Islamic scholars' views of the ''truth of the matter''

Some Muslims suggest that the fact that we only have experience of
the illusion of matter in our minds is not compatible with Islam,
and maintain that religious scholars in the past rejected this fact.
That is not actually the case, however. On the contrary, what we
are saying here is in complete conformity with the verses of the
Koran. It is exceedingly important for a definite understanding of
many verses and subjects revealed in the Koran, such as heaven and
hell, timelessness, infinity, resurrection and the Hereafter.
Unquestionably, even if he is unaware of this subject, a person can
still live in complete faith. He can have faith, with all his heart
and feeling no doubt, in what God has revealed in the Koran. We
must still make it clear, however, that an awareness of this
subject allows such a person to deepen his faith and certainty. A
number of Islamic scholars of the past looked on the matter from
that same point of view. The only factors that prevented what they
had to say from being widely spread and known were 1) the fact that
the level of science when they lived was unable to totally clarify
the subject and 2) the existence of trends that were apt to lead to
its being misunderstood.
Explanations by Imam Rabbani
The most important of those Islamic scholars who explained the true
nature of matter was Imam Rabbani, who has been widely respected in
the Islamic world for hundreds of years and is seen as "the greatest
reformer of the 10th century according to the Muslim calendar." In
his book Letters, Imam Rabbani provides a detailed commentary on
this very subject. In one of his letters, Imam Rabbani says that God
created the entire universe at the level of perception:
… The Glorious God assigned an appearance from all appearances for
names from all names in the sphere of non-existence with his
Perfect Might. And He created it at the sphere of sensations and
perceptions. At the time He willed and in the way He willed … Even in
the exterior level, there is nothing permanent and existing other
than the being and attributes of Almighty God... 1
In another letter, Imam Rabbani once again stresses that all that
exists is created only at the level of senses and perceptions:
I have used the following sentence above, "God's creation is at the
level of senses and perceptions." 2
On close examination, Imam Rabbani is careful to emphasize that the
world we see, in other words all that exists, has been created on
the level of perception. Another of his statements on the subject
is as follows:
Nothing but God exists on the outside… Perhaps all of Almighty God's
creation finds constancy on the level of perception… It only has
permanency thanks to God's artistry on that one level. In short, it
only has permanency and appearance on one level. It does not have
existence on one plane and appearance on another… 3
Explanations by Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi
The great Islamic scholar Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi also believed
that the only thing that has definitive existence is God, Who has
created the whole universe only on the perceptual level. He is
known as "The Greatest Master" (Shaykh al-Akbar) on account of the
depth of his knowledge, and in his work The Essence of Wisdom
(Fusûs al-Hikam), he reveals that the universe is but a shadow
existence consisting of what is manifested by God:
I say that you must know that apart from God, all that exists, or
everything in the universe, stands in the same relation to God as a
shadow to a man. That being the case, everything apart from God is
but His shadow… There is no doubt that the shadow exists in
perception. 4
The Prophet Muhammad said that "people are asleep and wake up when
they die." This is to say that the objects seen in the world when
alive are similar to those seen when asleep while dreaming, meaning
that they exist in the imagination. 5
The Perversion of Philosophers
These explanations regarding the fact that the matter is illusion
are misunderstood by some people and likened to the views of some
ancient Greek philosophers or some other disbelieving philosophers.
Indeed, there have been philosophers who said matter is illusion,
yet these people went astray since they failed to grasp that this
illusion was created by God. For instance, ancient Greek sophists
said, "Matter is a perception we have created ourselves." This view
is rationally and scientifically flawed, and departs from true
religion. As stressed from the very beginning, the truth is that
matter is created by God and does exist, but we don't know the actual
matter but merely a version of it we perceive in our minds.
It is a grave error to confuse this false view of those philosophers
with the explanation given here by Islamic scholars about the
"nature of matter." In fact, Imam Rabbani mentions those
philosophers who depart from the truth when discussing the subject
of matter. He stresses that what he says is very different to their
twisted views. He says the following in his Letters:
When I refer to the world as "imaginary," I do not mean that it is
made and shaped by the imagination … Of course, what it really means
is that God has created the world on the perceptual level …
On the other hand, philosophers who are comprise a group of
lunatics actually talk about something else. What they mean is that
the world is the work of imagination and it is shaped by the
imagination. There is a great difference between the two. 6
Having a Grasp of the Truth of the Matter is Essential
As we have seen, the fact that we merely deal wih the version of
matter in our minds is a very important fact also stated by Islamic
scholars. Yet throughout history, this issue has never been
accessible to the masses; only a limited number of people knew
about it. In this century, this fact has now become explicable,
thanks to the evidence science has provided. The fact that we have
no experience of the actual material world that exists outside our
minds is, for the first time in history, being clearly and
comprehensibly explained. For this reason, everyone must seriously
consider the matter. Muslims in particular must attach vital
importance to it, because comprehending the true facts about matter
is important for attaining true faith in God. Otherwise people will
assume matter to be the absolute truth, which will help the
development of materialist philosophies that deny God or perverted
faiths.
Materialists tell the lie, "Matter is all that exists, and there is
no God". We, on the other hand, say, "The only absolute being is
God; matter is created by Him but we merely deal with its version
in our minds." All power belongs to God, Who creates matter at every
moment. That is the true meaning of "La Ilaha Illallah", the basis
of Islam, which means "there is no deity other than God". There is no
deity other than God. And in fact, there is nothing other than God.
There is only God and His manifestations. Everything we see around
are but His manifestations.
Having a grasp of the true facts about matter is important because
it will help people to comprehend this inner meaning. The fact that
having a grasp of this fact is an attribute peculiar to people of
profound faith and wisdom is stated in a verse:
God bears witness that there is no deity but Him, as do the angels
and the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no deity
but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Koran, 3:18)
1 - Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, Vol II, 470. Letter, p. 517-518
2 - Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, Vol II, 357. Letter, p. 163
3- Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, Vol II, 470. Letter, p. 519
4- Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi, Fusus al-Hikam, p. 117-18
5- Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi, Fusus al-Hikam, p. 220
6- Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, Vol II, 480. Letter, p. 543, 545