The Beauty and Wonder of Allah’s Creations
At last Friday’s (April 29th, 2005) khutba (sermon), our Imam Br. Ilyas Anwar touched on a topic dear to me, that is, the beauty and wonder of this universe. Many Muslims are exclusively preoccupied with the hereafter and completely fail to appreciate and honor this wonderful creation of Allah.
He commented that on his way to the masjid he came upon a young Hispanic man peddling ice cream from his bicycle cart. On the other hand, there we were blessed by Allah to be in our mosque performing our congregational prayers. Each of us, he commented, has a place in this world. We are all created by Allah and we are all the children of Adam.
There is beauty, completeness and perfection in Allah’s creations. The clouds overhead, the mountains on either side of the valley, and the waters that flow in the rivers are complete in themselves. Yet they are also intricately bound to each other. There is no deficiency in Allah’s creations. We see this beauty and perfection in our own human body, so exquisite in form and function. Yet each one of us is different, unique unto ourselves.
As a surgeon, I never cease to marvel at the beauty of the human body. Shakespeare said it best, “What a piece of work is man! / How noble in reason! / How infinite in faculty! / In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god!” Such is the beauty and wonder of Allah’s creation!
Consider Allah’s gift of water. It is the same water everywhere. Yet that same rain that falls on one area produces lush greenery, in another it would simply flow away, cause a flood, or be of no consequence at all. That is the power of Allah.
Even the patch of earth that is made lush by the rain, there would still be differences in the results. In some areas there would be trees while in others, only grasses. The trees that grow would in one instance produce luscious fruits that would provide sustenance, others no fruit at all, while still others produce fruits that would be poisonous. These too are the powers and wonders of Allah.
While we rightly wonder at the marvels of modern technology, we must also remember that they all began with the ingredients that are created by Allah. Those modern creations in turn are the results of human ingenuity and creative faculties that are also the gift of Allah.
Allah did not create us just to prepare us for the hereafter. He also created this universe for us. It is therefore incumbent upon us all to appreciate His creations and His gifts. We do so by interacting with and benefiting from His creations.
It is for this reason that our faith looks upon very unfavorably to suicide, for that represents the ultimate destruction by one’s own hands the greatest gift that Allah can bestow upon us – our life. God gave us this precious and wonderful life and it is for us to honor this divine gift by doing something good with it.
We show our appreciation of Allah’s gift of this world by using its resources in the wisest and most beneficial ways. For that is the only manner we can please Allah.
It is not right for us to withdraw from this world. W are to live, love and use the resources for the love of Allah in improving the world as well our society.
Today’s Muslims remind me of medieval Christians preoccupied with the hereafter. The search for wealth and material comfort was looked upon with disdain. The human fate was predetermined; there was nothing that we mortals could do to change that. Predetermination was the prevailing and controlling ethos.
The reformist John Calvin put a new twist to the accepted orthodoxy. Yes, he said, God has a plan for each of us. Or, to use the language familiar to Muslims, it is all written in the book. Calvin however, pushed the idea further. Although everything is predetermined, He also gives a hint of that divine design. Your fate in this world is a preview of where you will end in the hereafter.
Meaning, if you do well here, that is a hint of what God has in store for you in the Hereafter.
The consequence of this new and radical thinking was that everyone started to work very hard to improve his state of being in this world to impress others that he is one of God’s chosen people. Poverty was no longer looked upon favorably or worse, exalted. In fact it was now seen as someone not receiving God’s favor.
The result of this new thinking was the emergence of the famed Protestant work ethic, with everyone working very hard to prove to the world that they are God’s choice to be successful in the hereafter.
We need a similar fresh thinking in Islamic theology so Muslims will not disdain this world and be exclusively preoccupied with the hereafter. This universe is Allah’s creation and we show our love for Allah by respecting and fully engaging , not withdrawing, from His creation.
M. Bakri Musa
May 4, 2005