THE WORD OF GOD

From The Scriptures

The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between CE 610 and 632. It is a book that brings glad tidings to humankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.

Translated from Arabic and commentary by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Put your trust in the One who is the Ever-Living [God], who never dies, and glorify Him with His praise. He is fully aware of the sins of His servants; it is He who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six Days [periods], then settled Himself on the throne—the Gracious One. Ask any informed person about Him. When they are told, ‘Prostrate yourselves before the Gracious One,’ they ask, ‘Who is this Gracious One? Shall we prostrate ourselves before whatever you will?’ This increases their aversion. (25: 58-60)

Here ‘six Days’ means six Days of God. In the language of human beings, it may be called six stages or six periods. The creation of the universe in six stages indicates that it was done in a well-planned manner. Whatever is brought into existence on the basis of a plan and a specific arrangement cannot be futile. In the question the stress is on the subject matter and not on the person to whom the question is put. The idea is that if a man is acquainted with God’s wonderful marvels, he will be able to tell you how High and Mighty is the Merciful God. The research undertaken by scientists in modern times partially fits the meaning of this verse. If a man learns the secrets of the universe which have come to light as a result of scientific research, he will become extremely excited, his hair will stand on end and his heart will spontaneously bow down before the Might of the Creator.

Exalted is He who put constellations in the heavens, a radiant lamp and an illuminating moon— it is He who has made night and day succeed each other, a sign for those who would take heed and would be grateful. (25: 61-62)

This passage possibly refers to what is known as the solar system. The original Arabic word buruj literally means a castle or fort, but scholars differ as to its exact meaning in this context. Among the numerous phenomena of our solar system is the constant revolution of the earth around the sun. Its revolution has a fixed orbit and is completed in one year. Due to the elliptical shape of its orbit and the sun not being at its exact centre, the different seasons occur. Besides its revolution, the earth rotates on its axis and this is completed in twenty-four hours. This rotation is the cause of day and night. In the vastness of space, the revolution and rotation of the earth with extreme precision and their being greatly subservient to human beings’ interests, are the most wonderful of happenings. One who ponders over these blessings will be overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude to God. q