Harmony in creation

By Haider Zaman

Friday feature

QURAN says: “He (God) subjected to you all that is in the heavens and in the earth, all from Himself. There are many signs in this for those who reflect” (45:13).

“And of His signs is the creation of the heaven and the earth and the differences in your languages and colours. Lo! Herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge” (30:22).

This seems to have three-fold object. One is that all those who observe and ponder over these signs and in particular over the degree of accuracy and harmony with which the whole system is functioning will accept, without any hesitation, that its creation without a single creator and designer could not have been possible.

Albert Einstein, the famous scientist, says: “God reveals Himself in the harmony that exists in the creation”. According to Quran, had there been other gods other than Allah, everything in the heavens and in the earth would have gone out of order (21:22).

The other object is that those who so ponder will readily accept that human beings, to whom all these creation have been subjected, are truly the vicegerents of Allah. The third is that they would learn something from these signs and make use thereof if they seriously ponder.

The first thing that one can note while pondering over the setting and functioning of countless celestial bodies could be the exceptional degree of harmony in their existence. This is clearly indicated by Quran when it says “He raised the heavens high and set the balance” (55:7). The verse, among other things, implies that after their creation, all the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies were placed in proper order with a view to maintaining necessary equilibrium and balance. Explaining it further Quran says “the sun must not catch up the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is travelling in an orbit with its own motion.” (36:40).

If human beings follow the same lesson in their private lives, in inter-personal relations, in national affairs and in international dealings there is no reason as to why they should not overcome most of the problems of this age and live in peace and harmony. Take the example of human body. Slight increase in the rate of blood circulation can disturb the balance and cause damage to such vital parts of the body as heart and kidney. Only a balanced diet, among other things, can ensure the fitness of human body.

Quran also tells us about many a nation that were wiped out from the earth because they had disturbed the balance to an extent that their elimination could be the only way of restoring the balance. The examples of the people of Lut, of Faraoh and of Madyan could be the most glaring of all.

The upshot of the above lessons is that the setup of the whole universe of which we form a part is so designed and structured that every part thereof has to abide by the principles of balance if it has to survive in the system. Human beings, as the vicegerents of Allah, have been assigned a special role in this behalf and for that purpose have been provided necessary guidance. In the first instance they are told not to disturb the balance (55:8). Then they are told how they have to maintain the balance in the sphere of their own activities.

Quran says “we sent our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and balance so that the people stand by justice.” (57:25). It means that Allah first made use of balance in setting the Universe in order (55:7) and then sent it down to earth so that the people make use of it in the sphere of their own activities.

Quran categorically tells us to do justice (5:8). Justice can be done in many ways but of particular significance could be when one is assigned to do it between the contesting parties in that case, justice will mainly depend on two things, one is the independence of the person assigned to do justice, the other is the relevance and unbiasedness of the evidence.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/05/16/ed.htm#5