recognize them. Your Lord is not heedless of anything you do.'"
(Quran 27:93)
"This is a communication to be transmitted to mankind so that they can
be warned by it and so that they will know that He is One God and so
that people of intelligence will pay heed." (Quran 14:52)
In many other verses, God emphasizes that one of the most crucial
purposes of the Quran's revelation is to invite people to ponder.
In the Quran, God invites people to reject blindly accepting the
beliefs and values society imposes on them and to ponder by pushing
aside all the prejudices, taboos and constraints on their minds.
Man must think on how he came into being, what the purpose of his life
is, why he will die and what awaits him after death. He must question
how he, himself, and the whole universe came into existence and how
they continue to exist. While doing this, he must relieve himself of
all constraints and prejudices.
By thinking while isolating his conscience from all social,
ideological and psychological obligations, the person should
eventually perceive that the entire universe, including himself, is
created by a superior power. Even when he examines his own body or
any other thing in nature, he will see an impressive harmony, plan and
wisdom at work within its design.
Concerning this point again, the Quran guides man. In the Quran, God
guides us as to what we should reflect on and investigate. With the
methods of reflection given in the Quran, he who has faith in God will
better perceive God's perfection, eternal wisdom, knowledge and power
in His creation. When a believing person starts to think in the way
shown in the Quran, he soon realizes that the whole universe is a sign
of God's power and art, and that, "nature is a work of art, not the
artist itself". Every work of art exhibits the exceptional skills of
the one who has made it and conveys his messages.
In the Quran, people are summoned to contemplate numerous events and
objects that clearly testify to the existence and uniqueness of God
and His attributes. In the Quran, all these beings that bear witness
are designated as "signs", meaning "tested evidence, absolute
knowledge and expression of truth". Therefore, the signs of God
comprise all the beings in the universe in that they disclose and
communicate the being and attributes of God. Those who can observe
and remember will see that the entire universe is entirely composed of
the signs of God.
This, indeed, is the responsibility of mankind: to be able to see the
signs of God. Thus, such a person will come to know the Creator who
created him and all other things, draw closer to Him, discover the
meaning of his existence and his life and so prosper.
Each thing, the breath a human takes; political and social
developments; the cosmic harmony in the universe; the atom, which is
one of the smallest pieces of matter, is each a sign of God, and they
all operate under His control and knowledge, abiding by His laws.
Recognizing and knowing the signs of God calls for personal effort.
One will recognize and know the signs of God in accordance with his
own wisdom and conscience.
Undoubtedly, some guidelines may also help. As the first step, one
can investigate certain points stressed in the Quran in order to
acquire the mentality that perceives the whole universe as an
articulation of the things created by God.
God's signs in nature are emphasized in a chapter call "The Bee":
"It is He who sends down water from the sky. From it you drink and
from it come the shrubs among which you graze your herds. And by it
He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes and fruit
of every kind. Therein is certainly a sign in that for people who
reflect. He has made the night and the day subservient to you, and
the sun, the moon and the stars, all subject to His command. Therein
are certainly signs in that for people who use their intellect. And
also, the things of varying colors He has created for you in the
earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. It
is He who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh
flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear. And you see
the ships cleaving through it so that you can seek His bounty, and so
that perhaps you may show thanks. He cast firmly embedded mountains
on the earth so it would not move under you, and rivers, pathways, and
landmarks so that perhaps you might be guided. And they are guided by
the stars. Is He Who creates like him who does not create? O will
you not pay heed?"(Quran 16:10-17)
In the Quran, God invites men of understanding to think about the
issues which other people overlook or just dismiss using such barren
terms as "evolution", "coincidence", or "a miracle of nature".
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of
night and day, there are Signs for people of intelligence: those who
remember God standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect
on the creation of the heavens and the earth:
"Our Lord, You did not create this for nothing. Glory be to You! So
guard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Quran 3:191)
As we see in these verses, people of understanding see the signs of
God and try to comprehend His eternal knowledge, power and art by
remembering and reflecting on them, for God's knowledge is limitless,
and His act of creating flawless.
For men of understanding, everything around them is a sign of this creation.
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