Discovery of God is the basis of faith and Islam. The higher the discovery, the higher is the faith. The culmination of this discovery is the discovery of God with all His glory.
When a person discovers God with all His greatness, he is in a state of awe which the Quran has described in the following words:
True believers are those whose hearts tremble with awe at the mention of God. (THE QURAN 8: 2)
Modern astronomy has a positive contribution in this matter as it has provided a framework to discover the unimaginable greatness and glory of the Creator. With the help of this framework, a man can bring into his imagination the concept of God’s indescribable greatness.
Modern science has studied astronomy for many centuries. In 1508, the telescope was invented. For the first time, in 1609 the Italian scientist Galileo observed space through a telescope. This astronomical observation progressed continuously. Earlier, large astronomical telescopes were set up on some remote mountaintops taking advantage of the clear skies and the lack of atmospheric and light pollution.
Scientific discoveries have truly enlarged the canvas of God realization.
Today is the age of ’space science’. Now man has established space observatories and telescopes. With this technology, it has become possible to observe distant planets and galaxies in the far reaches of the universe. Such observations have established that the universe is constantly expanding at an increasing rate.
Scientific discoveries have truly enlarged the canvas of God realization. These discoveries present a new horizon in the knowledge of man that conceptualizes the Greatness and Glory of God. Scientific discoveries have truly enlarged the canvas of God realization.
In this regard, a few years ago, astronomers discovered what they say is the biggest ever black hole which weighs the same as 6.8 billion suns and could swallow our entire solar system. Speaking about the discovery, one of the astronomers said: "This black hole could swallow our solar system whole."
To ponder on such discoveries reveals a treasure trove provided by the universe to attain a higher realization of God.
According to the scientists, the black hole, and the galaxy hosting it—a huge blob of stars known as M87—is as large as the orbit of Neptune and by far the largest and most distant galaxy in the nearby universe. As a point of comparison, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way is 1,000 times smaller than this one which has been observed some 50 million light years away.
A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, not even light, can escape. It is the result of the deformation of spacetime caused by a very compact mass.
When such facts as these come to light, they serve as great treasure troves for God realization. These events tell us of the greatness of God’s power to an unimaginable extent. To the one who thinks seriously about these scientific discoveries, his heart will tremble at the glory of God and the hairs on his body will stand on their ends.
These facts remind man of his state of extreme helplessness and the state of Omnipotence of God. When pondered upon, such discoveries reveal a treasure trove provided by the universe to attain a higher realization of God.
Realization of God is that man acknowledges his limitations while he discovers the limitlessness of God.
Realization of God, on one hand, is that, man acknowledges his limitations while, on the other hand, he discovers the limitlessness of God. The thrilling state which is produced within man as a result of this discovery is called, realization of God.
Whoever attains this realization of God, for him it is as if the gates of blissfulness have been opened in this world as well as in the Hereafter. Fortunate is the man of whom it will be said in the Hereafter: Enter Paradise from whichever of the gates you like. After today there is neither fear for you nor any grief.
