ALLAH IS ONE
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00:00Hello, Dr. Zakir Naik. My name is Harris. I'm from Phoenix, Arizona in the United States.
00:07I'm an entrepreneur and a marketing manager. Two of my friends in America have converted
00:14watching YouTube videos of you. One of them a Christian, one of them an atheist. One of
00:20my friends presented me with how to deal with an atheist DVD of yours, which I did watch.
00:29But that didn't answer my question. And I've asked this question to a lot of people with
00:34no satisfactory answers, a lot of intelligent people. Of all the scholars that I've ever
00:38watched on YouTube, in my opinion, you are the most rational, logical, easy to understand
00:45kind of scholar that I've ever come across in my life. And it is really important that
00:53this question is answered because I've never had a satisfactory answer for this question.
00:57My question is like a coin with two sides. The first side of it is this, and this is
01:02the question. I'm somewhere between an atheist and agnostic. I'm not sure where. God has
01:08created this entire universe, and the Quran speaks a lot about how it has taken so many
01:13days and mountains and this and that, and life is going to be a test and whatnot. My
01:19question is, way before God decided to create this entire universe, before He decided to
01:27put human beings, before He decided to send Prophet Muhammad or Adam and Eve, way before
01:33He even planned about doing any of this, He knew the end result of it. He knows in the
01:40end He will be disappointed by certain people, and He will throw them in a hellfire. He knows
01:45they will be burning. He knows they will be tortured, and that is when they will be repenting
01:50for what they've done. Way before He created the entire universe, He knows the outcome
01:56is going to be bad. It may be good for certain people who are in heaven, but He knows that
02:01He can save those people from being in hell, way before He even decided to go ahead with
02:06the creation. Yet, He decides to go ahead with it, with all His godly logic. Why would
02:13He want to do that? The question, if I can just put it in this manner, how can God be
02:18so sadistic that He would actually go ahead with a plan which He knows is going to end
02:22up in that manner? That's the first side of the coin. The second side of the coin is,
02:26for some reason, if I believe that okay, God is almighty and He understands, everything
02:30is great, God is great. Why is God insisting in the Quran that look at the mountains, look
02:37at the protons, the electrons, this and that, everything is so synchronized, how amazing
02:41I am. Why is He forcing us to find His creation amazing, when it is a piece of cake for God?
02:47I mean, He just had to say kun, and it was done. Then why is it a big deal if God has
02:52made this entire universe which is so amazing, because for God it's nothing. So, I should
02:56not be really amazed at His creation. He can do much more than this. So, I do not understand
03:00why He wants us to respect what He has done or find it amazing what He has done.
03:06The brother asked a very good question and a very intellectual question. It's a very
03:10good question. And he has seen some of my tapes on YouTube, even of atheism. And this
03:17question that is troubling him, he hasn't got the answer to. The brother asked the question
03:23that almighty God knows everything. Before He created the heaven and the earth, before
03:28He created human being, even if one person goes to hell, He could have avoided that.
03:35He could avoid being disappointed. Of course. I'll reply. The brother said even if one person
03:40goes to hell, it is as though God would be disappointed. Now coming to your question,
03:47I started a school. I started a school. And you may have heard Islamic International School.
03:55If a teacher takes an examination, if she is just, while she is giving the examination,
04:04she writes in the maths paper 2 plus 2 is equal to how much? The student in front of
04:08her or him, the teacher, writes 5. She can very well tell the student, change 5 to 4.
04:18Would it be just on the teacher, during the test and examination, to correct a student
04:25who is writing a wrong answer? Right, but if she has an option that the student doesn't
04:28need to do any of that and still just go and get the certificate, she doesn't have to.
04:32I am asking a simple question. The teacher has given the question paper. All the students
04:37are informed about it. In that circumstance, you are right. For that particular situation,
04:41the teacher can tell, dear student, change 5 to 4. What will the other students think
04:47about? Unjust. But God can be just at the same time. He can create a completely different
04:53condition. He doesn't have to go ahead with that situation. He is not bound by any situation.
04:56Brother is saying, Almighty God can create something which is perfect and will not make
05:00mistake, correct? That God has already done. He created the angels. God created the angels.
