Dr. Yamina made a great contribution in developing the 5D thinking approach. In fact, we began our methodology with seven dimensions. It was Dr. Yamina who suggested that we combine some of them and reduce it to 5D. In our first 5D thinking workbook, she served in the editorial board reading each chapter carefully and making very valuable contributions. Though she published “Living with Genuine Tawhid: Witnessing the Signs of God through Quranic Guidance” before we began the 5D thinking project, when I read the book, I felt as if it was written as a manual for our project.
The book makes a compelling case that the Quran is a guide to seek God in the universe through His manifested signs (ayat). In doing that, the Quran reveals that everything is in full submission to God. It cannot be otherwise because nothing cannot sustain its state of existence for even a second without the Sustainer.
Thus, God connects everything to each other to communicate us the message that He alone is be The Creator of all things. If we do not become aware of this reality, we are destined to suffer. If we recognize and submit to the Divine Source, we will gain serenity and lasting satisfaction. In short, Dr. Yamina makes the following implicit claim in the book: everything is submissive to God; thus, we all are “Muslim” at a physical and biological level. We can achieve true happiness if we also surrender to God mentally and spiritually.
Below, we invite you to read a great review done by a reader on Amazon.com after reading some excerpts we selected from the book:
Creation, Connectivity, Communication and Creator
“No single being or event exists on its own. Everything is interconnected. Each exists in in conjunction with everything else; each is part of the inseparable whole. Hence, the maker of one can only be the Maker of All. look around with this consciousness, then I start seeing the world in a different light. Creation is no longer a veil to divine creativity leading me to ask questions such as: Is it God or is it water? It is not about God versus water.Nor is it about God and water together as co-creators. It is about water being a sign, an ayah indicating God.”
“when I look around with this consciousness, then I start seeing the world in a different light. Creation is no longer a veil to divine creativity leading me to ask questions such as: Is it God or is it water? It is not about God versus water. Nor is it about God and water together as co-creators. It is about water being a sign, an ayah indicating God. God is not some unknown entity.”
“Nothing is alien in the universe, and we are connected to everything else. Everything is coming with a message for us that The Host has created this entire world for us to enjoy. We are all connected, coming from the same source to serve the same purpose of compassion and care.”
“we came to recognize the interconnectedness of all things: for a plant to grow, it needs not only light, earth, air, and water but also the seasons, and thus the specific alignment of the sun and earth. It also needs the so-called laws of physics and chemistry. Each being needs to behave in harmony with the rest of the universe. Because of this intricate interconnectedness, the maker of one thing can only be the Maker of everything. Whoever is responsible for the growth of the plant is the One who has the whole universe under His control.”
“It is going to take the color of our ghafla eyeglasses. If our eyeglasses are dark, everything we see through it will also be dark.”
“In the Quran, there is no ordinary versus extraordinary. Every single thing is an ayah meaning that everything is a miracle”
“Look at food; food comes from the earth. It needs rain, soil, air, sun, the rotation of the Earth, all the laws of physics, all the laws of chemistry, and so on. So for one fruit, one apple, for instance, to be, the whole universe “We cause gardens of shining beauty to grow - [whereas] it is not in your power to cause [even one of] its trees to grow! Could there be any divine power besides God? Nay, they [who think so] are people who swerve [from the path of reason].” (Quran, Naml, 27:60)”
Suffering, Surrender, Serenity, Supplication and Satisfaction
“Shirk is the ultimate source of suffering as the Quran says, because believing our lives are at the mercy of countless other factors and powers—wondering whether they will favor or harm us—is in discord with our fitra. deeper we look, the more we realize that, in fact, the entire cosmos needs to be here, just as it is now, in order for a single plant to grow.”
“I understood that wisdom is given to those who trust and surrender. Yes, life may still be painful. Yes, it may still be hard. Yes, some things may still hurt. But nothing is meaningless; nothing is without aim.”
“When I feel that I cannot control something, I panic and I fear. But when I say bismillah (in the name of God), it means that everything is under control. It may not be under my control, but it is under control. things are not in our control, but are under the All-Wise, All-Knowing, All-Powerful and All- Merciful Creator’s control.”
“Islam means to surrender to this reality and consequently to make peace with ourselves, and with everyone and everything else in the universe”
“How do we make peace with the world when we do not see that everything in the universe is interconnected and meaningful? How can we make peace with ourselves, when we do not know how our needs and their satisfaction are a testimony to our Generous Sustainer? How can we surrender to this reality and embrace our humanity, if we do not know that we are all coming from the One with infinite knowledge, compassion, generosity, wisdom, and justice?”
“Living tawhid is to open a window directly onto His light from everything and to confirm and believe with the certainty of seeing that everything emerges from the hand of His power”
“We may say we are Muslims, which literally means one who surrenders to the will of God, but we are really just concerned with our own will.”
“…potentially we can ‘worship’ anything that we believe is the source of power and perfection. Let’s keep in mind, that this ‘worship’ is not used in the narrow conventional sense. Rather, worship is whatever we devote ourselves to, such as money, fame, success, etc. For instance, we worship money when we believe that it has the power to fulfill our hopes and heal our fears, or even that it is the gauge of our self- worth.”
“who takes care of you all the time? When I am hungry and I eat something I like, it feels so good. Worship is to direct that feeling, that is, direct our love, gratitude, and praise to the One who provides for us.”
“Bismillah reminds us of tawhid, of the wholeness of creation. It reminds us that everything happening throughout creation is happening in the name of God. Bismillah grounds us in reality, returns us to a state of awareness, and turns our praise, gratitude, and love toward God.”
“When we think that He is the Provider and with worship we are giving something in return, worship becomes a burden. But worship is not a burden. It is an opportunity to express our gratitude and love. It is not only an opportunity but an honor. If we think of it as a burden, it means we are not aware who God is, who we are and our relationship with Him”
“a friend sends us a present brought to us by a delivery man, are we grateful to the delivery man? We just say thank you to him for making the delivery, but our gratitude for the gift is directed to our friend. Everything in this world is like a delivery man, a messenger.”