Surah Al Ra'd (No. 13) Verses 2-4
The Existence of God (1)

God is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; is firmly established on the Throne (of Authority); He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His Law)! Each one runs (its course) for a term appointed. He doth regulate all affairs, explaining the signs in detail, that ye may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.

"And it He Who spread out the earth, and set thereon the mountains standing firm, and (flowing) rivers: and fruit of every kind. He made in pairs, two and two: He draweth the Night as a veil over the Day. Behold, verily in these things there are Sign for those who consider!

"And in the earth are tracts (diverse though) neighbouring, and gardens of vine and fields sown with corn, and palm trees - growing out of single roots or otherwise: watered with same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Behold, verily in these things are Sign for those who understand!"
[S. XIII-2-4]

            In the first, the Holy Qur'an has adduced the Existence of God by means of the argument from teleology; and has demonstrated that everything in the universe bears witness to the existence of a Being who has created everything with an end in view; and everything is controlled by Him; and has drawn our attention to the fact that if you contemplate upon these mighty signs, you will certainly come to the conclusion that human life does not and cannot end with death. Rather death is only a stage in the onward march of life and that man must one day appear in person before his Lord Who will call him to account for all his deeds. In this verse the Holy Quran has described three stages of Divine Reason and Power.

1. First of all Allah created the heavenly bodies e.g. sky, stars and planets etc., and spread them in space which is boundless. These bodies are above us, as we see, but there is no prop to keep them intact in their respective places; it is the law of Gravity which holds them together.



2. After creation comes the problem of preservation of the universe; and to achieve this purpose it was necessary that certain laws should come into force. This fact is denoted by "istawa" i.e., Allah rules this universe and everything obeys His laws which are unchangeable.



3. Look at the sun and the moon! How obediently do they follow these laws! They cannot deviate from them even in the least. Lastly, the Quran says that there is a Being Who is controlling and governing this whole universe. Certainly there is a Mind behind this complicated machinery and that is Allah, the Most Wise.

            In the first verse Allah spoke about the heavens; in the other verses He makes a mention of the earth and of what it contains and commands us to reflect upon the following act: -

1. The earth, although it is round like a ball, looks as if it were flat; He has in His wisdom created mountains in whose summits snow is accumulated and then melts down in summer to supply water to various rivers and streams.



2. He has, in His Wisdom, further ordained that night and day shall follow each other in succession and that there shall be no alteration in this routine.



3. He has endowed the earth with the capacity of producing different kinds of fruit and corn. There grows in fields, various kinds of corn e.g., wheat rice, barley, gram, peas, etc., and in gardens different kinds of fruits e.g., grapes, pears, apples, oranges, etc., etc.

            The noteworthy thing about these fruits is that the law of sex is working in the plant kingdom as well (as is visible in the animal kingdom).

            During the day time, vegetables, fruits and flowers of all sorts need the rays of the sun and its heat, but when night comes in silence and wrap everything in its dark mantle, they receive coolness and humidity which is equally needed for their growth.

            Lastly, reflect upon the fact that although the earth is one and the same everywhere, but pieces of land differ from one another as regards their hidden qualities; consequently they serve different purposes e.g., one piece of land serves as a field of paddy, the other grows mangoes and pears and plums; further reflect on the fact that trees of the different kinds grow in one and the same piece of land, watered from one and the same well. Yet they bring forth fruits of different tastes, and shapes, and colours, and sizes.

            Likewise you select a particular piece of land and plant roses and tulips and jasmine side by side, but you always witness the wonderful uniformity of flowers which bloom upon the twigs of these tiny plants. You will never behold a rose on a tulip plant, or a jasmine on a narcissus plant. Why is it so? Certainly there is some all-wise and all-powerful Being who is controlling and regulating the affairs of the universe.

            The presence of orderliness and design in this universe and the reign of law in all its divisions and realms is an unmistakable sign of the existence of Allah who is Creator and Nourisher.

(Courtesy: Yaqeen International)

Continued: - The Existence of God (2)