welcome to another episode of our weekly series titled “Path towards Enlightenment” which is an endeavour to make you and us familiar with an easy and fluent explanation of God’s Final Scripture to all mankind, the holy Qur’an, which was revealed to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

We start from where we left you and here we present the explanation of Ayahs 11 and 12 of Surah Zukhruf:

“And Who sends down water from the sky in a measured manner; and We revive with it a dead land. (Likewise you [too] shall be raised [from the dead].)

“And who created all the kinds and made for you the ships and the cattle such as you ride;”

If you remember, in our last episode of this series a fortnight ago, we had said the cognition of God is in the innate nature of mankind in view of the fact that the Almighty Creator has placed means of guidance in the world of nature around us and even in our own selves, so that through proper reflection on Divine bounties we awaken our conscience to discover the straight and unwavering path of monotheism that leads us to the bliss of paradise by avoiding the pitfalls of deviation.

The Ayahs that we recited to you now mean to say that life on the earth, whether that of animals or plants, depends on rainfall and the fresh water resources it creates. It means that God Almighty sends down rains in a measured way, as is evident by the use of the word “qadar”, which indicates ordainment and plan. In other words, all rain drops are sent down according to a well calculated plan, as part of Divine Favour, so that the soil that has become dead in the winter season turns verdant in springtime. It is revived, and as the closing words of Ayah 11 indicate, in the same manner the dead will undergo a drastic change and will be revived to life on the Day of Resurrection. In many an Ayah of the holy Qur’an the revival of the dead on the Day of Resurrection is likened to the rejuvenation of the dead soil in springtime.

The next Ayah is a reminder from God Almighty to mankind that He has created all creatures, as either male or female. Even constituent elements include positive and negative factors which stand on a par with male and female pairs in the animal world. The Ayah then mentions other Divine Favours, such as ships that man builds with the intellect given by God in order to easily traverse rivers and seas. Human beings also use quadrupeds, such as horses, camels, and cattle, for riding and other purposes, in order to meet their various needs. Even the modern machines and means of transportation on land, in the air and in the sea, are the result of man’s application of the rules of creation and learning of the physical laws through proper use of the brain, which is indeed a great favour of God.

These Ayahs teach us that:

1. The entire creation follows specific rules ordained by God.
2. Natural phenomenon, including rainfall that revives the earth for agriculture and for drinking water, is one of the greatest Divine favours, and a constant reminder of God’s power to revive dead mankind on the Resurrection Day.
3. All the technologies and tools made by human being through use of the brains and the intellect are the gifts of God through reflection on the world of nature.

Now let us listen to Ayahs 13 and 14 of this Surah:

“That you may sit on their backs, then remember the blessing of your Lord when you are settled on them, and say, ‘Immaculate is He who has disposed this for us, and we [by ourselves] were no match for it.

“Indeed we shall return to our Lord.”

These Ayahs mean to say that benefiting from Divine bounties should be accompanied by remembrance of God Almighty and gratitude towards Him rather than vanity and negligence. In other words, when we board ships and aircraft, or mount quadrupeds, we should be aware that these are bounties bestowed upon us by Our Loving Creator, which warrants us to be grateful to Him. Thus, when we take a ride, whether on a horse or a camel, and whether riding manmade means of transportation like a car or an airplane, we should not forget to celebrate the glory of the Lord Most High, rather than boast of our limited knowledge and technology.

The next Ayah points to the eventual return of all mankind to the Almighty Creator on completion of their mortal life in the transient world. While the hypocrites and the disbelievers are ungrateful and drag themselves towards their own doom, the certitude in this regard develops amongst the believers through reflection of the natural cycle of growth and perfection, including the modern means, on the path towards the final destination of all human beings.

 From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. When we benefit for bounties of the world of creation, it is natural for us to remember God and thank Him for His infinite favours.
2. We must admit our inability before God the All-Glorious, as a form of gratitude.
3. While traveling we ought to contemplate that life itself is a journey towards the final destination decreed by God since the time of birth.

RM/AS/SS