Realization of God in the Age of Science by Moulana wahiduddin khan

Realization of God in the Age of Science by Moulana wahiduddin khan

There is an incident which I like a lot and is connected to my life in Rampur. I lived in Rampur for about three years. In that period, an incident occurred. There was a child of a poor father. He once asked his father to bring him a bicycle. The father ignored his request. The child requested for a bicycle again. The father again ignored. When the child asked the third time, the father said that he had no money and could not bring a bicycle. He added angrily that if the child repeated his request he would be beaten. On hearing this the child began to cry. He exclaimed: “You are my father! If I do not ask of you, then whom should I ask?” On listening to this, the father also began to cry and said that he would bring a bicycle the next day. He then arranged for money from somewhere and brought a bicycle for his child.

I often think that this is the biggest prayer a person can do before God. If a person brings himself very close to God so that he realizes that he is really nothing and his Lord is everything, if he understands this truly and sincerely – that God is everything and he is nothing at all, if a person realizes this truth and cries out: “O God, You are my Lord. If I do not ask of You, then whom should I ask!” If a person speaks in this way, then God also utters the same thing which the father in the above incident said to his child. I am not saying this out of my own speculation, rather I have understood this through a hadith. The Prophet once said: “I have never seen a person who should be desirous of Paradise, but is lying asleep; and I have never seen a person who should be running away from the Fire, but is lying asleep.” The same spirit is reflected in this hadith.

I remembered this incident because today I was asked a question from Maulana Iqbal Oomeri. The questions is, “What is that one discovery in the age of science which has increased your faith to a Himalayan extent?” This is a very important question. I have a very specific answer to this question, and that is, quantum physics. When I read about quantum physics, my conviction in God increased to such an extent that there has been no other limit which I need to cross now. I had discovered the truth about quantum physics before having read it. Before shifting to Delhi, I met a professor in Lucknow. He was an atheist.

I hope everyone is able to hear me clearly. I must tell that today when I moved out of my home, I thought that I may not be able to speak at all. I began to pray to God. Then I understood a reality: God who has given me the ability to speak in the first instance, will grant me the ability to speak again. This thought came to my mind and I moved out of my home. Right now, I am sitting here and speaking.

So, I was talking about an incident from my Lucknow days. I met a person who called himself an atheist. When I spoke to him, he asked me something strange: “What criterion do you have to prove God’s existence?” At this, I spontaneously uttered: “The same criterion which you have to prove anything else.” This statement was issued from my lips spontaneously. The professor became silent at my response. He was a very learned person. I used to think why this professor went silent. I realized this when I studied further, especially when I read about quantum physics. This is because quantum physics has informed human knowledge that the material world is as non-existent as an atheist would think that God is non-existence. The professor’s claim was that God is non-existent since He cannot be traced. When I gave my reply to him, it was out of my conviction and not a result of knowledge. But later I realized that my answer was exactly in accordance with human knowledge and this knowledge has been provided to us by quantum physics.

Quantum physics tells us that the material world cannot be completely seen by either a telescope or a microscope. We have no means through which we can know, see or understand the material world completely. Then why do we believe in the existence of the material world? Why do scientists believe in the material world? The reason why we believe in the existence of the material world is that although we cannot see the material world, we can see its effects. The last unit of matter is the subatomic particle. This subatomic particle can neither be seen by a microscope nor a telescope. The reason why we still believe in the existence of the subatomic particle is because we can determine its effects. The subatomic particle’s rotation generates heat, and this heat can be detected by our instruments. This is how we conclude that this effect indicates that the subatomic particle indeed exists. This principle is true also of God. The creation (takhliq) is the effect of God (Khaliq). We cannot know the Creator directly, but we can know the Creator through His effects in the creation spread out around us.

This reality was first demonstrated in the time of the Prophet Moses. The incident has been related in the Quran thus. “And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show Yourself to me so that I may look at You.’ He replied, ‘You cannot see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains firmly in its place, then only will you see Me.’ And when his Lord manifested Himself on the mountain, He broke it into pieces and Moses fell down unconscious.’” (7:143) God gave a manifestation of His Being on the mountain, and the mountain was destroyed into pieces. Moses collapsed at this event. This was a direct demonstration from God – you cannot see God, but you can see God’s effects. The effect was that when God showed a part of His manifestation on the mountain, the mountain broke into pieces and Moses fell down unconscious.

