THE MEANINGFULNESS OF THE UNIVERSE

God gave human beings a rational way of thinking so that they could themselves discover the hidden wisdom of the Creator in His creation. Modern science is the other name for unfolding of the hidden wisdom and truths of the universe. Science is not a religious subject, and its concern is certainly not the discovery of God. The subject of science is simply the objective study of creation. However, the study of creation naturally includes the study of the Creator as well. This is why scientific research into creation has become a means of unraveling aspects of the Creator. The findings of study on nature are, in other words, discoveries of the signs of God (51: 20). From this perspective, it would be right to say that the discovery of the meaningfulness of creation is essentially the discovery of an intelligent Creator. The purpose of human life has been stated in the Quran in these words: “I created the jinn and humankind only so that they might worship Me” (51: 56). Noted scholars of Quran such as Ibn Kathir and Mujahid interpret the words ‘so that they might worship Me’ as ‘so that they might discover Me’. A human being has been created with independent thinking and free will. This is why a human being is defined as a creature who possesses the capacity for conceptual thought. The test of an individual is to utilize this mental ability granted to him, develop his thinking power and discover God through a process of study, observation and contemplation. There are two levels of this discovery of God. The first is to discover God at the level of common sense and, the second is to discover one’s Creator at the level of scientific knowledge and understanding. Since past thousands of years it was required of man to discover God by putting to use his basic level of reasoning and awakening his inherent nature. If a person is truly sincere, his common sense alone would be instrumental in making him reach God. The second level of discovery of God is through study of science. This involves gaining knowledge about the signs of God hidden in the universe and arriving at a rational discovery of God by increasing one’s learning of natural phenomena. For such kind of comprehension the supporting data provided by scientific research is crucial for study and reflection. Merely logical thinking is not enough to arrive at a scientific realization of God—for this scientific findings on nature are a prerequisite. The