I just finished reading Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life". Masyaa Allaah, amazing.
I had come to know about Ted Chiang's story after watching the movie 'Arrival', which was adapted from that story. I had cried, at the end of the movie - in awe of the idea and the thought it provoked, and how it was portrayed in the movie. (Oh yes, I had an earlier blog post on it.)
In Story of Your Life, the events from the past, present and future intertwined in the story, like a picking spots to share - from a block of ice, representing time. The past, present and future is that block of ice - all done and frozen, but as human, we flow through this concept of "time" going from the past to the future.
I am also excited about my realisation as I was reading that story - how the events from the past, present and future, are being told to us in the Quran too. God describes how man will act in the After Life - some rejoicing what the good they have earned, and others full of utter, unimaginable regrets of how they've wasted their life on earth creating mischiefs, facing their inevitable punishments. Even the words that they will say, are being told to us in the Quran.
[I was pausing in awe for a bit... Subhanallaah. ...... and how come Ted Chiang got this idea and not the Muslims - wait.. Ted Chiang has not read the Quran, has he? anyway.. how come no Muslims thought of this awesome idea, having read the Quran many times.. but then again.. I guess most of those who reads and understands the Quran, are not interested in writing story books and making movies.. ok.. God has His ways.. subhanallaah.]
Yes, in the Quran we learn about what 'happened' in the past, how we should live our lives now.. and what will happen in the future. This has all been spelled out in the Quran, and shared to us in a non linear way - which I was reminded of when I read Story of Your Life.
In the Story of Your Life - the matter of 'The Book of Ages' - which seems to be pointing to the same idea mentioned in the Quran, where the events of all existence have been written : "... not a leaf falleth but He knoweth it, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, naught of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a clear record. " (Al Quran, 6:59) - ok, back to The Book of Ages, it was said that it seems to be in contradiction to 'free will'. However 'free will' seem to exists, because we are conscious beings, making conscious decisions - not knowing that we are making decisions that will realise the future, that has actually been written. Would knowing the future, change our course of actions, and our decisions?
That's where I see God's Mercy.
God has given us hints, not even hints actually - there are some clear stories of the events that will happen in the future, those stories of the After Life. Knowing those stories, should help us, who are destined to be guided - be guided. (Of course, there will still be those who reads the same story, and become more misguided out of arrogance - trying to defy the Truth. Still, destined.)
Back to the point of awe that I was trying to share, from which I have digressed from : how amazing that from that perspective that I've learned from the Story of Your Life , realise now, the possible reason (and God knows best His reasons) behind the use of the tenses when revealing the stories in the Quran - it's like it has already happened. I guess, it could be more accurately described as the events, all of it, as being there already - and Allaah knows best - but we human, we who are going through our linear time line, have not reached that segment in our roll of life film yet. But to Allaah, who is telling it to us, it's all there, written and frozen.
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Read the Quran (and it's meaning and ponder over it) today.
p.s. when I was young, there was a point of time when I thought Islam was 'ancient' not modern. But now as I become more mature and as I read science books, and science fictions exploring scientific ideas - I have come to realise how ADVANCED Islam and the Quran is - and how TRUE that God the Creator is GREAT - greater than any human can phantom.
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