The universe around us is full of amazing signs. Not just wonderful images, sounds or smells that impress the imagination with their diversity. No, just signs, explicit and hidden signs that appear in different objects or phenomena, but always indicate their Creator. It is enough to think about any creation to see in it a huge world, complex and at the same time ordered, obeying strict laws and having much in common with other worlds.
All living things are composed of complex compounds of only four basic elements: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. The storage and transmission of hereditary information is also carried out thanks to compounds consisting of these four elements and phosphorus, only very long. These macromolecules, known as nucleic acids, are based on only five nitrogenous bases, and all the diversity of the living world comes from their various combinations.
Every kingdom of living organisms is a whole world, every biological species is a whole world, every organism is a whole world, and even every cell is a whole world. Molecules and atoms are also complex worlds. Their appearance and diversity could not be the result of a random sequence of some kind of reactions or transformations. They were created according to the plan of the Wise and Almighty Creator, Who alone conceived and predetermined everything, set the measure and time for everything, and then realized everything and governs the worlds in accordance with His original plan.
The Universe, like a book, contains ideas, images and meanings that the Creator put into it. But not every reader knows how to correctly understand what the author wanted to convey to him. For this, just careful reading is not enough – you need to feel the book with your heart, trust the author and follow him in order to plunge into the world he created and feel its warmth and cold, joy and pain. Likewise, the Universe: it reveals its signs to those who contemplate with their hearts, see the whole picture and feel themselves part of this greatest plan, in which there is nothing superfluous and meaningless.
The Almighty said: “Verily, in the creation of heaven and earth, in the change of night and day, in ships that sail on the sea with what benefits people, in the water that Allah sent down from heaven and through which He revived the dead earth and resettled on it all sorts of animals, in the change of winds, in the clouds, meekly [floating] between heaven and earth, there are signs for people who understand ”(sura 2“ Cow ”, ayah 164).
By meditating on the signs in the universe, the believer first of all recognizes his Lord. As the verses of the Qur’an describe the qualities and deeds of the Almighty, so His creations indicate many of His qualities. Animals that inhabit the earth, birds that fly in the sky, fish that live in the seas, and worms that live underground do not exist independently of each other, but are related to each other and to their environment. Animals eat plants, and their droppings and remains are converted into plant nutrients. Animals consume oxygen from the air, which is produced by plants under the influence of visible light energy. All these amazing connections are the creation of one Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth, who has no equal and similar. The Qur’an says: “Allah has not acquired a son, and there are no other gods besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some of them would have risen above others ”(Sura 23“ Believers ”, ayah 91).
The Lord does not leave His creations unattended and does not leave them to themselves. He takes care of them every moment, maintaining balance in the Universe, and this does not tire or burden Him. It keeps the heavens without visible supports and keeps the surface of the earth from vibrating. It does not allow mixing of the waters of rivers and seas that differ in temperature and salinity. The oxygen content in the air, the salinity of the water in the ocean, the angle of inclination of the earth’s axis, the remoteness of the earth from the sun – these are just some of the many factors on which life on our planet depends. And this delicate balance is maintained by the One who possesses perfect knowledge, unlimited power and absolute power.
The Lord creates creatures and directs them towards the purpose for which they were created. It causes cells to split, separate and differentiate, and causes the seed to grow stem upward and take root deep into the ground. He inspires bees to farm in a hive, collect flower nectar and communicate with each other through mysterious dances. He directs a person to the end that was predetermined for him, in order to return him to the earth from which he was created, and then raise him out of it on the day of resurrection. The Almighty said: “He sends the winds as harbingers of His mercy. When they carry heavy clouds, We drive them to the dead earth, shed water and grow all kinds of fruits with it. We also raise the dead. Perhaps you will understand “(Sura 7” Fences “, ayah 57).
night star
The Koran turns our gaze to the heavens and tells us about the structure of mountains and deep seas, cites ancient peoples and animals as an example, so that the soul of the believer is always awake and remains sensitive to the truth. Observe the movement of the stars and the change of day and night, the habits of birds and animals, meditate on the fate of people and nations, contemplate the power and wisdom of your Lord. As the Almighty said: “We will show them Our signs in the world and in themselves, until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth” (Sura 41 “Explained”, ayah 53).
The Quran teaches us to see with our hearts: not just observe natural phenomena and discover some patterns, but think about the essence of things and phenomena. The transformation of a voracious caterpillar, first into a motionless pupa, and then into a beautiful butterfly, reminds us that a person, having abandoned worldly vanity and turning to knowledge of himself, is able to transform and develop the best qualities in himself. A delicate stem that breaks through solid soil gives hope that the sprout of faith will break through the veil of sins and grow into a strong tree. And the heavier the fruits of this tree, the lower its branches fall and the more modest a person becomes. And stones are also thrown only at trees that bear fruit. Seemingly simple and obvious truths, but “there are so many signs in heaven and on earth, past which they pass and turn away” (Sura 12 Yusuf, ayat 105).
