• God, according to
Islam, is not a distant, unconcerned, or silent God. This is abundantly clear
throughout the Qur’an. For example, God declares that in every instant He is
nearer to every human being than their jugular vein: “And indeed We (God) have created
man, and We know what his ownself whispers to him. And We are nearer to him
than his jugular vein.” (Qur’an 50:16) He certainly knows whatever their bosoms
conceal, and whatever they say and do, in public and in private; nothing is
hidden, everything related to them is exposed before His Eyes: “I am All-Aware
of what you conceal and what you reveal.” (Qur’an 60:1) “And verily, your Lord
knows what their breasts conceal and what they reveal.” (Qur’an 27:74) He hears
their words, sees all their circumstances, and knows whatever they are going
through or have been through. He is never inattentive or uncaring; so, let them
be calm, peaceful, and confident: “Fear not, verily! I am with you both,
hearing and seeing.” (Qur’an 20:46).
• Humans can understand God’s Attributes,
since they possess or experience them in some manner, in varying degrees, and
in a mode appropriate to their human capacities and finite nature. Qualities
such as hearing, seeing, compassion, and patience have been woven into their
being; they are immediately familiar to them and they can practice them
spontaneously, even though only God possesses them in an all-encompassing,
absolute manner. So they can use their own attributes as a unit of measurement
to recognize God’s Eternal and Perfect Attributes.
• Through His Divine Names and Attributes,
humans can get a feel for God and His presence. Each Name and Attribute touches
a particular chord, awakens a new consciousness, supplies a different need,
engenders a special affection, and allows a close and dynamic relationship with
God.
• In a noble Qur’anic verse, God asks to be
sought by His Names – “To God belongs the Most Beautiful Names; call upon Him
therewith.” (Qur’an 7:180) – such as ‘The Forgiving’ for forgiveness and ‘The
Healer’ for healing, using the attribute most appropriate to what humans are
asking for.
• Humans do not need to, nor should they, look
for miracles or extraordinary phenomena when they look for God. They need only
look within, at their natural selves, and around them, at the natural world, to
discover God.
• A watch implies a watchmaker. The evidence
is even stronger for living creatures, from the largest planet down to the most
microscopic creature, as their design is far more brilliant and complex. So a
world implies a world maker — God.
• The miracles of God’s creations are as
manifest in the smallest as in the most gigantic of His Works; in the
construction of an ant as in that of an elephant; in the complex structure of
cells as in that of galaxies; in deep, tiny, underwater crevices as in rushing
rivers and high mountains; and in the warbling of birds as in the roaring of
thunder.
• The whole of the cosmos, being continuously
filled and emptied of living beings, stands as a comprehensive sign of its
Creator and a vast, inexhaustible book describing its Single Author. The Qur’an
– in hundreds of verses – does not merely ask, but provokes and appeals to the
eyes, ears, and minds to open up to the universe and think of its wonders in
order to know God.
• One such motivational verse of the Qur’an
says: “Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation
of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the sea with that
which profits humankind; in the rain which God sends down from the sky, with
which He revives the earth after its death and spreads in it every kind of
moving creature; and in the veering of the winds and the clouds which are held
between the sky and the earth, there are signs for people who use reason.”
(Qur’an 2:164)
• What makes humans different from other
creatures is their need to be intellectually convinced. The Qur’an constantly
appeals to reason and abounds with verbs that urge humans to acquire knowledge
through reliance on the mind, and also the senses through careful observation.
Such verbs include Tafakkur (contemplation), Tadabbur (deliberation), Tabassur
(insight), Tadhakkur (remembrance), Tafaqquh (comprehension), Ta`aqqul
(reasoning), Nazr (contemplative looking), I`tibar (deriving lessons), and
Tawassum (understanding signs).
The Qur’an reminds that creation speaks of the
Creator. Though God is invisible, His existence and aspects of His Character
are revealed through His Work.
“Do they not look into the realm of the heavens and the earth
and everything that God has created…?” (Qur’an 7:185)
“Do they not look…” by way of reasoning and
conclusion.
“…into the realm of the heavens…” including
the sun, the moon, the stars, and the sky.
“…and the earth…” including the forests, the
oceans, the mountains, the animals, the birds, the insects, and the trees.
“…and everything that God has created…” all
the incalculably, innumerably, infinitely myriad creatures of God which fall
under the umbrella term “things.”
Qur’anic Interpretation by Al-Qasimi (Mahasin
Al-Ta`wil)