Nowruz and Cognizance of Creator

Going of winter and coming of spring is an opportunity to re-read the book of reality and to see what we have been created for.

Spring is a beautiful picture of life which manifests the image of reality. This splendid manifestation is the best lesson of cognizance of God.

Spring is the season of flowering of beauties. Trees blossom and make the nature and the environment beautiful. This is one of the reasons that people go to the nature and spend hours there. The colorful images of spring make people love this season innately. However, for the wise and learned people, this change in the nature is a book of insight to know God better. The turn of the year is in fact an opportunity to remind us of the lapse of life and know the value of every moment of our life. With the flourishing of trees and plants man may be trapped in the illusion that this beauty is at his disposal forever.

Spring has many messages for the learned and those who contemplate. The most important message of Nowruz and spring is cognizance of God.

As a matter of fact, human being can get to know the Creator through thinking over the phenomena of the nature and his own creation. God has pointed out this fact in ayahs 20 and 21 of surah al-Dhariyat of the Qur'an, "In the earth are signs for those who have conviction and in your souls. Will you not then perceive?"

Therefore, Nowruz is the time of reflection on the signs of God to get certitude on His being, power and knowledge. When we look closely and ponder on how the delicate leaves and blossoms sprout out of twigs and flowers and plants open their way through the soil, we will understand that this cannot happen haphazardly and without a creator.

The noble Qur'an describes spring as a sign of God's power and knowledge and explains that coming of spring is a clear sign of resurrection in the afterlife. In ayah 9 of surah Fatir, too, God says, "It is Allah who sends the winds and they raise a cloud; then We drive it towards a dead land and with it revive the earth after its death. Likewise, will be the resurrection."

 Also, in ayahs 5 and 6 of surah Hajj we read, "And you see the earth torpid, yet when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells, and grows every delight kind of plant. That is because Allah is the Reality and it is He who revives the dead, and He has power over all things."

After the message of monotheism in these ayahs, patience is another message than we can learn from the change of seasons. When the dead earth becomes alive again it is the result of patience and forbearance. In fact, Nowruz shows that after patience we can gain victory and salvation. God says in ayah 7 of surah Talaq, "Allah will bring about ease after hardship."

Spring is the season of generosity. Rain falls generously everywhere and quenches the thirst of deserts and farms. Just as the sky bestows its bounties generously, we, too, should learn this message and be generous to all. Spring is the season of rejuvenation and renewal. Thus, we should determine our life through clinging to the ayahs of Qur'an and teachings of the divine leaders.

It is good to take the model of the nature to beautify our soul and character, yet we have to preserve this beauty forever. The aesthetic designs of the nature bewilder human beings. This bewilderment is the prelude of development and movement towards sublimity and perfection through cognizance of the Creator. Just as spring brings about changes in every minute, hour and day, we human beings should also try to change constantly from evil to good. As human being is the best creature of God, he should march in the way of perfection via servitude of the Creator. The only way to reach proximity of God is worshipping him and obeying His commands which have been clearly shown by messengers and divine leaders.    

AS/ME