No, there are many non-believers among people who study natural phenomena and comprehend many secrets of the Universe. They learned to use electromagnetic waves and split atomic nuclei, penetrated distant galaxies and looked into the past. They hypothesize about the origin and structure of the Universe, try to prove the existence of dark matter, explain the formation of black holes. They make amazing discoveries, but even more surprising is the persistence with which they refuse to believe in Allah: “Can’t the unbelievers see that heaven and earth were united, and We divided them and created all living things out of water? Will they not believe? ” (Sura 21 “Prophets”, ayah 30).
They do not believe because their inquiring mind is cut off from the heart, and their knowledge is limited by their neighbor’s life. Everything that they study and invent is done in order to rise in this world or to make their life easier in it. As the Almighty said: “They know only the obvious about their neighbor’s life, and they are careless about the life of the latter” (Surah 30 of Romei, ayah 7). That is, they do not take it into account, but it is inextricably linked with the neighbor’s life and is its continuation. And what is happening on earth obeys not only the laws of nature, but also other laws of Allah, which we learn about from the Koran and Sunnah.
Although modern science claims to be aimed at developing a systemic understanding of the world, in practice it tends to fragmentary approaches and narrowly applied problems. By abandoning an orientation towards truth and declaring efficiency and profitability as the criterion of legitimacy, science ceased to be moral. And under the pressure of social and political forces, it degrades further and becomes an instrument of speculation and manipulation, which inevitably affects a person and the world around him. The Qur’an says about this: “And if the truth depended on their whims, then heaven, earth and those who are on them would come to disorder” (Sura 23 “Believers”, ayah 71).
Therefore, our observations and reflections should fit into a holistic view of the world and being, which emerges from the Book of Allah. The Almighty said: “He owns the keys of heaven and earth. And those who rejected the signs of Allah are those who have suffered losses ”(Sura 39 of the Crowds, ayah 63). Only He knows all the secrets of heaven and earth, all connections between creatures and their purpose, and we comprehend from them only what He reveals to us. To accept His signs means to see their place in the plan of Allah, and to use the acquired knowledge in order to glorify Him and maintain the order established by Him. To reject them means to use this knowledge to spread evil and disrupt order and balance in society and nature.
Can’t you see that the One who created you does not need you at all and does not fear your betrayal? You will not find the slightest absurdity in His creation: the huge Universe moves in the established order, billions of creations participate in the implementation of His plan and praise Him, even your shadow humbly bows before Him. And you are not able to run away from Him, nor to deviate from your destiny. You will certainly die, and then you will be resurrected and answer for your actions, because the Lord did not create you for fun. He brought you out of paradise and brought you to earth for the sin that your first parents committed, and He endowed you with intelligence and showed you the path leading back to the paradise abode. He subordinated to you what is on earth, and made you governors on it, in order to see whether you will be grateful or, on the contrary, you will rage and do evil. “He shows you His signs. What signs of Allah do you deny? ” (Surah 40 “Forgiving”, ayah 81).
Or do you think that your fate is in your hands? See how vulnerable you are to disease and natural disasters, how fragile your well-being and prosperity are. You make your plans, but always and everywhere only what Allah has willed and predetermined happens. “Allah certainly helps those who help Him. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, Mighty ”(Sura 22“ Hajj ”, ayah 40).
Or do you believe that you will not be resurrected? Is it harder to resurrect you than to create this endless universe or bring a dry desert back to life? Is there something impossible for the One who knows about every drop that falls on the earth, and about every seed that sprouts in it? “He knows what penetrates the earth, and what comes out of it, and what comes down from the sky, and what ascends to him, and He is the Merciful, Forgiving” (Sura 34 “Sheba”, ayat 2 ).
Or do you think that your actions will go unnoticed and that you will not be called to account? Can’t you see that even ants and bees punish those who disturb the order in the family? “Didn’t they reflect on themselves? Allah created the heavens, the earth and what is between them, only in truth and only for a certain period. But, in truth, many people do not believe in meeting their Lord ”(Surah 30“ Romei ”, ayah 8).
They do not believe and do not hope to meet with Allah. They turn away from His Book, which He sent down as light and faithful guidance. But even after that, Allah does not deprive them of the opportunity to return to Him and does not cease to remind them of resurrection and retribution. His signs surround them on all sides, because no one will have a second chance to return to this world. For the consequences of not believing in His signs will be terrible and inevitable. But it is sometimes more difficult to recover from spiritual blindness than from blindness that affects the eyes, and that is why the Almighty said: “I will turn away from My signs those who were exalted on earth without any right to do so. Whatever sign they see, they don’t believe in it. If they see the right path, then they do not follow it, and if they see the path of delusion, then they follow it. This is because they considered Our signs to be a lie and were reckless towards them “(Sura 7” Fences “, ayah 146).