This is what I have discovered through scientific analysis. People say that God cannot be seen. But matter (material world) is also in the unseen, then why do they believe in matter? It is because the effects of matter can be seen all around. Similarly, a believer has faith in God because he can see God’s effects in the creation. I have faced several events that made me realize the truth and my personality was, as it were, destroyed. In these moments, I realized God very closely. I often ask: “Will I never see my Creator? The Creator whom I loved, whom I made my concern and desired to live in His neighbourhood – will I never see this Creator?” The answer is in the hadith. The Companions once asked the Prophet: “Will we see God in Paradise?” The Prophet replied: “Yes, you will see God as you see the sun and the moon.” This is metaphorical language. We will see God the way we see the sun and the moon, but we do not know exactly what this ‘seeing’ would be. We can know it only when we actually see God in the Hereafter. When a person makes God his everything, his sole concern, he then thinks in this pattern.

The greatest discovery of a person is to find God Almighty. When you discover God Almighty, naturally a spirit is awakened in you. The spirit is reflected in a prayer of Asiya bint Muzahim. This is the strangest prayer in the Quran. When Pharaoh decided to kill his wife Asiya, she prayed to God saying that she did not care what Pharaoh wanted to do, rather she only wanted God. She said: “My Lord, build me a house in nearness to You in Paradise.” (66:11) I do not find a prayer better than this. Asiya was indeed a strange woman, as she did this prayer while Pharaoh’s sword hung right above her head.

I will say only one thing. The aim of the Quran was to become a warner (nadhir) for all nations, that is, the message of the Quran should reach in understandable language throughout the world. You should make yourself part of this cause. Give whatever you can for this cause. If you do not have anything to give, then pray for those who are working for this cause. The Quran should be translated in the language of every people. God created an entire world. God established the British empire. This British empire was a creation of God – it helped to bring about an international language for the first time in history. But Muslims were so involved in other things that in spite of the fact that the English language emerged as an international language after a long process, Muslims continued fighting against the British empire. The Muslims could not discover the blessing that God had brought about through the British empire. The hadith had also predicted: “God will help this religion through a secular person.” The British were secular people, a secular empire, which had given birth to an international language. Muslims should have translated the Quran in this understandable language of the time. But they kept fighting and complaining. They only fought, complained and had hatred for the British. They did not care to translate the Quran in the international language of the time. The Christians at that time had already translated the Bible in the understandable language of the time. The Christian model had been established for Muslims to draw a lesson from. Today there are 55 translations of the Quran in English, but there is no clarity in any of these translations. The translation published from our centre (Centre for Peace and Spirituality) is very clear and easy to read. This has been acknowledged by Mr. Khushwant Singh of India and Mr. Federico from Poland. I can say that members of our organization were able to do what great Muslim leaders could not do. They prepared and published the translation of the Quran in the understandable language of today.

I request all those who are listening to me to become part of this movement. If they cannot be part of this work, then they should pray for this cause. May God guide us.

Question and Answer Session

Q1. I believe that the real problem of not being able to connect to God is due to unlimited desires in ourselves. These desires stop us from remembering God. How to eliminate these desires and adopt simple living?

A1. A person should make all effort from his side and then pray to God. This principle in Arabic is stated thus: “As-sayi minni wal-itmam minallah.” Prayer on the one hand and one’s efforts on the other hand can help one achieve a high level of God-realization.

Q2. Sometimes I feel my marefat (level of discovery and realization of God) is high and other times I feel it is low. I feel frustrated at this fluctuation. How can I always be in a state of high marefat?

A2. This desire of yours is unnatural – the level of marefat can never be smooth, there will always be ups and downs. You should not always desire a high level of marefat, but rather continue to make effort on your part.

Q3. Will God forgive our grave sins on the Day of Judgment? What should I think so that I get solace?

