessor of these names and qualities, “god”. We only looked at rain and some of the names and characteristics that have been manifested within it. Also, look at the universe and see the names and characteristics that have been manifested!
Then try to find an agent that those names and characteristics can be attributed to!
Go up to the skies, dive to the depths of the seas, travel the wilderness, and let no rock be unturned!
Could you find anyone else other than God who can possess these many names and qualities that appear in the universe?
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