The Creator said:
Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment. (Al-Maida:2).
The Creator also said:
But seek, through that which God has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And be excellent as Allāh has been excellent to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allāh does not like corrupters.” (Al-Qasas:77).
From these two Quranic verses, we understand the importance of preserving the environment, and the importance of cooperation in this regard to have a decent life.
However, what caught my attention recently is the demand to de-include religious curricula in schools and kindergartens at a time when the world is talking about environmental education that helps protect the oceans.
Where is the right of the ocean’s Creator?
The Creator said:
let them worship the Lord of this ˹Sacred˺ House (Quraysh:3).
It is as if humans today worship the universe, which is (the house), and ignore the worship of the Creator of the house.
What is the priority of people today?
Is the priority of human beings the right of the Creator of creatures, or the right of creatures?
On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France, UNESCO announced its goal to include ocean education in the school curricula of its 93rd member states by 2025 to achieve this goal. The United Nations agency is making available a toolkit for decision makers, includes a common frame of reference for educational content about oceans.
Organised with the support of the Portuguese and Kenyan governments, the conference will serve as a call to action for the ocean, urging world leaders and all relevant sectors to foster ambition, mobilise partnerships, and increase investment in scientific in addition to innovative approaches to reverse the decline in ocean health. It will also be a vocal appeal to communities, businesses and individuals to do their part for reducing marine pollution and commit to responsible consumption of ocean resources.
I was surprised and said to myself:
Why when the world talks about the best solution to save the creatures such as oceans, plants and animals, it does not talk about the best solution to save humanity after death. They promote the validity of all solutions, which are the religions invented by humans, despite their illogicality.
That is why I focus on the importance of the genuine concept of the Creator in my lectures and dialogues with Muslims and non-Muslims. The followers of all religions distorted this concept, while it is not distorted in Islam.
Non-Muslims ascribed to the Creator human attributes include having a child, getting tired and not knowing, sighing, and regretting. The problem became worse when some religions considered that the Creator would embody an insect, a tree, an animal, or a human being. The worst of all is that they made the Creator the sin itself, exalted be God far above that.
With all this daring acts against the right of the Creator, they call for the validity of all these beliefs that violate His right, and they call for discarding educating the correct religion in the school curricula, which leads to knowing this religion.
One of the most surprising and dissatisfying effects to experience after I have wandered around the world is when I find out that all what a non-Muslim knows about a Muslim is that he prays 5 times a day and gives alms and fasts, but he does not know that a Muslim believes in all the prophets from Adam to Muhammad, including Jesus Christ and Moses, peace be upon them all.
This certainly reinforces the division and rift between human beings and makes religion an obstacle to achieving peace.
Knowing the true religion leads to eternal bliss, and being concerned about the rights of people will not protect them from inevitable annihilation.
Will life on earth last for us to spend the rest of our lives searching for solutions to save what will perish?
Scientists expect that the expansion speed of the universe slows down with time, as mathematical calculations indicate that the expansion after the Big Bang was at much higher rates than it is now. Towards a hypothetical center of the universe, space-time also gathers at this point, and the dimensions recede and gather in one infinitely small point. The universe then would return to the first state.
This is what is known as the Great Crunch.
The Big Crunch in physical cosmology, in contrast to the Big Bang process, is one of the possible scenarios for the fate of the universe, which dictates that the expansion of the universe due to the energy of the Big Bang will dissipate and end after some time and the central gravitational energy will begin to gather into outskirts of the universe until it returns to one small mass in volume and high density and mass.
Accordingly, if we suppose that this life is a ship inevitably sinking with its passengers, according to these studies, what is the purpose of providing amenities on the deck of this ship.
The Creator said:
On that Day We will roll up the heavens like a scroll of writings. Just as We produced the first creation, ˹so˺ shall We reproduce it. That is a promise binding on Us. We truly uphold ˹Our promises˺! (Al-Anbiya:105)
The truth is absolute, whether we like it or not, and the religion is one, which is:
- Acknowledgment of the Creator of the universe, Who Has no son or partner. He is the true God, Who does not come to earth in a human form or an animal form. The Creator is not united with His creatures.
- Everyone must communicate with the Creator directly, not through a saint or priest, nor through the Prophet of God, Muhammad, or through any member of his family.
- Humans must believe in all the prophets of God from Adam to Muhammad, including. Jesus Christ and Moses, may peace be upon them all.
- Equality between human beings must be provided. There is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab except by piety.
- Also, recognising the Day of Judgement, the time where the Creator will hold people accountable for their deeds.
It is only this way we can have a global religion.
