IDEA 7
Being More Than Perfect
“Dwelling Alone (All One) in His Absolute, Infinitely Spaceless and Timeless Perfection, GOD is sufficient unto Himself, and cannot be said to ‘need’ anything. Truly GOD is Free from need for any of the worlds. (Q3:97) But this world of ours does express His Perfection when we take perfection to be the possession of all ideal attributes, including those that can only be expressed in the presence of imperfection.” (IIQ, pages 34-35)
All human philanthropists, donors, and do-gooders are expecting some return from their gifts: if not a position, a subsidy, a contract, or a quid pro quo, then at least favourable media coverage, a word of thanks, a quiet nod of recognition, or the near-zero minimum — the warm feeling of self-congratulation, of feeling good about oneself.
The acts of AL-LAH are inconceivably beyond such petty motives. He is so perfectly Self-Contained that all the worship in the world would not add one iota to his Happiness, nor would absolute rejection disturb His Perfect Peace one jot. If We had wanted some diversion, We would have obtained it from Ourselves if We were so inclined. (Q21:17) To be Absolute and Infinite is, by definition, to be free from needing or getting. He describes Himself as wanting and desiring, but not because He is lacking or in want, but only so that a reader can grasp immediately, by association, how Passionate He is about being Compassionate.
As Al-Wahhab, The Giver, He gives us not only what we need for body and soul but also spirits that resonate with His Spirit. He gives us, moreover, what many of us today never feel the need for: Himself. Our ‘animal spirits’ are the first sip — intoxicating for some — of a deeper draught from the angelic spirit. What does being an angel taste like? Angels have been giving of themselves to benefit mankind ever since GOD commanded them to prostrate to Adam, the first man. How does that feel? Few of us ever try to find out.
But if we want to know what it feels like to be GOD, we have to start with giving to ‘get’ Him: We only give you food to seek GOD’s Countenance; we do not want from you reward nor thanks. (Q76:9) Give and give until the thought of getting fades away, until self-sacrifice and generosity become not your second nature but your first, until you nearly forget who you are in seeking Who He is.
This is not a mindless process. As long as we are alive as rational human beings in this world we take for granted, we will continue to wonder: why does GOD do all this? If He is so Self-Contained, why bother? Or, as some have asked, why is there something (a creation) rather than nothing (that we can ever comprehend, i.e., GOD)?
One good definition of GOD is He Who Just Is, without a why. Meister Eckhart may have been thinking of this when he wrote “The noble man is he who lives without why, who does not seek to possess, to obtain a reward, but who simply is.” Perhaps, to feel GOD, we need to have that superhuman creativity of ‘Why not?’
Download the PDF version for free at Ideas Inspired by the Qur’ān – Mont Redmond complete version, or purchase a hard copy at Ideas Inspired by the Qur’an: Redmond, Mont: 9781738842506: Books – Amazon.ca.