05:07The angels never go against any commandment of God. But human being is a better creation
05:12than angel. The angels have got no free will of their own. If you have heard my tapes,
05:16if you have not heard, I will tell you now, the angels are a creation of Almighty God,
05:20but not the best creation. Almighty God created the human beings. The human beings have a
05:26free will to go against God or to follow God. If you have chosen to be a human being, if
05:31you disobey commandments, you go to hell. If you obey commandments, you are superior
05:36than the angel. Because the angel doesn't have a free will of his own, then he follows
05:42God. It's nothing great. The human beings are the better creation of Almighty God. Almighty
05:48God has given a free will. That's a different question that Almighty God knows because He
05:53has Ilm-e-Gaib. He has knowledge of the future. He is more superior. So He has created such
05:59a creation which has a free will. The fault is of human being, not God. No, but God has
06:05created us with that fault and He knows He can avoid that. Not fault. It's not fault,
06:10brother. It is free will. But why is He giving us a free will when He knows He is going to
06:13eventually put these many people in hell? Why is He doing something? That is a different
06:18creation. Would you want to create something which can think on its own or would you want
06:22to? Why is someone so compassionate? Brothers, that's what I'm telling you. What you want,
06:27God has already created an angel. I'm asking you, which is better? An angel following Almighty
06:32God or a human being following Almighty God? Which is better? For me, absolutely, if I
06:36get a second chance, I would want to be an angel. Why would I risk going to hell? Second chance,
06:39correct. That's why Almighty God says in Surah Araf, chapter number 7, verse number 172,
06:46Almighty God bought all the human beings from the loin of Adam and asked them, is there one God?
06:52All agreed. Almighty God says in Surah Hashar, chapter 59, verse number 21, if Almighty God
06:58revealed the Quran on the mountain, the mountain would shatter down. Almighty God says in Surah
07:05Hasab, chapter 33, verse number 72. It is the human beings who were fools who said we want to be human
07:10beings. You and I. You and I were fools. Now you get on backtrack. Once you said you want to appear
07:16for the test, once you read the test paper. Nobody asked me. They asked Adam and Eve. No, brother.
07:22Quran says every human being was asked and then it is washed off. This memory is washed off. If
07:28the memory is away the test, Almighty God says in the Quran, do you want to be a human being?
07:34If you become a human being, you can become superior to an angel or can get inferior. If
07:40you don't want to become a human being, just pass. Even for argument's sake, even in that case.
07:44Please let me complete. You ask the question. All right, go ahead. If you interject, I will answer.
07:49Sure, go ahead. So Almighty God asked the human beings and the Quran says we human beings were
07:55fools. You and I both were fools who opted for the test. Now once you undergo a test,
08:03if you follow the commandment after free will, you'll be superior to an angel.
08:08If you disobey Allah, you become inferior to an angel. We wanted to pass with distinction. You
08:13and I. You and I. You told I don't remember. Of course you will not remember. And even I don't
08:20remember. But I believe in the Quran. On the day of judgment, Almighty God says not a single human
08:26being will object to the justice of Allah. That will come to know on the day of judgment. Only
08:32thing we'll say, please give us one more chance. Almighty God will say it's too late. Because if
08:37he wants to give you a new chance, then I'll have to come back in the world again. Again, everyone.
08:42So those who failed, he can't get only the failures. So the Quran says no one will ever object
08:49on the justice of Allah. They will request Allah give us one more chance. Almighty God is too late.
08:55Almighty God gives us chances in this world itself. You make a mistake, Allah gives you a chance to
09:00repent. You repent. Allah forgives you. Again you make a mistake. Once you die, it's only one.
09:07So as far as the first question is concerned, why did God create? Because it's a better creation.
09:12Any logical person, including you, has to agree that a person who has the free will is a better
09:18creation than a person who has no free will. Only a question you don't remember is perfectly right.
09:23When you die, when you're resurrected, that time you and I will meet. Then you will say I remember.
09:29Even I don't remember now. But I have faith in the Quran that Quran cannot be wrong. Because
09:34scientifically, if you heard my lecture, 80% of the Quran is 100% matching with science.
09:4120% is ambiguous. Neither right, neither wrong. So my logic says when 80% is 100% correct
09:48and not even 0.1% of the 20% is wrong. So my logic says even this 20% would be right.
09:54I am a scientific person. I am a logical person. So I believe in the statement of the Quran that
09:59we chose. If you wouldn't have chosen, you could have questioned God. Why did you make me a human
10:04being? Then God would have been at fault. But God says in the Quran, he asked the mountains for
10:12afraid. Everything is for afraid. We human beings opted for this. But do you remember being asked?
10:19I don't remember being asked. Brother, if you heard my answer, even I don't remember. But if
10:25you remember, then where is the test? Imagine if a teacher teaches you something. Teacher teaches
10:32you something. Teacher gives you the book. The teacher has to take away the book for the test.
10:36If the teacher says, okay, take the book and answer, where is the test?
10:41Okay, but what? After the examination is over, you can go home and check or not.