A3. The Quran has answered this question. A verse in the Quran is considered by the Companions of the Prophet and all respected scholars as the most hopeful (arju) verse. The verse is: “Say, [God says] ‘O My servants, who have committed excesses against their own souls, do not despair of God’s mercy, for God surely forgives all sins. He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’” (39:53) Whenever I read this verse, I reflect on the word ‘jami’, or ‘all’. That is, the greatest gift of God for people is that if they do sincere repentance and truly ask for forgiveness from God, then God will surely forgive them. This is the most hopeful verse of the Quran.

Q4. You say CPS provides the translation of the Quran in understandable language. In Arabia, the Quran was revealed in the seventh century in the language of its people. But today there is no difference between these Arab peoples and people of other countries. How to bring about change?

A4. Bringing about change is not our goal. Our goal is to convey the message of God. Bringing about change is in God’s domain. Even the Prophet could not bring about change, it was entirely in God’s hands. The Prophet could not help Abu Talib accept Islam. So bringing about change is not in your hands. It is impossible for a person to bring about change.

Q5. What is the reason for sectarianism in Muslims? How to remedy this phenomenon?

A5. It is very simple. You should read Ibn Abdul Barr’s book Jami Bayan al-Ilm wa-Fazlihi. In one sentence I will say that the responsibility for this state of affairs is our fuqaha (jurists). When they began to collect traditions of the Prophet, they found that there was variety in the traditions narrated from different Companions of the Prophet. For example, some would believe in Amin bil-Jahr (saying Amin loudly after reciting Surah Fatiha in Namaz), while others in Amin bil-Sahr (saying Amin softly after reciting Surah Fatiah in Namaz). The right way in all of these matters was to accept ta’ddud (diversity) and not yearn for tawahud (unity). The principle of the fuqaha that the truth is one and there should be no diversity or variety, is wrong. Please read my book ‘Tajdid-e-Deen’ on this topic.

Q6. God commands doing jihad in Surah Saff. The return for this jihad would be Paradise. What is the meaning of jihad here – battle against others or struggle against oneself?

A6. These verses on war in the Quran are applicable to the situation when the other side has already attacked Muslims. There is no room in Islam for initiating attack. If someone thrusts war upon you, you can fight back in defence. But there is no offensive war in Islam. In Islam, war is only as defense.

Q7. We often say everything has been written by God. I think this goes against the creation plan of God, as it suppresses the free will of humans. Please tell us about the reality of destiny.

A7. It is true that God has given total freedom to man. God has the power to detach Himself in this matter and allow complete freedom to man. I have written on this topic. You can read more from my books.

Q8. Can we derive from Moses’ above incident that we should study the sciences which deal with discovery and realization of God?

A8. You should increase your study. Studying science is supportive in the task of God-realization.

Q9. Can you recommend any other book apart from the Quran and Hadith?

A9. I cannot pinpoint any one book. There are many books. I too have written many books. You need to find out yourself the books you should read. No other person can tell you.

Q10. The hadith says we should read different Surahs of the Quran in different situations. How to follow this?

A10. There is no such concept of reading a certain Chapter of the Quran on a certain occasion or moment of time. You can read whenever you want, depending on your situation.

The Concept of Help By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The Concept of Help By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 09.02.2020

Today a person asked me a question. The question is very important, and so I have made it the title for today. The question covers the whole of human history. Although it is a personal question, I found it so important that I have made it the title for my today's lecture. I will request Dr. Rajat to read out this question. The question is by a person who has said: “I was told to help others and I did so to date. I used to help anyone without thinking about my financial condition, under the impression that something good will happen to me. But instead of it, I lost everything and today I am on the edge of bankruptcy. The reason I wrote this mail is that I want to understand what mistake I have done. I need strength to face this situation.”

It is my discovery that in the entire human history all people have been living under an obsession of ‘helping others’. They believe that the greatest good is to help people. I think that this ‘help’ is actually doing enmity toward others. A human being is born with the mind (aql). The mind is so great and powerful that nothing equals it in comparison. If there is anything greater than the human mind, it is God’s mind. In the whole of history, people have been thinking that the greatest quality or the greatest act of goodness is to help others. But I can say after a long experience that helping others is actually becoming an enemy for others.

