The Sunday Mail
Umari Stambuli
In the Holy Qur’aan, Allah Almighty declares: “Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day; and the ships that run in the sea with that which profits men; and the water that Allah sends down from the skies; then gives life with it to the earth after its death; and spreads in it all (kinds of) animals; and the changing of the winds and the clouds made subservient between the heaven and the earth; there are signs for a people who understand.” (Ch 2:164)
Humankind is in constant need of so many different necessities for their existence and for life on earth to be sustainable.
Have we ever given serious thought to things like the need for air/oxygen?
From the moment we as human beings open our eyes in this world we are surrounded by great order.
We need oxygen to survive and it is interesting that the atmosphere of the planet on which we live provides us with just the right amount of oxygen we need and in this way, a person breathes without any difficulty.
What about the need for heat or energy? For life to exist on this planet, it is essential that there is a source of heat. In response to this need, the Sun is located at just the right distance to emit just the exact amount of heat and energy that is needed by living beings.
Likewise, the need for water, surprisingly three-quarters of the planet is covered with water and the same goes for the shelter, as living beings need shelter, and in this world there is land that is suitable to build on as well as all sorts of materials to make shelters. These are only a few among countless details that make life possible on Earth and we live on a planet that is perfectly designed for our survival.
This is certainly a planet that has been created for the benefit and service of human beings. A person’s interpretation of the world rests on “acquired methods of thought” and this is to say that one thinks in the way one has been taught, or less kindly, the way in which one has been indoctrinated. In many instances it is under this perception (which sometimes is a misguidance), that a person dismisses all the aforementioned as “nature” or “trivial realities”.
However, if one takes a step back, and starts to ponder on the conditions that make our existence possible, one will surely step out of the boundaries of habitual thinking and start to think deeper and more profound.
How does the atmosphere serve as a protective ceiling for Earth?
How does each one of the billions of cells in the human body know and perform its individual tasks?
How does this extraordinary ecological balance exist on Earth?
These are some of the things I wish everyone to ponder on before we begin a series on life and how Islam views it.
