What
The Qur'an Teaches: Blessings Of Every Type
08 April 2011Islamic Perspectives - Muslim
Journals
Arab News & Information - By Adil Salahi
In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever
Merciful
And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due
measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus
you will be raised from the dead. And He it is who
created all living things in pairs, and provided for
you the ships and animals on which you ride, so that
when you are seated on their backs you remember your
Lord's blessings and say: ‘Limitless in His glory is
He who has made all this subservient to our use. We
could not have done it by ourselves. To our Lord we
shall most certainly return.' (Gold; Al-Zukhruf: 43:
11-14)
The surah now looks a step further at the process of
life and the emergence of living creatures: "And He it
is who sends down water from the sky in due measure.
With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will
be raised from the dead." Water comes down from the
skies, as every person sees and knows, but most people
are not moved by this remarkable phenomenon because of
over familiarity. Muhammad, God's Messenger, (peace be
upon him), however, held a different attitude. He
looked at the drops of rain with love and welcoming
delight, knowing that they came from God; in other
words, his heart recognized God's handiwork in these
drops. Every heart that is aware of its bond with God
and the laws of nature He has set in operation should
adopt this attitude. Every raindrop is the result of
these laws of nature which operate under God's eye and
control. That rain originates from the vapor that
rises from the earth and cools down in the atmosphere
in no way diminishes the implication of these facts.
Who has brought the earth into being, placed water on
it, subjected it to heat, made water naturally
evaporate and vapor rise and condense? Who has given
the universe its other characteristics which give the
condensing vapor an electrical charge so that when
clouds gather, their electric charges cause rain to
fall? Besides, what is electricity? What are these
other characteristics that produce the combined effect
of rain falling down? As we learn more about nature,
however, our knowledge casts a heavy weight over our
understanding. We no longer appreciate the messages
given by universal phenomena; we no longer allow these
messages to refine our feelings and responses.
"And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due
measure." It is given in the right quantity, neither
too much so as to flood large areas of land, nor too
little to leave the land barren. Man has come to
recognize the importance of maintaining this fine
balance for the continuity of life. "With it We raise
dead land to life." Life on earth flourishes where
water is plentiful. It is from water that every living
thing originates. "And thus you will be raised from
the dead." The One who originated life in the first
place will bring it back again. It is He who started
life in a land that was dead, and He will raise all
back to life on the Day of Resurrection. Nothing is
difficult for Him.
We learn from this surah that the Arab unbelievers
used to assign a portion of their cattle to God and
another portion to other beings. God, however, created
cattle as one of the favors He bestows on man: people
ride cattle as they ride on ships and they should
appreciate His blessings and give thanks: "And He it
is who created all living things in pairs, and
provided for you the ships and animals on which you
ride, so that when you are seated on their backs you
remember your Lord's blessings and say: 'Limitless in
His glory is He who has made all this subservient to
our use. We could not have done it by ourselves. To
our Lord we shall most certainly return."
Making things in pairs is a rule of life, as indicated
in this verse. All living things are created in pairs;
even the first living cell carries masculine and
feminine characteristics. In fact, this rule perhaps
applies to the universe in its entirety, if we
consider its basic unit to be the atom which consists
of a negative electron and a positive proton, as all
research in physics has so far indicated. Be that as
it may, this duality is apparent throughout life. It
is God who has created all pairs, human and non-human.
Moreover, it is He who has "provided for you the ships
and animals on which you ride." This is to remind man
that God has placed him in charge of the earth,
putting at his disposal its considerable and varied
power and potential. It also invites man to show
gratitude for God's choice and blessings, reminds him
of the One who grants blessings every time such a
blessing is enjoyed.
Such expressions of gratitude for God's blessings is
sure to keep our hearts alive to their bond with God
at every turn in life: "So that when you are seated on
their backs you remember your Lord's blessings and
say: 'Limitless in His glory is He who has made all
this subservient to our use. We could not have done it
by ourselves." We certainly cannot match His
blessings. All that we can do is to be truly grateful
and give due thanks for all that He has favored us
with. We should realize that we will eventually return
to God after our term in charge of the earth comes to
its end. He will then requite us for what we have done
in life when we enjoyed His favors and what He placed
at our service: "To our Lord we shall most certainly
return."
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