10:46But even before the exam began, God knows. Brother, brother, brother, listen to me.
10:50After the examination is over, can you go and check home or not in the textbook? Absolutely.
10:55But during the examination, can you check? No. So now the examination is going on, brother.
11:00Once it's over, you can check. If you tell teacher, teacher, I want to see the textbook,
11:06I don't remember. No. During the examination, you cannot refer to the textbook. It will be
11:11called cheating. Correct? So once the examination is over, if you don't remember, you tell God,
11:18what is this illogical? But Quran says not a single human being will object to the justice.
11:25Let the test get over. So today, I being a scientific person, I being a logical person,
11:32based on my knowledge of science, based on my logic, when I read the other scriptures,
11:36and when I read the Quran, I find Quran is the only book, only religious scripture on the face
11:42of the earth, which passes this test. So therefore, I being a scientific person, being a logical
11:48person, I agree, okay, fine. This statement of the Quran also has to be right. I don't remember,
11:54that is the test. If I remember, where is the test? So that answers the first part of the question.
12:00First part, that saying that God was sadist. God is not sadist. For example, I start a medical
12:08college. I want the school students to go to medical. How many students who go to school,
12:14enter the medical college? Just roughly, can you guess? Few, surely less than 5%,
12:21less than maybe 1%. So why did you make a college where only 1% can enter? Fine,
12:28it is for selected few. So same way God made heaven, Jannah, Janat-e-Firdos,
12:35everyone cannot go to Janat-e-Firdos. Why not? Sorry? Why not? Why can't everyone go to medical
12:42college? Because it's human capacity. If humans were capable of being able to put everyone in
12:46medical college, they would. That's the way we are made. So same way, everyone cannot become a doctor,
12:53only those who have the capacity. Same way, everyone cannot go to Janat-e-Firdos,
12:57the high levels of paradise. We have to strive. God has given you capacity. If you don't follow
13:03his guidance, you cannot. If you follow his guidance, to go to Janat-e-Firdos is very easy.
13:08If you're intelligent, it's very easy. If you're intelligent and if you're truthful to yourself.
13:15But if you're not truthful to yourself, even a non-intelligent man can go to Janat-e-Firdos.
13:20Only thing you should be truthful. God has given you different options,
13:25how to follow him. Some people think they are smart. I tell them they're extra smart.
13:33If they were smart, they would see it is crystal clear in black and white that this is the word
13:39of God. You have to follow it. That's the reason Francis Bacon said, little knowledge of science
13:45makes you an atheist. In-depth knowledge of science makes you a believer in God.
13:51So I wouldn't say God is sadist. I said we were fools who opted to undergo the test.
13:58Not God. God gave you an option. What do you want to be? We chose. So we are responsible,
14:05not God. God is not a sadist. We are fools. That's what the Quran says. On the day of judgment,
14:11you'll come to know. Inshallah, you and I both. Inshallah, if I go to Jannah,
14:17inshallah, inshallah, I'll pray to God. I'll thank God. You know, I was a good person. I
14:22choose to be a human being. If you pass that, if you fail, then we will curse our own self.
14:26Hope that answers the question. The second part? Sorry, what was the second part?
14:31That even if I believe how almighty he is, how knowledgeable he is, why is he so
14:35bent on convincing us, look at the mountains, look at the electrons, look at the protons.
14:40The second part of the question was that why does Almighty God give references of the mountain
14:46that has created this? For him, it is peanuts. So why is he talking? You know why is he saying?
14:52He's saying these peanut things, mountain, they would shudder. You human being who are superior,
14:57why don't you understand? Quran says in Surah Hashr, Chapter 59, verse number 21,
15:02had the Quran been revealed on the mountain, the mountain would have fallen down
15:08to utter ruin. But to us human beings, it makes no difference. Giving these examples to show
15:13that these things which are so powerful, the mountains, etc., which has created,
15:18would have submitted their will. Why don't you human beings do? He's trying to give an example
15:24that we are fools. He's not trying to praise himself. And whenever he asks us to praise him,
15:31or when he says, we say Allah Akbar. God is the greatest. Do you think it will change Allah? No.
15:40Whether you say a thousand times, Allah Akbar, or a million times, he cannot become greater. He's
15:46already the greatest. The reason we say these things is because it is our human mentality,
15:52our human nature, that we follow the people who are famous, we follow the people who we praise.
15:58For example, your mother has a heart attack. There's an unknown person on the street
16:05who gives you the treatment. And you heard that the best heart specialist in the world is Dr. X.
16:13Now, will you follow Dr. X's advice, or the person on the street who you don't know? Dr. X.