The reason for this is that God has kept unlimited potential in the human mind. If you help others a lot—if you have a child and give him everything—then his eyes will be diverted away from his own potential. He will not be able to convert his potential to actuality. Rather his focus would be on receiving and utilizing help from others. This is why children who receive a lot of money from their parents prove to be very unproductive and useless. When parents give a lot of dowry to their daughter, it proves to make her useless. I am saying this out of my experience.

The greatest help is a situation of compulsion. When God wants a person to achieve something great, He creates compulsion for that person. The greatest blessing of God is a situation of compulsion. But rich parents do not wish to see their children in any difficulty, which is why they give their children a lot of easy money. But if the child undergoes hardship and difficulties, then that will prove to be ‘help’ for the child. Parents should not become enemies of their children. Rather they should allow their children to face hardships and situations of pressure. This will help awaken their potentials. Rich parents, in their love for the child, prevent the potential of their children from being actualized. They want all the work of their child to happen smoothly without him or her making any effort. 

There are numerous examples from the whole of human history. God’s way is to create compulsion, and not to let man remain in comfort. For example, when God first created man, according to the Bible, God settled him in the Garden of Eden. This is mentioned in the Bible. I believe this is correct. Eden was very beautiful, fertile and the best land on earth. Everything was perfect there. Man was initially settled in Eden. The people of Eden became involved in fighting with one another and gave birth to the tribal system. Thus this region, which is today called Mesopotamia (the region between Tigris and Euphrates), became a place where people did no constructive work. Then God caused a flood to overwhelm that area. God then guided Prophet Noah to build a huge ark. The people of the time were housed in this Ark of Noah. Then God had the Ark pushed in the great floods. A great flood hit the region of Mesopotamia and Noah’s Ark sailed in it. The Ark waded through the floods and finally reached the coast of present-day Turkey. This has been referred to as Judi in the Quran. This was a cold region, while Mesopotamia was a region with warm climate. So the people of Noah were taken from a region with hot climate to a region of cold climate. Because of the hot climate, people of Mesopotamia had become involved in a lot of fighting. The generation raised there was engrossed in the culture of battle. Due to this, wisdom could not be fostered in the atmosphere of Mesopotamia. God wanted wisdom to develop. So He sent the people of Mesopotamia to Turkey and the rest of Europe, a region with cold climate.

It was in these regions that scientific technology was developed. For the development of wisdom, people need to do a lot of discussion amongst themselves, so that their minds are broadened or opened up. In the Mesopotamian regions, differences were taken in a negative sense. In the Muslim regions there was a lot of clash over differences. This is true even today. There are intellectual and political differences in which these people are deeply enmeshed. This is why the people of Mesopotamia were taken from a hot climate to a cold climate. In this region with cold weather, a different temperament developed and the tendency to fight came to an end. This is how this western region was able to discover technology.

Muslims settled in the regions of Iran and Arabia could not make these new discoveries. God first gave the horse to people for travelling. God later desired that people should travel on cars and aeroplanes. When man was born, he found horses in the jungles. He trained these horses for travel. Thus horse was available for free. Now God wanted people to utilize their minds and discover the hidden technology in nature, and thus construct aeroplanes. But due to the enormous differences over various issues, people could not utilize the potential of their minds. They were engaged in clash and conflict.

The people of colder climate, that is, the West discovered many things. I will speak about a very unique principle of the West. The people of the West converted ‘difference’ into ‘dissent’. When it comes to differences, there is dichotomy. That is, I have an opinion and you have another opinion, and we both are involved in endless arguments to prove ourselves true. This is dichotomy. The West, however, developed the principle of dissent. Dissent is a neutral term. If one person is differing with another person on a matter, both will be neutral in their stands. Earlier there was no concept of having a neutral opinion—people were busy trying to determine which opinion was right and which one was wrong. The people of the colder regions discovered the principle of dissent. Those who lived in hot climate could not discover this principle and continued to live in dichotomy. Earlier there was only the concept of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Now people of the West developed the concept of both opinions—for and against a matter—to be right. This is called dissent. It was then that development could happen.

