THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
THE Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between 610 and 632 A.D. It is a book that brings glad tidings to mankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary
by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
He brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living. He gives life to the earth after its death, and you shall be raised to life in the same way. One of His signs is that He created you from dust and, behold, you became human beings and multiplied yourselves throughout the earth. Another of His signs is that He created for you from among yourselves spouses, so that you might find repose in them, and He created between you affection and kindness. Truly there are signs in this for people who reflect. (30: 19-21)
A wonderful miracle of the present world is growth and development. Here, one finds an inert, non-growing material turning into a material which is capable of growing and increasing. Here, lifeless earth, in other words, earth’s elements, undergo a change and take the shape of moving and talking human beings. On account of this, human civilisation has survived for thousands of years now. This change, and that too a well-organised, proportionate and harmonious change, would not be at all possible unless it were the work of an all-powerful God.
The fact is that if a man gives deep consideration to God’s creations, he will feel that the presence of God is reflected in everything.
Another of His signs is that He created the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. There truly are signs in this for those who know. Among His signs are your sleep, at night or in daytime, and your seeking His bounty. There truly are signs in this for people who hear. Among His signs is this: He shows you the lightning, giving rise to [both] fear and hope, and sends down water from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: in this, behold, there are signs indeed for people who use their reason! (30: 22-24)
The universe in all the elements of its existence is the sign of God. It’s coming into existence from nothingness and the enormous variety found in it indicates His vast powers. The utmost meaningfulness in all things reflects His quality of mercy. The existence of destructive things like lightning acquaints us with how God takes punitive actions. The revival of greenery on earth after being dry and barren demonstrates re-creation and resurrection.
All these are the signs of God. But these signs are only for those who lend their ears to the silent call of the universe—for those who put their wisdom and their knowledge to the correct use.
Another of His signs is this: the heavens and the earth stand firm by His command and afterwards when He calls you, behold, from the earth you will come forth. All those in the heavens and on the earth belong to Him. All are obedient to Him.
He is the One who originates creation, then repeats it, and it is very easy for Him. His is the most exalted state in the heavens and on the earth; He is the Mighty, the Wise One. (30: 25-27)
In the vastness of space, the earth, the sun, the planets and stars—all wonderfully rare phenomena—proclaim by their very existence that there exists a Maintainer at whose behest, they continue to function. If this Being were taken away from the cosmos even for a moment, the whole system would be scattered helter-skelter. In this world, even an ordinary aeroplane will be destroyed if the pilot loses control. Then, how can the huge system of the universe be run without the control of a Controller?
Given the Great Power exhibited in the universe by its Creator, it appears an easy task for Him to re-create or resurrect man after his death. In the light of the feat of the first creation, which is being performed in the universe at every moment, to accept the possibility of the second creation is just like accepting a proven fact. In the universe, God’s powers and His wisdom find expression at such a high level that attributing any remarkable feat to God on this basis is in no way a remote possibility
He sets forth for you an example taken from your own lives. Do you make your servants full partners with an equal share in the wealth We have bestowed upon you? Do you fear them as you fear each other? In this way We explain the signs to people who use their reason. And still those who are unjust follow their own desires without having any knowledge. Then who can guide those whom God has let go astray? There shall be none to help them. (30: 28-29)
If there is common property, all those who share it have a right to it, and every partner has to think of the other partners. But, God’s position is not of this kind. God alone is the Lord of the entire universe. The relation between God and His creatures is the same as that between master and servant on a larger scale, and not that of those who share the property. Nobody gives his servant a status equal to that of himself. Similarly there is no one in the entire universe who enjoys a status equal to that of God. Lordship is for God, while for all other creatures there is only subjection. Apart from this, any other equation propounded will be based only on supposition and not on any real ground.
Healthy Society
A healthy or well-wishing society is one where every member of the
society is free of hatred for others, and is able to remain detached from
the bad experiences which are the faults of others.
Pre-death Period
All of us have only a limited period of time in this world. And, after that,
our period is up. We won’t ever be able to get back the time that has passed by.
So, we need to clearly distinguish between proper and improper use of time.