16:18Why? Because Dr. X is famous. People know him. He's the best in the world. So the reason
16:24in our salah, in our life, we say Allah Akbar. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the most wise.
16:30Allah is the most intelligent. Why? If we say that, it doesn't benefit Allah. It benefits us.
16:37That if we praise him, we follow him. If we follow, we go to Jannah. To Allah, it makes no difference.
16:44Therefore, Allah says, will you not then believe? Will you not then understand? That means the
16:49Quran is revealed to the people for understanding. So he's giving this example not to make himself
16:56great. He's already the greatest. Whether you say a million times Allah is the greatest,
17:01it will not make a difference to Allah. He's telling it to you. Allah says in the Quran,
17:06Allah does not require you. You require him. So when we praise him, it is human psychology
17:12that the person you praise, person you talk great about, you tend to follow his advice. By following
17:19his advice, it will benefit you. It will not benefit him. He's already the greatest. He's
17:23already the merciful. So these are rules and regulations laid down. He is our creator. He
17:28knows our mindset. You are a student of science, correct? I'm also a student of science. The moment
17:34I come to know Allah mentioned these scientific facts which we came to know today, 50 years back,
17:40it increases my faith in Allah. Allah says in Surah Fusilat, chapter 41, verse 53,
17:48Soon we shall show them our signs in the furthest regions of the horizons and into their soul
17:58until it is clear to them that this is the truth. So Allah is giving these examples so that it
18:03benefits us. For him, it makes no difference. It is benefiting us so he is giving us a chance
18:12to follow him so that we can go to heaven. Hope that answers the question brother.
18:16I recognize his power and I understand he's amazing and all that that he's done. But am I
18:21expected to be amazed at his achievements at creating this universe? Because for me, for him,
18:26it's like a one second job. Correct. Right. So for him, which is a one second job, when he tells you
18:31not to have alcohol, if you... I won't have alcohol, sure. But am I expected to be amazed at his creation?
18:37No, see the thing is that he's not there to prove himself better. If you believe that for him it is
18:42peanuts, so will a person lie? No. So if he says don't have alcohol, you will not question him. No.
18:49Don't have pork, you will not question him. Yeah, but I'm not amazed at his creation because for him
18:53it's nothing. Compared to us, it's amazing. For him, it's nothing. Right. But compared to us, a person
19:00who can create the universe, when he tells me not to have alcohol, I immediately follow. Sure, I don't
19:07mind following him, but do I have to be amazed at his creation as is said in the Quran? See, as you
19:13asked me the question, should I be amazed at the creation? Right. I would say if I believe human
19:19being is a better creation, then yes, I'm amazed. And then I say, Alhamdulillah, he has made me
19:25better than that. So if I'm amazed, he made the mountains, he made the stars, he made the sun,
19:32but he made Zakir Naik also. He made a human being. And we are the best of creation. So he gives
19:38these examples so that we realize what benefit he has given to us. All the favors he has given to us,
19:45talking about the sands, talking about the protons, talking about the mountains. Finally, he says human
19:51beings are the best creation. So in comparison, we have to agree that our creator has created this
19:58human body, the molecules, the DNA, the complex thing, which can never come by chance. So in this
20:05way, we are amazed at the creation of the human being. And then we submit to him. If you're not
20:14amazed, only by being amazed, we submit that he's our creator, he's worth worshiping. No one else
20:22can do that. This is so that we worship him and we pass the test and we go to paradise.
20:29Hope that answers the question. If Bill Gates gives me a hundred dollars, should I be amazed
20:34that he has given me that money? I believe that the question has been answered and unfortunately,
20:38we are very constricted for time. You are welcome to come back tomorrow, inshallah.
20:42As with all of the brothers and sisters, we have come to the end of tonight's session.
20:46I just gave you a class. He said, if Bill Gates gives you a hundred dollars,
20:53will you get amazed? Brother, the question is, why should Bill Gates give you a hundred dollars?
21:04If you tell me a Tom, Dick and Harry gives you a hundred dollars, nothing to be amazed. Bill Gates
21:11gave me a hundred dollars. It's something that he gave you. Why did he give you? Why not somebody
21:18else? Why? The question is, why did he give you, is a question. If some Tom, Dick and Harry gives
21:25you, if a man on the street gave you a hundred dollars, Bill Gates. Got it. You got it now?
21:33Got it. I got that. So now you're convinced, huh? Yes, absolutely. That is the answer.
21:37So inshallah, I hope that we'll come closer to Islam. So I should not be amazed at the fact
21:43that he's given me the money. I should be amazed it's him who's giving the money. Alhamdulillah.
21:48So it was worth the time extending. Alhamdulillah.