The
last of the Abrahamic religions, following Judaism and
Christianity, Islam considers the creation of the universe as
ultimate proof of the existence of one Creator who “is that
dimension which makes other dimensions possible; He gives meaning
and life to everything” (Rahman) According to the teachings of
Islam, Allah
(God) is the one and only god, the absolute Creator of the
universe, its components and its laws. Allah is the beginning and
the end of all things, and this is the foundation for Islam’s
teachings.
The
Qur’an
is the word of Allah as passed down to Muslims through the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the existence of
only one version of the Qur’an (there are no dissimilarities
between any two copies) attests to the reverence in which Muslims
hold it. For Muslims, the Qur’an, containing the word of Allah,
provides irrefutable proof of His existence. Along with the Qur’an,
nature provides another source for the proof of Allah’s
existence. This intimate relationship between the Qur’an and
nature is shown in the phrase ayat, which refers to signs
of Allah’s existence in nature and also refers to the verses in
the Qur’an.
The
Creation
In
Islam, the world as man knows it, begins and ends with Allah.
Unlike Christianity and Judaism, the creation process is not
described in detail, but referred to as a starting point for Allah’s
power. The creation story in Islam is described in the Qur’an as
the creation of the universe by Allah’s will with a single
command: “Be!” Several verses in the Qur’an highlight Allah’s
power of creation: [Creator
of the heavens and the earth from nothingness, He has only to say
when He wills a thing: “Be,” and it is]
(Al-Baqarah 2:117) and, [That
is how God creates what He wills, when He decrees a thing, He says
“Be,” and it is]
(Aal `Imran 3:47).
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Man’s
relationship with nature materialises in Islamic living in
several ways, the most significant and obvious being death
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In
this manner, Allah created the heavens and the earth, the sun and
the moon, and the rest of the universe. He created the plants and
the animals, and placed them on Earth, and He decreed upon them
the laws by which the natural order of all creation functions. The
universe is an independent entity, it exists according to those
laws and does not require (divine) intervention, yet it cannot “warrant
for its own existence and it cannot explain itself” (Rahman). In
Islam, this in itself is considered conclusive proof of Allah’s
existence. The laws placed by Allah take into account all natural
phenomena and provide further proof for Allah’s greatness, which
the Qur’an describes in detail. [He
ushers in the dawn, and made the night for rest, the sun and moon
a computation. Such is the measure appointed by Him, the
Omnipotent and All-Wise]
(Al-An`am 6:96). Natural law, as decreed by Allah, “reflects and
issues from the order that exists in the Divine Realm” (Nasr)
where Allah exists.
Mankind
& Nature
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Islam
invites man to discover the laws of nature and the ways in
which the universe exists.
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Man
was created from clay, and is thus part of nature, not separate
from it. This relationship with nature materialises in Islamic
living in several ways, the most significant and obvious being
death. Muslim burials require the corpse to be washed, have all
items removed, and placed in the ground within three days—for an
easier return to the earth whence it came.
Within
Allah’s universe, man was given a special place. In Islamic
teachings, in contrast to those of Christianity, man was not made
in God’s image. Rather, Allah distinguished man from His other
creations by breathing His own spirit into man. This preferential
treatment of God’s creation gave man two privileges not made
available to the rest of creation: (1) freedom of choice and (2)
specialised knowledge or “creative knowledge” (Rahman).
Freedom
of choice allows man the ability to make the decision whether or
not to worship Allah and follow His will. The universe, as
described before, is governed by the laws decreed for it by Allah,
and has, therefore, been in submission to Allah since its
creation. Man, however, was given the ability to think,
rationalize, and argue the presence of a creator, and then decide
whether to submit to Him or not.
An
Open Invitation to Knowledge and Learning
Creative
knowledge was first displayed—according to the teachings of
Islam—when, after the angels questioned Allah as to why he had
created man in the form of Adam, Allah challenged the angels and
Adam to name objects. The angels were unable to bestow names upon
things, whereas Adam could, giving him superiority over those that
he had named and demonstrating his Creator’s power.
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Islam
is a natural religion.
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As
part of man’s privilege, Islam, through the Qur’an, invites
man to discover the laws of nature and the ways in which the
universe exists. There is no threat to Allah’s supremacy in this
way, because if Allah wills something to remain a mystery (such as
Himself) then man has no possible way of discovering whatever
Allah chooses to remain hidden. On the contrary, when man sees for
himself the extent to which the universe has been meticulously
planned and provided for, Allah’s infinite wisdom becomes
apparent. Man is invited to question, discover, explore, and
manipulate the world around him and use it for his benefit.
There
are three types of learning encouraged in Islam, all of which will
(or should) inevitably lead to acknowledgement and recognition of
Allah’s power. These are: (1) the discovery of nature, its laws,
and how it can be used for the benefit of mankind; (2) the
exploration of the history and the geography of the physical world
and its peoples; and (3) knowledge of oneself (Rahman).
This
encouragement to learn and discover has led to a proliferation of
Arab scholars in the fields of the natural sciences and
mathematics. In Islamic philosophy, one must always seek
knowledge, both within and without, as knowledge illuminates the
path on which one must travel. Ignorance is an unfavourable state
of being, as the process pf acknowledging the existence and power
of Allah is one of enlightenment through knowing.
“Nature
exists for man to exploit for his own ends, while the end of man
himself is nothing else but to serve God, to be grateful to him,
and to worship him alone” (Rahman). Islam suggests that nature
was created by Allah specifically for mankind’s use and so must
be recognised and respected as a gift for which man must be
grateful. There are three reasons for creation: (1) “to serve as
a collection of signs, or ayat, of the power and goodness
of Allah”; (2) “to serve Allah and to be submissive to God’s
will”; and (3) “for the use of humans” (Timm).
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For
more on Islam and nature, read:
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Natural
law in Islam is based on the laws Allah created for nature, which
as mentioned earlier, reflected the laws of Allah’s divine
realm. Man is expected to discover Allah’s will and to follow
it, because “Islam suggests that discovering the truth, learning
the truth, and believing in the truth are all possible” (Ezzati).
Allah
created the universe, bestowed human beings with a privileged
position within it, and left the world to function under the laws
He had decreed for it. Allah observes how people treat the bounty
He has given them, and the universe is allowed to exist, with
little intervention, for a certain length of time. At the end of
this time, following portents of the end of the world as we know
it, mankind is brought in front of Allah for Judgment Day. Islam’s
eschatology places Allah’s role as mankind’s judge as the
progression from His role as mankind’s Creator, and man will be
punished or rewarded for his deeds in Allah’s universe.
Islam
is a natural religion, in that its teachings advocate the
utilisation of nature for man’s benefit, along with the
preservation of the universe that Allah has placed in mankind’s
safekeeping.
