Surah Ya Sin (Ya Sin) 36 : 28

Explanatory Note

The universe is thus shown as a splendidly colourful book which the Qur’ān opens and looks through. It then says that scholars who read, appreciate and comprehend this book are the ones who have a true God-fearing sense:

“It is those who are endowed with knowledge that stand truly in awe of God.” (Verse 28)

The universe is a superb hook of which the sūrah has shown but a few pages. It takes a good measure of knowledge to appreciate this wonderful hook and to get to truly know God through His creation and power. People who do so realize the measure of His greatness by appreciating His work. Therefore, they are truly God-fearing, and they worship Him in true submission. This is not the result of a mysterious feeling that we sometimes experience when we look at a splendid natural scene; rather, it is the product of true and direct knowledge. The pages of this universal book that the sūrah has shown are only a sample. The great diversity of colour it has mentioned serves only as an indicator of the great variety and meticulous harmony available everywhere in the universe. It can however only be appreciated by people endowed with knowledge and by those who feel the value of their knowledge deep in their hearts, and who do not leave it in a cold, dry academic corner.

The aesthetic element is intentionally added into the design of the universe. Its beauty, however, is raised to perfection by the fact that different things discharge their functions through that very beauty. The splendid colours of flowers, along with their scents, attract bees and butterflies which, as far as the flower is concerned, are the means of inoculation, so as to ensure fruition. Thus the flower completes its own function through its very beauty. In sex, beauty is the main attraction which leads to the couple fulfilling their task of reproduction. Because beauty is intended, the Qur’ān draws our attentions to it in these various ways.