Editing Screen: Surah al-Hajj 22 : 65

Editing: al-Hajj

Description <p><strong>Explanatory Note</strong></p> <p>Once more the sūrah points out some of the aspects of God’s power as seen in nature. This draws people’s attention to the earth they live on, which contains a wide variety of powers and wealth which God has made subservient to man. Yet man remains oblivious of God’s favours which he enjoys night and day.</p> <p>God has placed everything on earth at man’s disposal, by making the laws of nature affecting the earth compatible with man’s nature and abilities. Had these been at variance with the natural laws of the earth, human life would not have been possible on this planet, and man would not have been able to utilize its resources to his benefit. Had he been physically different from the condition which allows him to tolerate the earth’s atmosphere, breathe its air, eat its food and drink its water, man could not have survived on earth for even a very brief time. Had the density of the earth or the human constitution been different, man would not have been able to walk or stand upright on earth; he would either fly in the air or sink into the earth. Had the earth been without an atmosphere, or had the air been heavier or lighter than its present condition, man would have suffocated or been unable to breathe. Thus, it is the compatibility of all these natural elements with human nature that makes man able to live on earth and benefit by its resources. This is only feasible through God’s will.</p> <p><strong>“Do you not see that God has made subservient to you all that is on earth, and the ships that sail the sea at His bidding?”</strong> It is God who created the laws that allow ships to sail through the sea, and who gave man the necessary means to discover these laws and utilize them to his benefit. Had the nature of the sea, or the ships, or man’s powers of understanding and learning been different, none of this could have happened.</p> <p><strong>“He it is who holds the celestial bodies, so that they may not fall upon the earth except by His leave. Most compassionate is God, and merciful to mankind.”</strong> It is He who created the universe and chose its appropriate system. It is He who has made its laws which ensure that celestial bodies remain far apart from each other.</p> <p>Every theory explaining this universal system is no more than an attempt to understand the laws that ensure the maintenance of the balance that God has placed in the universe. Yet some people overlook this essential fact. They think that if they learn how the universe works, then they are negating God’s role and His power which operates it. This is a particularly singular way of thinking. To explain how a certain law of nature works does not negate that it has been devised by the One who set it in operation in the first place, or that He continues to ensure that such a law remains in operation. Besides, all that man has come up with is a host of theories that attempt to explain natural phenomena. They may be right, and may equally be wrong.</p> <p>God Almighty holds the celestial bodies so that they may not fall upon the earth’ through the system He has devised for the universe. He keeps them from falling ‘except by His leave.’ This is a reference to a time when He may decide to stop this system for a purpose He, in His infinite wisdom, wishes to happen.</p>

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