The Viewpoint of the Prophets about Man and the Universe

The prophets holy the following concepts regarding) man and the universe:

Sovereignty Lies with God

This whole universe stretching out before man, of which man is a parts N not an accidental phenomenon. It is a well-organized sad, well-regulated dominion. God has created this state; He alone is the Master and Sole ruler of this state. It is, in fact, a totalitarian system in which all powers are vested in the Centres Authority. No one else shares the Rule of this Totalitarian Sovereign. All forces which operate in the system of this universe are under His direct control. Nothing in the universe dare to disobey His Commands or act on its own accord without His permission. No part of this All-Embracing system can attain and naturally should not have autonomy or be irresponsible.

Subservience of Man

Man is a born-subject of this Divine State, Man does not become a subject of this State in his physical wing by adoption; he is born as a subject and it does not lie in his power to hold any other status than that of a subject. Man, therefore, has no right to devise a way of life or to define his own obligations. Man does not own anything in this universe and he has no right to lee laws for the use of property which does not belong to him, Man's body and all human powers are the possession of God and His Gift. Hence the right to use his body or physical powers according to his own will does not vest in man. On the other hand, man shall use these Divine gifts according to the will of the Almighty.

Similarly, all things - earth, animals, water, plants, minerals - which form the environment of man are the property of God, They do not belong to man. Hence he has no right to appropriate even these things according to his will. Man should deal with these things according to the rules set by the Master to Whom they really belong.

Similarly, all men who inhabit this earth and whose lives are interlinked with each other are the subjects of (pod. 'therefore, they have no right to formulate soles and regulations fear ordering their mutual relations. 'the whole range of their mutual relationships should be governed by laws made by God.

As regards the question-what the law of God is, the Prophets inform us to same source from which we have received knowledge about the reality of this world and about your ownselves has conveyed to us the knowledge of the Divine Law. God Himself has revealed this knowledge to us and has appointed us to deliver this knowledge to you. Trust in us; recognize us as the envoy of your King and receive from s the authentic law of the King.

Boundaries of Action

The prophets further explain to us, "you observe that the entire business of this universe is running according to a system; yet the Emperor is not visible, nor do we see His functionaries at work. you have a sense of freedom and feel free to act according to your wishes; you may behave as if you are the owner of things; you may even bow your heads in subservience and obedience to others who impose as Masters; you receive sustenance under all circumstances; you are provided with means of word; disobedience of Divine rule does not entail immediate punishment. All this is meant to put you to a tests The Master has endowed you with wisdom, the faculty of deduction and the power of choice between right or wrong. The Master has, therefore, thrown a veil between His Being, His system of Dominion and your eyes. He wants to put you through a trial and see how you use the powers He has bestowed on you. He has blessed you with common sense, freedom of choice, and a measure of autonomy and has left you to act as you desire. If you realise your position as a subject and adopt this position with heart and soul without coercion, you will coarse out successful are the test of your Master. On the other hand, if you fail to recognize your status as the subject of God or, Peeving recognized your position as a subject, you set upon a rebellious course you fail in the test. You have been vested with some powers in the world in order to put you through a trial. You have been given control and authority over many things in the world and have been granted a whole life-spate to prove your worth".

The World is a Place of Trial

The prophets then inform us to that worldly life is a period of trial; accordingly no accounts shall be called for nor any reward or punishment be dispensed in this world. [1. In this connection, it should be borne in mind that the world in which we live is a ‘Physical World (that which runs on the laws of physical science) and not a 'Moral World' (that which runs on moral laws). Hence under the existing system of universe, the moral consequences of human actions do not develop fully. They can develop only to the extent to which, physical laws permit them to develop. Otherwise where the laws of physical science put an obstruction, it is impossible for moral consequences to develop. Take an instance. A man kills another person. The moral consequences of a murder will develop only if physical laws lend assistance in investigating the crime, establishing the charge and then enforcing the moral punishment on the culprit. If the physical laws prove abortive, no moral consequence of a murder will ensue. Even if the physical laws do help, the moral consequences of the crime of murder will never fully develop in this world. The mere killing; of a person for the person killed does not fulfill the requirement of the laws of morality. Hence this world is not a place of punishment; nor can it be so. In order to make this world a "Place of Reward or Punishment" we need a system of the universe which, in contrast to the present system, is ruled by moral laws and in which physical laws serve as aids to the fulfillment of the former.]

Whatever is given here is not necessarily a reward for virtue; it does not signify that God is pleased with you or He approves of your present deeds. All this is, in fact, given to you as a means of putting you through a test. Goods, wealth, children, positions in the Government, means of livelihood-all these are bestowed on you lest order to test your performance and to enable you to make use of your good or bad qualities. Similarly, all hardships, losses, calamities which overtake you do not necessarily signify the visitation of God's punishment on you for some evil deed. Some of these afflictions are results of certain natural phenomena.[1. For instance, when as adulterer suffers a venereal disease, it is a physical consequence of his action and not a moral punishment for his evil deed. If he succeeds in getting rid of the disease with medical treatment, he might escape the physical pain of the disease, but will not be exempted from moral punishment. If he repeals of his sin, he will be redeemed from moral punishment, but this alone will not cure his physical illness.] Some of these hardships fall under the category of trials.[2. For instance, when a man is afflicted with poverty it is, in fact, a test off his integrity. Is he tempted to use foul means to earn his livelihood or he remains steadfast in using legitimate means'! Does he keep firm in righteousness when oppressed by a multitude of hardships or wavers and succumbs to evil ways.] Some misfortunes occur when one behaves in accordance with a viewpoint which is opposed to reality. In such a case one inevitably suffers a rude shock. [3. When a man denies the existence of God over his own': and behaves as if he were free from all restraints, he is acting against reality and inevitably comes to grief, for in point of fact God exists and man is not free from all restraints. The behaviour of such a man may be compared to the example of a parson, who, taking fire as a plaything, tries to hold it and burns his hands, for his action is certainly opposed to the hard fact.]

In any case, this world is not a `House of Reward or Punishment"; it is a 'House of Trial'. The consequences of actions which appear in this world cannot be taken as basis for judging a method or an action righteous or wicked, good or bad and unlawful or permissible. The consequences of worldly actions which will be established in the next world will form the real basis of judgment. When the period of grace (the present life) is over, a second life will start in which your deeds shall be assessed and judgment will be delivered, as to whether you acquitted yourself with credit or ignominiously in the worldly life. The only basis on which you shall be judged guilty or non-guilty in the next world will be whether firstly, you employed your faculties of observation and reason in the right way and acknowledged the sovereignty of God and the Divine sanctity of His Commandments; secondly, whether you, having recognized the above reality and possessing also the freedom of choice, submitted to the Sovereign Lord and acted upon His Commandments without coercion and of your own accord.