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
We created man from an essence of clay, then We placed him as a drop of fluid in a safe place, then We developed that drop into a clinging form, and We developed that form into a lump of flesh, and We developed that lump into bones, and clothed the bones with flesh. Then We brought him into being as a new creation—glory be to God, the best of creators—after this you shall surely die. Then you will be raised up again on the Resurrection Day. (23: 12-16)
The young one of a human being grows in the womb of his mother. In ancient times, the period from conception till child-birth was shrouded in mystery. It was only in the twentieth century that modern scientific developments made it possible to observe the development of a baby in the mother’s womb and obtain direct information about it.
The vivid Quranic description of the various developmental stages of the formation and birth of human beings is surprisingly identical with modern scientific findings. This provides a clear proof of the fact that the Quran is the Book of God. Had it not been so, such similarity between the findings of modern research and the statements of the Quran, revealed fourteen hundred years ago, would not have been possible.
The development of the embryo in the mother’s womb shows that the Creator of this world is the most perfect Being. Our knowledge of the creation of man from the very beginning, is sufficient to make us believe that a second creation will take place and will occur in exactly the manner described by the prophets.
We have created seven paths above you; We have never been unmindful of Our creation. We sent down water from the sky in due measure and lodged it in the earth—but if We please, We have the power to take it away—We have produced palm-groves and vineyards for you, in which there are abundant fruits for you; and you eat these, also a tree growing on Mount Sinai which produces oil and a condiment for those who eat it. You have a lesson in livestock. We provide you with drink from what is in their bellies, and you have many other benefits from them; some of them you eat, and you ride on them as you do in ships. (23: 17-22)
Man is a small creature. Compared to him, the universe is so large that it strikes terror into man. In the vastness of space, innumerable stars and planets revolve at high speed. Yet, the most wonderful aspect of the universe is that it is highly favourable to the existence of human beings. Moreover, the planet appears to have been exceptionally made keeping all of man's needs in mind.' For example, man is able to domesticate a variety of animals and put them to various uses. The cow’s stomach, for instance, is a wonderful factory which converts grass into a valuable commodity—milk.
All these factors warrant man’s recognition of his Kind and Merciful God and his remaining ever grateful to Him. o