Thus God gives shock treatment to people—He brought about a storm during the age of Noah which transferred people from Mesopotamia to Europe. Newton also had to experience an apple falling on his head. The apple fell on his head, and nowhere else. When something falls on our head from above, it hurts. This experience of the falling of an apple was from God. It made Newton ponder—he thought why did the apple fall down and not go up. Thinking in this way, he discovered the law of gravitation. I call this God’s way to create compulsion for people so that they go on the path of thinking. I call this method 'giving an apple shock’ to a person. All great achievements and discoveries in human history have happened by way of ‘apple shock’.

If a child is born to you, you tend to raise him in the midst of flowers. Keeping one’s child in flowers is not God’s way. Children must be allowed to go through shocks. Then their minds will open up. All rich parents want to keep their children in comfort and ease. These parents do not know the wisdom of ‘apple shock’. Parents who know the wisdom of ‘apple shock’ are intelligent and their children will progress. This is also why the children of poor parents are more successful. Rich parents with a lot of money do not know the wisdom of apple shock. This is why God created poverty and hardship. Because people could not discover the wisdom of ‘apple shock’, God made poverty and difficulty. There is a verse in the Quran in which God says: “We shall certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives and crops. Give good news to those who endure with patience.” (2:155) ‘Apple shock’ means the shock of hardships and difficulties. Difficulties are God’s blessings.

According to a hadith, a person was once praying to God to have his hardship removed. Then listening to his prayer, God said to Gabriel: “O Gabriel, do not make haste in removing the hardship of this person (la tajal li-qaza hajati abdi), because I love to hear his voice.” Here, ‘voice’ means the thinking that develops in a person due to struggle and shock, which helps in his progress and development. God asked Gabriel to not remove the hardship of the person and let him continue in it, so that he could face the shock. This was because such a situation would awaken his potential and thus help actualize his God-given qualities.

The trend of helping people is not right. Rather people should be made to face hardships and problems, so that their potentials can be unfolded and become actuality. People do not allow their potentials to be unfolded. This is a great piece of wisdom in the Quran: “With every hardship, there is ease.” (94:5) Ease comes with hardships, or in other words, success comes with hardships. Shocks open up ways for a person. Shocks help a person to think more. This is God’s wisdom. God wants people to utilize their God-given wisdom and intelligence. When you give help to people, you let people’s God-given intelligence to remain asleep.

I have studied this matter extensively. Those who faced hardship were alone successful in life. I have seen this in my own family. I had a very large family. My elder brother, Abdul Aziz Khan, was in a very bad condition initially and was not given any respect in the family. Some even began to call him wretched. Then my brother, when he faced many difficulties and hard circumstances, became a hero. He went ahead to achieve the greatest amount of success in the entire family. Whereas those in our family who were given a lot of love and affection could not achieve any success.

I want you all to understand that the concept of helping others is not natural. What do I mean by ‘help’? I help people by imparting wisdom through my books on the secrets of life. My concept of ‘helping people’ is different. The concept of help common among people is to give people clothes, food and money, for free. This is the model of Mother Teresa—giving things to people for free. But this mission failed completely. Mother Teresa’s very close friend has written a book in which she has revealed that Mother Teresa died in agony. This is because she could not attain anything. If, on the contrary, you see the Tatas—they gave a gift to the country in terms of the steel industry, aviation, and so on. The Tatas have given many great gifts to our country.

I believe that an intelligent father is one who allows his child to bear hardships. He lets his children struggle. He should not earn money and give it for free to his children. He should let his children work hard. You can experience this on your own—if a father of a family remained in difficulties and could not give his children money, then his children would be more successful. But if a father had given a lot of money to his children and bestowed a lot of comforts on them, then his children would not be successful. This is the law of nature. God has established in the whole of history that success comes through pressure, problems, difficulties and tough situations. 

The Quran says: “We shall certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives and crops. Give good news to those who endure with patience.” (2:155) Here, ‘good news’ (tabshir) is used because difficulties alone lead to success. There is success in patience. All success is through one who remains patient in the midst of hardships. There is no success in being in comfort.

