"What is Reality?" --- Lecture By Dr. Ejaz Rasool, Glasgow UK

What is Reality? حقیقت کیا ہے؟ Lecture By: Dr. Ejaz Rasool, Glasgow Uk Dated: 10 November 2019 What is Reality? This video provides some perspective to the human consciousness and its ability to create a reality without the Quran and then provides a perspective on the reality which can be created in the light of the Quranic guidance. Reality is defined as ‘the state of things as these actually exist as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them’. As we all live our life the questions in relation to our existence do arise in our mind e.g. ‘who am I?’, ‘what do I truly want from my life?’, ‘what is the purpose of my life?’, ‘is there life after death?’, ‘is there God?’ and if there is one ‘what are his attributes?’, etc. We humans are the only known creation who have freedom to choose and who can make decisions and as a consequence of these traits we have changed the face of the earth. There are six facts which we all experience as we live our life: 1. ‘I’ exists – it experiences life and it has a physical body which ages. 2. The universe exists around us . 3. The problems of life exist . 4. Other fellow human beings exist who all have the same ‘I’. 5. We all have freedom to choose and have intent. 6. We all are going to die whatever belief system we have – death is universal. Some philosophers have coined a term called ‘the hard problem of consciousness’ which states: • Our experience arises from a physical basis – but we have no good explanation why and how it arises? • Why should physical processing give rise to rich inner life at all? • It seems objectively unreasonable that it should, yet it does. We live our life based on our desires and create a mixture of an inner reality part of which is created by others e.g. our social environment and part is created through our own thoughts and deeds. Some questions which need our attention are: • Do I know my reality at any point in time of my life? • How much of it is created by me? • Am I happy with its present state? • What kind of reality can I create with the help of the Quran and do I need it? According to the Quran the purpose of the creation of the universe and the earth is the creation of man who possesses free will and who can make decisions and since he can make decisions, hence he is made responsible for the consequences of these decisions. The verse 45:22 states it unambiguously - Allah created the heavens and the earth as Truth, so that each self is recompensed for its deeds and no one is treated unjustly. The Quran presents itself as a whole reality and a complete guidance for man. It states with evidence that man has nothing inside which can guide him to the right path, and he needs external guidance of the revelation from Allah. Then it presents itself as the complete guidance appealing to the human intellect to verify its values, presents the concept of Allah based on the evidence in the outer world and explains the inner psychic world of each one us. It points to the fact that those who elect to follow its guidance, there awaits a great future for them in the next life and invites man to acquire Eimaan i.e. conviction as pointed in 2:177 and then do righteous deeds which will bring a change within his self and will serve as an evidence of the self’s path of development. All those who are looking for a higher purpose of life and wish to know about Deen as a system for the good of whole of mankind need to study the Quran – read the books What is Islam?, The Life in the Hereafter: What does the Quran say?, The Human Self and Allah by G. A. Parwez available from Tolue Islam and Amazon. Any query regarding this talk can be directed to Idara Tolue Islam. Website: http://toluislam.com/ Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/talueislam Email: [email protected] #Tolueislam #Reality #DrEjazRasool #Lecture #Lahore