In the name of ALLAH, the most gracious, the most merciful.

The Quran, the Phenomena of Nature and the Role of Man

By Mohammed Abdullah

Dated March 1st 1983

"We will show our signs in the Universe and within themselves until it becomes manifest
to them that this Quran is the truth" - Al Quran chapter 41 verse 53.
If we glance through the Quran we will find that it abounds with passages dealing with
the phenomena of nature and man is repeatedly exhorted to penetrate in its mysteries,
to understand them and appreciate the Glory of God. The Quran says that God did not
create the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them but with truth. The World
is not an illusion, nor without purpose. It points out that:
In the creation of the Heavens and the Earth and in the alteration of the night and the
day are signs for those gifted with understanding, who standing, sitting, and reclining
bear God in mind and meditate on the creation of the heavens and the earth.
Our Lord! Say they, All this thou hast not created in vain. Transcendent in purity art
thou, save us then from chastisement of fire - chapter 3 verse 190-191.
This chastisement of fire can be the consequences of our misusing the gifts of Nature,
using them for the destruction of Mankind, or simply credulously worshipping Nature
which in fact are subservient to us and not our Masters or Lords.
Says the Quran - And now have we given honor to the children of Adam, by land and
sea. We carry them (i.e. have given them control over land and sea) and have made
Man to excel many of those who we have created. Chapter 17 verse 70.
So the dignity of man is thus upheld and he has been given the capacity and capability
of acquiring knowledge of everything the universe contains.
Says the Quran - And He [God] taught Adam the names of all things chapter 2 verse
31.

Similarly it has been elsewhere said in the Quran, in fact in the very first verse of the
Quran revealed to Prophet (May God ever shower his blessings on him) that: Thy Lord
is most gracious, who hath afforded knowledge through the pen, afforded man the
knowledge of what he knew not.
Pen is symbolic of external means and also it means through observation and
experience. Thus man has been asked to gain knowledge by observation and study of
nature and things around him.
The Prophet of Islam [PBUH] lays the acquisition of knowledge as a primary duty of
every man and woman, and calls upon the seeker of knowledge to go to the farthest
end of the earth in search of it. But knowledge does not assist in the mere accumulation
in ones memory, the ideas or material on this or that subject. The Quran desires
correlation, to have a harmonious grasp of the verses underlying them. It therefore
insists on reflection as an indispensable aid to proper acquisition of knowledge. It is
through such reflection, thinking over things, that one is able to get an insight of things,
which, otherwise he is unable to.
The Quran is full of praise for such an insight a man is endowed with.
He [GOD] gives insight to whom He will and to whom insight is given hath had ample
fortune given to him. But none will bear it in mind except men who posses wisdom.
(Quran: Chapter II, verse: 69
See how eloquent this verse is Many are the signs in the heavens and the earth (so full
of meaning for men) yet the pass them by, hardly taking any notice of them - Al Quran
chapter 12 verse 105.
The heavens and the earth are full of signs for men to take heed of, says the Quran:
Assuredly in the creation of the heavens and the earth, in the alteration of the night
and the day and in the sailing of the ships through the oceans with what is useful for
men in the water which God sends down from the sky, giving life to the Earth that is
dead and scattering over it all kinds of animals, and in the movements of the winds in
the clouds which are marshaled to do service between the heavens and the earth, are
the signs for the thoughtful - chapter 2 verse 164.
Similarly, the Quran says elsewhere: - Assuredly, in the heavens and the earth are
signs for those who believe in God - [The ultimate reality].
Even in ourselves, there are signs, says the Quran: And in the creation of yourselves
and in the creation of animals, which He has spread all over the earth are also signs for
those who are firm in Faith.

Again the Quran invites the discerning mind to reflect over: And in the alteration of
night and day and in what sustenance God sends down from the sky, whereby He
revives the earth when dead and in the changing of the winds also there are signs for
the discerning.
Having this explained, exhorted and drawn attention of man to all this phenomena of
nature and to believe in it and appreciate the creation of the Creator, the Quran asks
men in what kind of preaching and proofs will they believe, if they reject what God hath
commanded? - chapter 45 verse 366.
So clear and convincing are the signs of God, that in the words of Quran In what
kinds of preaching and proofs will they believe?
In fact there are many more verses in the Quran for us to ponder and try to have insight
in the working of nature. In a way it would be an exaggeration to say that the whole of
the Book, the Quran, is concerned with outlining the methodology and technique by
which man is to read the Book of Nature and witness the signs of the Divine.
As the poet of fame Sadi [may God bless his soul] has expressed, Every leaf of the
green tree speaks volumes about the signs of the Divine to the eye of the discerning
mind.
The fact is, as the knowledge of Science grows, the world is more convinced of the truth
of the Quran. In the words of the author of the Bible, the Quran and Science, Maurice
Bucaille
It comes as no surprise to learn that religion and science have always been considered
to be sisters in Islam and that today at a time when science has taken such strides, they
still continue to be associated. Furthermore certain scientific doctrines are used for the
better understanding of the Quranic text. What is more, in a century when, for many
scientific truths has dealt a death blow to religious belief. It is precisely the discoveries
of science that in an objective examination of the Islamic Revelation have highlighted
the supernatural character of certain aspects of the Revelation.
In many parts of the Book, the Quran leads in simple terms to this kind of general
reflection, (i.e. the existence of an extraordinary methodical organization presiding over
the remarkable arrangement of the phenomenon of life). But it also contains infinitely
more precise data, which are directly related to facts discovered by modern science.
This is the magnetic attraction for todays scientist.
For many centuries man was unable to study this because he did not posses sufficient
scientific means. It is only today, that numerous verses of the Quran dealing with natural
phenomena has become fully comprehensible. I should even go as far as to say, that in
the twentieth century with its compartmentalization of ever increasing knowledge, it is

not always easy for the average scientist to understand everything in the Quran, as
such subjects without having recourse to specialized research.
This survey certainly shows us how modern data and statements in the Quran agree
on a large number of points ..the Quran does not pose any problems of
authenticity.
It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Muhammads [PBUH] time to have
been the author of such statements on account of the stray knowledge in his days. Such
considerations are part of what gives the Quranic Revelation its unique place and forces
the impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which calls solely
upon materialistic reasoning.
[The Quran and the Modern Science, by Dr. Maurice Bucaille, Muslim World League
Mecca, volume 6 -number 10 August 1979]
Man has to believe in the forces of nature, in order that he may as enjoined by the
Quran, acquire knowledge of them and employ that knowledge in making use of the
resources provided both in the heavens and the earth for the good of himself, his fellow
beings and the rest of the living objects in the earth, who in the words of the Prophet
[PBUH] form together The family of God. He has to make sure his own capabilities
[self esteem] and try to develop them. As it has been said, Know thyself, so as to know
God. That is how man has to discharge his duty as Vice-regent of God on earth. We
have to live a life full of purpose and action, doing good to ourselves [self development
or full development of ones own personality] and help others also to attain the same.
We have to be cooperative and constructive in our attitude towards others and not
selfish and self indulgent.
Mohammad Abdullah
1-3-83