Where did the civilization and the developed world airse from? The Muslims of the thirteenth century were involved in the Crusades against the Christian kings. This war of Crusades continued for about two hundred years. The Christians suffered a humiliating defeat in the Crusades. These defeated people from the Crusades then discovered modern technology. The hidden treasures in the natural world—aeroplane, radio, computer and other technology—have all been discovered by those who were ingloriously defeated in the Crusades.

I will say to the one who has written to me the above letter that he should change his way of thinking. Helping others does not mean to give them money, rather he should impart wisdom to them. Helping others is not to give them money, but to give them wisdom. If you want to know more about what it means to impart wisdom, then read my most recent book ‘The Secret of Success’. The secret of success does not lie in having a silver spoon in your mouth when you were born, as had happened with Jawaharlal Nehru. Rather if a child faces difficulties and hardships, then he is fortunate.

Please read my book to know the secret of success in life. The secret is not in having love and affection, but rather to face the realities of life. One should have experience of the realities of life. One should be ready to face shocks.

Question and Answer Session

Tariq Badar Sb, who was just mentioned, is a great asset for us. He is the only person in his area who is spreading the Quran mission. I first met him in California. There was another person along with him who used to speak a lot and was very dynamic in personality. I was very fascinated by this person who would speak a lot and only focused on him, but paid no attention to Tariq Badar Sb. But later during our stay, this other person whom I was impressed by left midway. It was only then that my attention turned toward Tariq Badar Sb. When a member of ours had left, I was sad, but at the same time I got another member. This member, Tariq Badar Sb, is now a hero of our mission. Had the other person whom I was too much focused on not left me, I would have not discovered Tariq Sb. So I learnt that if you lose something, you will find something else. Tariq Sb is very precious for our mission. Had the other person whom I was impressed with not left me, I would never have turned my attention to Tariq Sb. If you have lost something, know that God has kept something else in store for you to discover.

Q1. I need to know how to develop marefat, wisdom?

A1. My experience is that wisdom, or marefat (God-realization), is already inside a person in great quantity, just as an apple has its juice. But to extract its juice, the apple needs to be crushed. However, a person is not ready to have himself ‘crushed’. People generally try to receive help from others. According to me, a person should instead be given wisdom, that is, he should be told that he should be ready to have himself ‘crushed’. To unfold one’s potentials and qualities, one has to be willing to have oneself ‘crushed’. If a person is not allowed to ‘crush’ himself, he would not develop. Parents give a lot of love to their children which is why they do not develop. Unless children experience shocks, they would not develop.

Q2. Most people make the mistake of overestimating themselves, and as a result they become frustrated. How to judge if a work is within one’s capacity or not?

A2. I believe that the greatest disadvantage to Muslims was that Iqbal gave them the concept of khudi (the notion of the self). This is a disastrous notion. The right notion is that of anti-khudi (anti-self). Because of the concept of khudi, Iqbal’s followers could not succeed. Many people would dislike what I say. But I want to speak the truth. Muslims need to leave Iqbal and his thinking. In every mosque, Iqbal’s poems are read out. Iqbal has only given sweet poison to the community. Many people would be angry with my opinion. But I want to tell the truth to people before I die, as we all have to face God after death. There was no one who misguided people more than Iqbal. Due to him, most Muslims believe in a wrong notion of qawmiyyat. They could not thus understand their age. It is an irony that only Muslims could not understand their age. People of all other communities could understand their age and made great progress. Muslims, however, followed Iqbal who only misled them and thus they could not succeed. Many would be angry with me, but I have to only speak the truth. Self-thinking is disastrous for a person. One must develop anti-self thinking. One can only succeed if one has anti-self thinking. Self-thinking can never lead to success.

Q3. Last week I saw you giving blessing to a girl who was going through depression. Many people are committing suicide these days. My daughter’s classmate was going through therapy for depression and was very good in studies, but still he committed suicide. What can we as parents and teachers do to help such children?

