Our Book of Cosmic Knowledge

Our Book of Cosmic Knowledge

1988 9 September 10-11 Our Book of Cosmic Knowledge (622) “It was He who spread out the earth and placed upon it rivers and immovable mountains. He gave all plants their make and female parts and drew the veil of night over day. Surely in these there are signs for thinking men” (Quran : 13:2).

Life, burgeoning on every side of us, manifests itself in multiple forms. Atoms dance around within matter, the stars go hurtling through space, a tiny seed is transformed into a magnificent tree, the sun rises in all its glory. Whether on earth or in the outer reaches of the universe, there are always great masterpieces of creation which are perpetuating, transforming, or reproducing themselves. But neither the wonders of nature nor the events taking place in the cosmos ever define themselves for our benefit. They never communicate with us to reveal their inner significance.

It is here that the Quran comes to our rescue, for it is truly a book of cosmic knowledge, a kind of dictionary which defines the true meaning of all that we see around us. “It was God who raised the heavens without visible pillars. He ascended His throne and forced the sun and moon into His service, each pursuing its appointed course. He ordains all things. He makes plain His revelations so that you may firmly believe in meeting your Lord.

“It was He who spread out the earth and placed upon it rivers and immovable mountains. He gave all plants their male and female parts and drew the veil of night over day. Surely in these there are signs for thinking men” (13:2).

However, one may look at the universe and imagine that its existence came about by mere chance. But the Quran tells us that “to God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He has power over all things.

“In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for men of sense: those that remember God when standing, sitting and lying down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying: ‘Lord, You have not created these in vain. Glory be to You’!”

Again, one may imagine, judging by the infallibility of the system of cause and effect which is operative in the universe, that our world is little better than an automatic machine which has no need of an operator. But the Quran tells one that it is God “who makes the lightning flash upon you, inspiring you with fear and hope, as He gathers up the heavy clouds. The thunder sounds His praises, and the angels, too, for awe of Him. He hurls His thunderbolts at whom he pleases” (13:11).

Looking at the similarities between the successive forms of life, one might fall into the error of believing that all species are the result of an evolutionary process. But the Quran sets one right on this point: “He created for you all that the earth contains; then, ascending to the sky, fashioned it into seven heavens. He has knowledge of all things” (2.29).

“It was He who created the heavens and earth in all truth. On the day when He says: ‘Be,’ it shall be. His word is the truth” (6.73).

After reading the Quran one can no longer look as the wonders of the universe as a collection of mute and inscrutable masterpieces. Nor can one regard them as just so many parts of a vast automation. In reading the holy scriptures we shall come to understand the divine significance of everything on which we gaze. We shall at last accept that the universe is the work of an all-powerful Being, and that “it has not been created in vain.”