The Chemistry of Faith

By Iman Badawi

I never liked chemistry because I wasn’t good at it.  Even now, as I fully admit, that it is unfair to have judged the messy subject by my own personal limitations, I still feel stress every time I hear the word “lab” or see someone wearing goggles.

Most people love mixing things, a deep instinct beginning from early childhood.  Whether it be implementing the steps of a cookie recipe or creating new colors with paint, I can see this instinct alive and well in my own children.  Even a very young child can recognize that the mixed result will only be as good as its parts and that some parts simply don’t mix.  Still, perhaps most magnificent of all these phenomenon are those types of matter that will mix to make energy.

One day, when they are older, I would love to explain to them that the mixing of the elements of the physical world provide a striking analogy for the mixing of the elements of the spiritual world.

There is a potent chemical called Sincerity.  Sincerity is a very peculiar substance that exhibits many amazing properties.  First of all, it has a very low boiling point; any spotlight will easily cause it to evaporate (Riya’ – showing off).  So elusive is this substance that many a scientist have actually had to fully isolate himself from all environmental stimuli to be able to study it (spiritual retreat).  In its liquid state, it can form many compounds, but in every case, becomes almost fully unrecognizable from its original state (mixed intentions).

As for its solid state, it is the most remarkable of all.  It has an extremely high melting point, requiring temperatures of scorching magnitudes, to return it to its liquid form.  In its solid state, Sincerity refuses to mix with anything and naturally expels all impurities.  The impenetrable integrity of the solid form of Sincerity is so unique in the study of chemistry that scientists coined a special name for it; Tawheed (belief in One God).  Chemists gave it this name to represent its unchanging and independent state, such that no other substance in existence has the ability to alter it.

Strangely enough, however, there is one substance, and only one, that the Tawheed solid interacts with.  It is known as Knowledge.  Knowledge naturally occurs in the form of a gas.  Humans have the ability to breathe this gas (culture, society) and do so involuntarily on a daily basis.  Yet, subjects have exhibited greatly varying effects in response to it. The effects of large doses of this gas, administered over long periods of time, have been studied only to reveal that no consistent rule can be determined.  Each subject is led to think, speak, and even dress differently based on their particular immune response to this gas.  However, it has been noted that the effects of the Knowledge gas seem to have some correlation to the specific parts of the world where Knowledge gas reserves exist (civilizational heritage).  Scientists were baffled upon discovering that subjects, who took 5 daily pills of the Tawheed solid, were almost fully immune to its adverse effects.

On the other hand, in its liquid form, Knowledge produces entirely different effects.  It is a highly volatile chemical that welcomes a union with all other substances (speculative, theoretical, unproven knowledge).  Many of these compounds release a foul-smelling gas, some release small amounts of energy, and some are highly dangerous combustible substances.   When small bits of the Tawheed solid are immersed in the liquid Knowledge they cause it to coagulate and release impurities.

Another interesting configuration is the mixing of liquid Knowledge (speculative knowledge) with liquid Sincerity (mixed intentions).  The effect would seem non-existent to the lay observer, however, upon much experimentation, the experts have found that liquid Knowledge drastically lowers the boiling point of liquid Sincerity (i.e. facilitates the evaporation of sincerity under lower temperatures/temptations) and also raises its freezing point (i.e. acts as an inhibitor preventing sincerity from reaching its solid state.)

Most scientists agree that Knowledge reaches the peak of its utility and stability in the solid form. The Knowledge solid is most often used in the foundation of buildings, because of its stability under pressure.  It is also widely used in medicines.  The Knowledge solid is almost impossible to manipulate because it mixes with only one other substances in existence, the Tawheed solid!  In fact, the combining of the Tawheed solid with the Knowledge solid is the most spectacular phenomenon scientists have ever witnessed in human history.

Even before they combine, when brought close together, they begin to emit a strange but pleasant humming noise (like a reciter of the Qur’an).  If brought even closer together, they begin to glow and emit a pleasant smell.  When the scientist at work allows the Tawheed solid to touch the Knowledge solid, they unite to form one mass.  The light emitted from this mass is so strong that the scientist at work is forced to wear an eye-protecting material.  It is theorized that some early civilizations (Salaf) might have used the Tawheed-Knowledge mass to provide energy (and lighting) for entire communities of people.

Scientists are very hopeful with regard to the application of this technology.  Many have surmised that after Humans have depleted Earth’s natural energy reserves, that this Tawheed-Knowledge mass could potentially provide enough energy to sustain the entire population of the Earth.  Studies are currently being conducted to determine the feasibility of producing this energy source and ways to harness its benefit for mankind.

The chemical formula of Tawheed can be found in Surat al-Ikhlaas.

The chemical formula of Knowledge can be found in Surat al-Asr.