A3. I will tell you my own experience. I went to Pakistan several years ago. At the Lahore airport, a young boy came to receive me along with others. I could not recognize the young man. He said to me: “You do not recognize me, but I know you.” He then told me his story. He had gone into extreme depression. There was a hospital which did therapy for the depressed. He was admitted to the hospital, but it did not help him at all. Then a person whom he met gave him my book ‘Raaz-e-Hayat’. After reading this book, the young boy told the doctors to release him, as he said that he was feeling completely fine. His depression had gone completely and he began working again. This is why I believe that people need not be helped with money, rather they should be given wisdom. Giving money to people is killing their potential, while imparting wisdom to them is awakening their potential. The leaders of our community could not understand this secret. The real success of life is in awakening a person’s potential. Leaders of our community only misguided people’s potentials. Those who want to know the truth about the matter should read my book 'The Secret of Success', or ‘Raaz-e-Hayat' in Urdu.

Q4. In the present era, the youth is not interested in books, especially Islamic literature. Please advise on how to develop interest in them toward Islamic literature and the Quran.

A4. We are living in an age of reason, while leaders of our community tend to speak in the traditional language of pride. There is no reason or rationale in their words. Such a language only misleads people. I began to write with reason which is why many people received guidance from my books. Books written in the language of politics and pride have not done any good, while books I have written, are based on reason, and have impacted people positively.

Comment. Parents only know how to pamper. Pampering is poison.

Q5. As per God’s creation plan there will always be a section of people who are underprivileged. Those who are privileged are asked to help the poor. This is the concept of charity in Islam. Charity or zakat is meant for helping the poor. Most of us give alms to poor in the form of zakat, thinking we are helping the poor. Please comment.

A5. The term ‘weaker section of the society’ is wrong. Those whom you term ‘weaker’ are actually ‘richer’. They have a greater incentive to work and achieve. Incentive is a greater force than money. A very important point I want to make is that God has in this age given numerous scopes to people for acquiring to people. For every person, there is great opportunity to earn money. He can develop his skill and earn a lot of money. The dichotomy of beggars (faqir) and givers is over now. We are no more living in an age of ‘poor’ people. The age of the poor is completely over. Now earning is so easy that if you develop your skill, you can achieve all kinds of success. The task before a person is to develop one’s skill and not to extend his hands before others so that they give him money. People do not know that the skill they develop is the greatest wealth. I do not believe that people should extend their hands for money. Rather you should educate people to develop their God-given potential, develop a skill, and thus achieve success. This is an age in which there are innumerable opportunities for earning money.

Q6. Creating a compulsion is a big blessing. I understood this today. The concept of dissent led to material progress, but how did it help in spiritual progress?

A6. When the culture of dissent did not exist, people only engaged in argumentation. Every person lived in the concept of dichotomous thinking. Dissent, for the first time, was a neutral concept. There were no more arguments on proving oneself right and others wrong. This concept led to development and progress in the world. Before the culture of neutral discussions, there was no progress in the world. All kinds of science and technology only developed after the culture of dissent became prevalent.

Q7. Why are there ranks in Paradise? There is caste system in the present world, but why ranks in Paradise?

A7. You must understand God’s planning. God gave an opportunity to man to do self-discovery. That is, one must discover one’s own self and build one’s own self. Progress is not being bestowed here from high above, rather it is something to be acquired through one’s own "struggle" and level of self-development. As a result, there will naturally be different ranks among people. It is not ‘ranking’, rather the differentiation is a natural and practical result of difference in one’s own struggles.

Q8. Is the zakat to be utilized for creating incentive for people? Please comment.

A8. This is true. You should utilize zakat for anything that benefits people.

The 4 Best Apps for Private, Encrypted Messaging on Android & iPhone signal and wickr me

Most secure messaging apps... signal and wickr me
https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/news/4-best-apps-for-private-encrypted-messaging-android-iphone-0184502/

While we stand with you using any of these apps, after our testing signal and wickrme standout, 

we concluded that for the best balance of security, privacy, and features, Signal Private Messenger is the way to go. Its prioritization of security and privacy has led little compromise, designing all aspect of the app with this in mind. Its major flaw is the requirement of a phone number for registration but using our guide (see link below), you can improve your privacy by using a "burner" phone number instead.

What do you think of our list? Is there any app you use that didn't make our list? Let us know in the comments below.

This article was produced during Gadget Hacks' special coverage on smartphone privacy and security. Check out the whole Privacy and Security series.