Al-Risala (English), January-February 2000

of creation. What he utters is praise, or admiration of God. It is a tribute of the most sublime sentiments, expressed in human words and offered to God. Praise means being moved at the sight of God’s craftsmanship and spontaneously expressing one’s realization of His perfection. “God, all praise is due to You. You are chaste and exalted. God, count me among the believers, and raise me not up blind like those who failed to acknowledge Your perfection or perceive Your beauty.” Praise is constant remembrance of God in this manner, in Arabic or any other language. □ Witness of the Universe I n chapter al-Anaam of the Quran there occurs a description of flatterers who ask the Prophet to show a miracle to prove the credibility of the message brought by him from God. The Quran says that faith does not depend on miraculous events but on man’s ability to derive inspiration and deduce messages from such signs as can be perceived with open eyes. Anyone who possesses this quality of perception will realise that the miracles he demands are already in existence. Can there be a greater miracle than the existence of the universe with all its diverse manifestations? And does it not confirm the truth of the message of God brought by the Prophet? No miracle can convince a person who is determined not to learn a lesson from the events taking place before his very eyes. The Quran cites the other creatures, like birds and animals as further examples of God’s miraculous creation. At other