THE WORD OF GOD — From the Scriptures

can act as a shield or an excuse for the doubters. If the rejecters of the prophet were simply to consider the inimitable literary majesty of his book, they would be compelled to accept as a prophet the one who brought that book. Have they not observed the sky above them and marked how We have built it and adorned it, leaving no flaws in it; We spread out the earth and set upon it solid mountains and We brought forth from it all kinds of delightful plants, as a lesson and reminder for every human being who turns to God; and We have sent down from the sky blessed water with which We have brought forth gardens and grain to be harvested, and tall palm-trees with their thickly-clustered dates, as a provision for human beings; and by [all] this We bring dead land to life. Such shall be the Resurrection. (50: 6-11) The meaningfulness of the universe, its creative wisdom, its being free of shortcomings, and its being consistent with human needs compel every thinking and rational man to accept the sublimity of creation, and one who gives serious consideration to the system of the universe, will find the Creator in His creations. He will see a glimpse of the other world (the Hereafter) in this world, because, in fact, the world of the Hereafter is essentially another, more superior form of the present world. Before them, the people of Noah and the people of Rass denied this truth; and so did the people of Thamud. And the tribe of ‘Ad, and Pharaoh, and the brethren of Lot, and the dwellers of the Wood, and the people of Tubba‘: every one denied their messengers, and so My warning came true. Were We then worn out by the first creation? Yet they are in doubt about a second creation. (50: 12-15) In the course of history, as presented by the Quran, it has happened again and again that as a result of the prophets’ addressees rejecting them, the communities were destroyed. A few of these devastated nations are mentioned here by way of example. The destruction of these peoples is, in fact, a sample of the conditions in the Hereafter. A part of the punishment the rejecters of Truth are destined to receive in the Hereafter is shown here in this world of today. The first creation of this world proves the possibility of the second creation. If a man is serious, he does not require any further proof, to make him believe in the Hereafter. o