Our universe is a beautiful work of the Creator and many of the beautiful names of God point to this phenomenon. God is called: Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Al-Bari (The Maker), Al-Musawwir (the Shaper), al-Muhiyy (The Giver of Life) and Al-Badi (The Innovative Creator). The universe was fashioned by God according to a wellconceived plan. When God decided to create something, He gave the divine command ‘Be’ and the thing was created.
The Quran states:
‘Do they seek a religion other than the religion of God, when everything in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly or unwillingly? To Him they shall all return’. (3:83)
The entire cosmos, from the particles of dust to the gigantic galaxies, is under the direct domination of the One God Who alone, is the Master of all beings.
According to the above verse, the universe has been subjected to the code of monotheism— that God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and that in Him alone are vested all powers. None besides Him has any sway over the universe. The entire cosmos, from the particles of dust to the gigantic galaxies, is under the direct domination of the One God Who alone, is the Master of all beings. This is the reason that the entire universe, with all its vast expanse, is exactly as it should be. No flaw in its functioning has ever been detected and its speed has not faltered even by a second during the innumerable of millions of years of its existence. This is the model that man is asked to follow, for it is a practical demonstration of the creed of monotheism.
Total Submission
The greatest and most salient characteristic of the universe is that it is fully obedient to its Creator (41:12). Even after the elapsing of hundreds of millions of years, the sun, the earth and, the stars, moving at incredible speeds in their orbits, have not wavered even by a fraction of a second in their course, each one faithfully carrying out the duty assigned to it. Man is likewise required to demonstrate that same total submission. Man is called upon to make even his most fervent personal desires subservient to the will of God. At all times, he must unfailingly do as the Lord desires. His hands and feet, his eyes and tongue, his heart and mind, all must bow in supplication to God, so that no part of him, whether mental or physical, should in any way flout His will.
Worship of God
The Quran tells us that all things in the universe worship and glorify God (24:41). The very birds chirping in the green boughs of the trees seem to sing songs in praise of their Creator and Sustainer. The trees, when they cast their shadows on the earth, seem to have lain prostrate themselves before their Creator. The sun, when it sends down its beautiful rays to earth after the darkness of night, seems to express the thought: ‘Glorified be the One Who is the source of all light. Should He choose to extinguish it, darkness would engulf the entire universe.’ It is this very same formula which man is called upon to follow. Overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s munificence, he must also give expression to his devotion by singing the glories of his Lord. Remembrance of God should become the richest treasure of his life, and devotion to Him should become a lifelong vocation.
The very birds chirping in the green boughs of the trees seem to sing songs in praise of their Creator and Sustainer. The trees, when they cast their shadows on the earth, seem to have lain prostrate themselves before their Creator.
Stability of Character
One important characteristic of the universe is that it moves on its course with such exactitude that coming events can be forecast with one hundred percent certainty (10:5). The same kind of predictability is essential in man. So methodical and so responsible should his conduct be that his probable reaction in any given situation should be plainly foreseeable. Even at the most preliminary stage of any transaction with him, we should feel that we know for certain what his attitude and plan of action will be. His word should indeed be as dependable as the rising and the setting of the sun.
Harmony
Another compelling aspect of the universe is that all its parts work in complete harmony with each other (36:40). It has never been the case that the sun and moon have worked at cross purposes. The stars never collide. Air and water, sun and soil, all work in unison with each other. More than one hundred elements, the components of all the known matter in the universe, work in perfect accord, and no clash of purpose has ever been detected in them. It behoves man also to emulate their example and, in the carrying out of whatever his tasks may be, avoid any confrontations with others.
Result-oriented Approach
An inestimable virtue of the universe is that all its activities bear fruit (13:17). As far as our world is concerned, the rotation of the earth, the alternation between day and night, the rains, the changes of the seasons, etc., are all, as it were, result-oriented. Natural activity, if allowed to go on unhindered, will never cause chaos and man would do well to adapt himself to this principle.
Divine Morals As Reflected in the Universe
The purpose and wisdom, which manifest themselves in the wider universe under the direct control of God, have to be adopted by man of his own accord in his personal life. What God has established on a physical plane, man has to establish on a moral plane. With the same strength as is possessed by the iron which is found everywhere in the cosmos, man must have real staunchness of character. But kindheartedness must spring from him too, in the way that the springs gush forth from the rocks. Just as fragrance and colour are to be found in abundance in the cosmos, so should man’s life be enhanced by the fairness and honesty of his dealings. He should be like the tree which breathes out oxygen in return for the carbon dioxide which it breathes in:
that is, he should return good for evil; he should be kind to those who wrong him. He should learn too, from the fact that nothing in the cosmos ever encroaches upon anything else. Each physical entity concentrates solely upon playing its own part in the order of the universe. Man must also engage in the same positive action, avoiding all negative activities. Innumerable activities are going on throughout the cosmos on the grandest of scales, but without any recompense. In like manner, man should keep on discharging his responsibilities without thinking of reward. He should reflect upon how the lofty mountains and the trees cast their shadows upon the earth, with no thought for what anyone can do for them in return, and should emulate this act in all humility, for, as the Prophet has enjoined, no one should be proud; no one should consider himself superior to others.
The purpose and wisdom, which manifest themselves in the wider universe under the direct control of God, have to be adopted by man of his own accord in his personal life.
The activities going on in the world at every moment proclaim who are worthy and who are unworthy. Those who are motivated solely by the superficial interests of money, honour or fame are little better than miserable misfits in this selfless world of God.
They are not true to the standards set in in this universe, which is a living manifestation of divine ethics. Only those who can be motivated by the truth, pure and simple, who can rise above personal interests, freeing themselves from complexes and obsessions, shall be deserving of honour and glory from God. In the heavenly world to come, all those who have been activated solely by their immediate worldly interests will be marked down as unworthy, and cast out from it. This beautiful and blissful world will be inherited only by those who, motivated by unworldly interests, lifted their eyes from the immediate, material things in order to be able to see things distant and ‘unseen’.
Those who are motivated solely by the superficial interests of money, honour or fame are little better than miserable misfits in this selfless world of God.
The universe demonstrates at all points in time and on a vast scale what kind of citizens are required by God to inherit the ideal world of tomorrow—Paradise. God desires men who will be true to His morals, and who will practice the religion that is enshrined in theory, in His Book and, in practice, in His universe. Those who refuse to learn their lesson and persist in following the path of selfish passion are wrongdoers of the worst kind. Those who refuse to see God’s signs, although they have eyes, and refuse to hear God’s voice, although they have ears, are, in the eyes of God, ‘the worst creatures’. (8:22)
