In the earliest days of divine revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would say to those he encountered, “Say ‘La ilaha illallah’ and you will be saved.” A promise of salvation such as this could only be made by a Prophet; thus, this statement inherently includes the truth of “Muhammadun Rasulullah.” The first message of Islam was the proclamation of Divine Oneness (tawhid). As revelation continued, a process of progressive development unfolded. Over time, the various commands and prohibitions of the religion were conveyed gradually. Eventually, the day came when God Almighty declared that He had perfected and completed the religion of Islam: “This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”.[1]
Just as there is continual growth in prescriptive (tashri‘i) commandments, so too is there a dynamic process of development in creative (takwīnī) commands. Everything that emerges from the heart of nature changes, evolves, and gradually progresses toward perfection. One need only consider how a seed sown in the soil transforms into a towering plane tree. This pattern of change, transformation, and advancement toward maturity found in both divine legislation and natural law should likewise be mirrored in one’s spiritual and inner life. Like someone engaged in physical training, a person should increase their discipline each day, raise the bar continuously, and tirelessly pursue excellence. This striving should not be limited to personal growth but must extend to social transformation as well. Through improvements in education, the economy, social structures, and systems of governance, one must seek to elevate society as a whole. Though lofty rhetoric [without corresponding action] have long been spoken on such matters, yet the actions to fulfill them have too often fallen short.
In both individual and collective matters—whether worldly or related to the Hereafter—everyone must strive for excellence in their respective fields. For example, if the issue is the practice of religion, one should fix their gaze solely on seeking God’s pleasure, and—like the insatiable seeker described in ‘the Ayat al-Kubra treatise’—should always aspire to higher levels of faith. For such a person, there is no final station; the journey never ends. Even if they attain fanā’ fī Allāh (annihilation in God), reach the stations of baqā’ bi’Llāh and ma‘a’Llāh (subsistence through and with God), and are endowed with a God-bestowed dimension of enduring existence[2], they still continue to deepen in servanthood. For a journey undertaken in the direction of the Infinite can only be infinite in nature.
God (glorified and exalted be He) is not a finite being that we could claim to have known, discovered, or reached the end of, and then declare that nothing lies beyond. His divine names (asmā’ ilāhiyya), transcendent attributes (sifāt subḥāniyya), and essential acts (shu’ūn dhātiyya) each have limitless degrees. As a person becomes aware of these realities, feels them, and internalizes them, new horizons open before them. At a certain stage, one may begin to perceive existence—albeit to a shadow-like degree—as the noble angels do, as the great Prophets perceive it, or even as the Master of Messengers, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), perceives it. As expressed in Surah al-Najm (53:17), “The eye did not swerve, nor did it transgress.” At that level, everything is seen and known according to its essential, divinely ordained reality.
Such a person reaches a state where they perceive things not only in their surface form but also in their deeper essence, gaining insight into the ultimate reality of existence. If the journey of the heart and soul can extend to these elevated spiritual stations, the crucial task is to sustain that journey with unyielding determination and an insatiable spiritual appetite.
God Almighty has perfected our religion with the declaration mentioned above. This divine system is complete—lacking nothing, flawed in no way. It has been entrusted to us as a reservoir of sacred knowledge. Our responsibility is to make the most of this trust—to embody its perfection and wholeness in our lives—and through it, to enrich both our worldly existence and eternal destiny. As the verse states, God’s pleasure depends upon this. We must ensure that the theoretical perfection of this religion also finds practical expression in our lives so that we may be counted among those blessed with the promise at the end of the verse.
Likewise, a believer must set their sights on the highest horizons in the pursuit of knowledge. Driven by a love for truth and inquiry, they must examine the universe in depth, weaving constantly between the cosmos and the Divine in order to deepen their understanding (ma‘rifah). The love of truth should inspire a love of knowledge, which in turn propels one to relentless research—scrutinizing every dimension of events and phenomena with an insatiable intellectual appetite.
It is true that Western thinkers have made significant progress in this domain. Yet, because they have failed to connect creation to the Creator, they have often ended up in naturalism or positivism. Unable to go beyond the visible, they have failed to penetrate the metaphysical dimensions of existence, to contemplate the deeper meanings, or to reach the truth of truths. Interpreting all things through a purely empirical lens, they have often turned to denial when confronted with realities they could not explain or measure. This tendency is particularly visible in the deliberations of some Darwinist thinkers.
