CYCLES OF CREATION AND TAWHEED
The concept of cycles of creation raises questions and even bewilderment for many Muslims and non-Muslims. The vast majority of our contemporaries are accustomed to perceive the monotheistic doctrine of creation in terms of one-time, singularity and uniqueness. Unconsciously, people believe that the uniqueness of creation reflects the uniqueness of the Creator, because, despite the strict warnings of monotheistic theology, they still draw an analogy between the Creator and the creation. In addition, for the “natural man”, who has not reformatted himself in a very special perspective of pure monotheism, Aristotelianism with its doctrine of the beginninglessness and eternity of the Universe remains relevant one way or another.
Despite the fact that theoretically people may know that this is not so, the “natural man” still instinctively depends on the assertion of the being around him as an absolute object that was, is and will be. The Aristotelian view of the beginninglessness and eternity of the world is mixed with a seemingly monotheistic view of the “uniqueness of creation” and forms a kind of fusion that has dominated the wide circles of the Mediterranean ecumene for the last 2000 years.
At the same time, the fact that the doctrine of cycles characterizes pagan traditions, for which it is fundamental in understanding the manifested being, pours water on the mill of monotheists, standing on the platform of the uniqueness of creation. From Babylon to India, from the Aztecs and Incas to China, all these varieties of metaphysicians take the position that the world has a certain duration, within which it passes through a series of epochs from the Golden Age to the Iron Age. At the end of this duration, an eclipse occurs, and then the world finds itself anew fresh and pristine, ready for the next cycle. This point of view is usually associated with an understanding of metaphysical reality through the concept of an impersonal absolute, which gives an infinite possibility for manifestation. In this metaphysical concept there is no personal unconditional and perfect Subject, which is known from the revelation of the prophets.
The problem is that some of the data that can be gleaned from the metaphysics of the pagans are not canceled in their adequacy by the fact that their source is the knowledge of priests hostile to monotheism. The Qur’an distinguishes between “possessors of knowledge” as those who “stand in positions of justice” and others whose knowledge does not lead to justice. “Those who stand in the position of justice” testify that there is no other choice for worship except the worship of Allah. But this does not negate the knowledge of others, although they are enemies of the monotheists.
Much evidence can be found in the Qur’an that creation is not singular and unique. Yes, this is impossible for the reason that the uniqueness and singularity belongs only to Allah. The multiplicity (repeatability) of creation is only one of the expressions of the inequality between the Creator and creation.
“˹Imagine˺ how many peoples We have destroyed before them! Do you ˹still˺ see any of them, or ˹even˺ hear from them the slightest sound?”(19:98).
“It is We Who created them and perfected their ˹physical˺ form. But if We will, We can easily replace them with others.” (76:28).
“Here you are — those invited to spend in the cause of Allah — but among you are those who withhold [out of greed]. And whoever withholds only withholds [benefit] from himself; and Allah is the Free of need, while you are the needy. And if you turn away [i.e., refuse], He will replace you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you.” (47:38).
The Almighty is free from the need to create anything — He is self-sufficient. He does not depend on the results of each specific creation, on the outcome of the drama that is contained in creation. Creation itself is, by definition, “non-Creator”. In other words, when Allah (Holy and Great is He) creates something, He creates something besides Himself. Since He is Absolute, anything other than Him can only be unconditionally in the dark about Him. Allah (He is Holy and Great) creates being/reality in a state of unawareness of Him, because this unawareness is a negative expression of the fact that Allah (He is Holy and Great) is higher than any knowledge, any possibility of knowing anything about Him.
The substance of creation is thus pure unawareness, absolute inertia, which knows nothing of its being limited by anything, of its beginning and end, that it has a Master who created it. From this substance, Allah (He is holy and great) singles out a being — Adam(peace be upon him), into which he puts “from His Spirit”, that is, a particle of the Divine Spirit. Thus, in the nights of infinite unawareness, an infinitely small particle of the Divine Spirit appears, which forms subjectivity within the created, the very possibility of witnessing. This particle is the limitation of an inertia that seems to be infinite; it is to this particle that the revelation descending from Allah is addressed.
These are the only inputs that Allah (Holy and Great is He) sets for the solution of the task set to the creation. On the one hand, the infinite darkness of substance, on the other hand, an infinitely small particle of the Divine Spirit. In its smallness, it must overcome the surrounding inertia and triumph over being as unawareness about Allah. If anyone has doubts that the creation itself represents the inertia of ignorance and darkness, let him remember the Quranic verse:
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.” (24:35)
That is, “heaven” and “earth” do not independently possess light, and are not a light itself. Even the fire from which Allah (God Great and Holy) created Satan is a fire without light, a black flame in which the condemned being will burn.
So, the input data is the confrontation of an infinitely small particle of the Spirit with the infinitely heavy inertia of created being. The Almighty is not interested in the fact that the creation works like a clock or flies like a rocket, according to mathematical calculations, to a given goal, where, according to immutable laws, it cannot fail to arrive. It would be easy for the Almighty to make a creation that works like a clock, in which everything would happen like in a music box, where every hour ladies and gentlemen swim in a circle to the sounds of a minuet — this would be easy for the Almighty, but there is no point in such a creation. The Almighty has created a situation, the outcome of which is the ultimate maximum miracle. It is absolutely unbelievable that the infinitesimal — the spark — would triumph over the infinitely greater, the heap of inert ash (from the point of view of the Spirit). However, this is exactly what Allah (Holy and Great is He) wants.
The history of creation has a single dramatic plot written in divine thought, which must end with a universal Resurrection and Judgment. But not all actors who took the stage can play this story. After all, the actors themselves also consist of this inertia, of the darkness of the created substance, by 999 shares out of 1000. And it is clear that the fate of a particle of the Upper Light, thrown into the lower darkness, is very complex and tragic in the interweaving of all factors that, almost without exception, work precisely for the triumph of darkness. But this is the original purpose of creation — to repeat itself until a miraculous breakthrough occurs, until this particle of the Spirit becomes the center for the elect who are guided by it, and these elect, in turn, become the main combat unit that determines the fate of the confrontation. Only then does Allah (Holy and Great be He) intervene on the side of this small detachment and support the breakthrough coming from His servants and strugglers.
One may object: what about the omniscience of the Creator? After all, He knows how each specific test, each creation will end, He knows whether these actors will be chosen to play and whether they will be able to bring the play to the end without disappointing the audience!
The knowledge of the Almighty God is not the same as the knowledge of the creature. If a person knows something in advance, then he, as it were, does not need to carry it out “in kind”. But there is a knowledge of the mirror that cannot be deceived. It simultaneously “knows” everything that is reflected in it and at the same time is open to any possibility. The mirror cannot be taken by surprise, it is impossible to show it something for which it is not ready. At the same time, the mirror makes it possible for everything to manifest itself in full. This metaphor helps to understand that there is knowledge, which, covering everything, does not cancel freedom. The plot is predetermined, the solvency of the actors involved in this plot is not predetermined. This is the mercy of God. Otherwise, our prayers addressed to the Creator would have no meaning.
February 20, 2013
Translated from Russian language