The Gist of the Quran

sense of awe. According to the Quran, hamd is a universal culture. All the creatures of the universe, living and nonliving both present hamd toward their Creator. Hamd is their daily worship. Thus the whole universe acknowledges the glory of God Almighty. Man and other creatures acknowledge the glory of God, but there is a difference, the hamd of the other creatures is a programmed hamd: it is inculcated in them by the angels of God. This fact is given the Quran: Do you not see that all those who are in the heavens and on earth praise God, as do the birds with wings outstretched? Each knows his own mode of prayer and glorification: God has full knowledge of all that they do. (24:41) But man’s case is quite different. Man was born with a mind that has a unique capacity, he was given full freedom. Man does everything by his own choice. So, man’s hamd is hamd by choice. Man’s hamd is not programmed hamd, but his hamd is a self-realized hamd, discovered by himself. This is the dignity of man. Material world is controlled by the law of nature. Animals behave under their instinct; all the creatures other than man, behave like computer or robots. Their hamd is no doubt a pure hamd, but in computer terms it is a programmed hamd.