For these points, conferences must be held, and preparations should be made first before anything else because in them the salvation of humanity from eternal punishment has been prepared by the Creator for those who deny the Creator’s right and ignore His commands and prohibitions.
But what are the Creator’s commands and prohibitions?
The Creator’s commands and prohibitions are represented in these noble verses:
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Come! Let me recite to you what your Lord has forbidden to you: do not associate others with Him ˹in worship˺. ˹Do not fail to˺ honour your parents. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for you and for them. Do not come near indecencies, openly or secretly. Do not take a ˹human˺ life—made sacred by Allah—except with ˹legal˺ right.1 This is what He has commanded you, so perhaps you will understand. And do not come near the wealth of the orphan—unless intending to enhance it—until they attain maturity. Give full measure and weigh with justice. We never require of any soul more than what it can afford. Whenever you speak,1 maintain justice—even regarding a close relative. And fulfil your covenant with Allah. This is what He has commanded you, so perhaps you will be mindful. (Al-An’am:151-153)
The verses begin with the rights of the Creator, then the rights of creatures.
This is the approach that all people should follow.
The Creator also said:
Do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order. And call upon Him with hope and fear. Indeed, Allah’s mercy is always close to the good-doers.. (Al-A’raf: 56)
We understand from these verses that practicing the correct religion protects society and the environment from all kinds of corruption.
Man is the only responsible person among the creatures who has the freedom to choose between good and evil.
Assignment is the essence of man’s mission in this life.
The Creator said:
˹He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving. (Al-Mulk: 2)
True religion is the one that explains to the person what is good and what is evil so that he can do good and avoid evil by using rationality and freedom that was granted to him.
The more people move away from the true religion and ignore it, the greater the danger is to society and the environment, and the higher the pollution rate and the higher the crime rate.
This is what we notice now of the spread of corruption and crimes, and young people who do not know their priorities, and do not set a goal for their life.
The solution to the problem of the world today is not by excluding religion from school curricula, nor by adopting the validity of all religions, but rather by knowing the correct religion, and having it practised by all and including the correct religion in the school curricula.
If some people insist on practicing their wrong religion, then in this case we must respect their freedom of choice, treat them kindly, not wrong them, not underestimate their rights, and not kill them or infringe their rights. But without adopting his false religion as a true religion.
The Creator said:
… whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity. ˹Although˺ Our messengers already came to them with clear proofs, many of them still transgressed afterwards through the land. (Al-Maida:32).
Almighty also said:
Fight in the cause of Allah ˹only˺ against those who wage war against you, but do not exceed the limits. Allah does not like transgressors. (Al-Baqarah: 190)
Thus, we can obtain the peaceful coexistence of human beings, not by acknowledging false beliefs as true.
The true religion is one religion.
- It is the worship of the One and Only Creator, without a Trinity, a mediator, a stone or an animal.
- The belief that the Creator is the Only One is worthy of worship, Who does not come to earth in any animal form or a human form, and that He has no children.
Let’s start with the Conference on Knowing the True Religion before the Oceans Conference.
The oceans are protected by their God.
Notes:
- The Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Middle East use the word “Allah” to refer to God, which refers to The Only True God.
- The reference of God to Himself as WE or US in many verses of the Qur’an denotes Grandeur and Power in Arabic. In the English language this is known as the royal WE, where a plural pronoun is used to refer to a single person holding a high office, such as a monarch. For the avoidance of doubt, the Qur’an has consistently reminded us of the SINGULAR pronoun in reference to God, when called upon by His servants.
- The Qur’an, is the last sacred book sent by God, but not the only book, as Muslims believe in all the earlier revelations of God (the scriptures of Abraham, the book of David, the Torah, the Gospel,etc.). Muslims believe that the original message in all the sacred books is Pure Monotheism (unifying God in worship). Unlike the Divine scriptures that preceded, the Qur’an has not been kept in the hands of any particular group or clergymen of allMuslims which would lead to the misinterpretation or alteration of it. On the contrary, the Qur’an has always been within the reach of Muslims who recite it in their daily prayers, and they refer to it for all their concerns. Muslims read and recite the same Qur’anic text that was read and recited during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Not a single letter has been added or removed from the Qur’an. The language of the Qur’an, the prophecies which came true, the accuracy in historical accounts, the mathematical inimitability and scientific accuracy, all prove that the Qur’an could not have been produced by a man who lived in Arabia in the 7th century and who could not read or write. God the Almighty challenged the Arabs and the non-Arabs to bring forth a book similar to the one He revealed, even though the Arabs at that time were masters of eloquence and rhetoric, they were unable to meet the challenge, and they realized that the Qur’an could not be from any other than God, the Lord of the universe