Where positivist thought reaches its limits, believers still have many reasonable paths of explanation available to them. They must take up these paths and endeavor to solve the longstanding riddles of existence. They should aim to reach—and then exceed—the level of advancement achieved by Western scholars in the empirical sciences. While many important truths have been discovered, much has also been neglected. These oversights have often led to misinterpretation. Therefore, scholars filled with faith and a deep love for truth must reexamine the accumulated knowledge to date and formulate interpretations consistent with their own intellectual foundations. Whether this is done—borrowing Ismail al-Faruqi’s term—by “Islamizing knowledge”[3] or by some other method is less important than the sincerity and rigor of the pursuit itself.
Unless these efforts are undertaken, and the essential milestones in the sciences are reached, we will remain trapped in contradiction. On the one hand, we affirm God’s existence and declare that all of creation is a manifestation of His divine names, attributes, and essential acts. On the other hand, we struggle to reconcile these truths with prevailing scientific paradigms. We are unable to present a unified framework that harmonizes our beliefs and our scientific understanding in a way that resonates with others. Even when we try to salvage the situation by stitching together borrowed concepts, our discourse remains full of gaps and inconsistencies—leaving us unconvincing to those we seek to address.
The solution, as in our life of servanthood to God, lies in the unwavering pursuit of perfection in our intellectual lives. We must seek completeness, address the issues at their root, and engage in relentless inquiry. If we truly believe that the vast universe surrounding us is a divine message and trust, then we are obligated to examine every line, every sentence, and every paragraph—reading attentively and uncovering the meanings that lie beneath.
At the same time, if we hope to elevate our people and the land we live in, we must place no limits on our aspirations. We must not consider our current power, resources, or systems sufficient, but should continually seek what is better and more refined. Our productivity must never fade; we must remain committed to discovery, innovation, and purposeful development. We must identify the principles and dynamics that sustain resilience, foster growth, and drive progress—and pursue, without pause, the goal of serving our people, our homeland, and all of humanity.
Our plans and projects must not be limited to present needs. They must take into account the next fifty or even one hundred years. Otherwise, others will outpace and dominate us. As Bediuzzaman poignantly asked, “Why should the world be a realm of advancement for everyone else, but a domain of regression for us alone?” This is an unacceptable condition. Therefore, in the pursuit of progress, we must also strive for the highest degree of excellence and completeness.
In the same way, a believer must fully exercise their willpower in fulfilling the duty of i‘lâ-yi kalimatullah—the exaltation of God’s word—which Bediüzzaman described as an obligation even higher than the obligatory acts. They must utilize their full potential, develop new strategies, explore expansion into new geographies, and plan for lasting impact. Their spiritual ambition (himmet) must be so lofty that not a single soul on earth remains untouched by this message. They should even seek ways to communicate this truth to beings beyond the human realm—to the jinn, to other unseen creatures.
Our goal is not to assimilate others or to establish dominance. Nor should the matter be reduced to narrow ethnic or nationalist considerations. What must be done is to build common ground with others on shared human values, to become advocates of universal ethical principles, to seek paths toward unity and social cohesion, and to strive for a world governed by peace and mutual understanding.
Whatever field one engages in—whether it be art, sports, administration, or any other discipline—no one should adopt a posture of complacency or be content with what already exists. Everyone, at their own level, must pursue new developments with fresh resolve and determination. They should not be discouraged by challenges but should trust in God’s help—believing with conviction that, so long as He is with them, every obstacle can be overcome. For having created the human being as the most noble of all creatures, God invites us to pursue the noblest of goals. Whatever path one chooses, the aim should always be lofty, and the standard should be continuously raised.
[1] Surah al-Ma’idah 5:3.
[2] Wujūd-u jāvidānī, i.e., an enduring spiritual subsistence.
[3] Ismail al-Faruqi (1921–1986) was a Palestinian-American philosopher of religion and a prominent figure in Islamic thought, best known for pioneering the concept of “Islamization of knowledge.”
