Salaam and 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 that was revealed to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

As you know, in last episode a fortnight ago we started explanation of “Surah Rahman, which is considered the crown of the Holy Qur’an since it opens with the word “Ar-Rahman” or the “All-Beneficent”, thus proclaiming one of the most beautiful attributes of the Almighty Creator. This Surah highlights the All-Merciful Lord’s wonders of creation, describes the end of the material world, and paints an evocative picture of the delights of Paradise. Hell is briefly contrasted in Ayah 43 with the joys that await the righteous. The refrain فبای آلاء ربکما تکذبان     which means “So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both (mankind and jinn) deny?” runs throughout the Surah.

We continue from where we left you, and here are Ayahs 7, 8, and 9 of the Surah:

“He raised the sky and set up the balance;

“Declaring, ‘Do not infringe the balance!

“And maintain the weights with justice, and do not shorten the balance!”

If you might recall, in our explanation of the previous Ayahs of this Surah a fortnight ago, we said the solar system, at the centre of which is the Sun and includes human life on Planet Earth, exists as per precise calculations and functions in the most orderly manner. The universe has been created in a way as to provide the best services to the best of creation, that is, the human beings, most of whom, unfortunately, are ungrateful to God and destroyers of the world of nature, without realizing these wondrous Divine Blessings. In contrast, the celestial bodies as well as other forms of creation on Earth, such as mountains, rivers, oceans, herbs and trees, are obedient to the One and Only Creator.

The Ayahs that we now recited mean to say that God has raised the sky, which appears as a magnificent canopy adorned with galaxies that appear as glittering stars to us, and encourages us to contemplate on the wonders of creation which are manifest proofs of the infinite power and exaltedness of the Lord Most High, Who has also granted us the concept of balance to realize the measure of all things, including evaluation of our own actions. He has warned us against disturbing the balance of things, with exhortation to maintain justice in society by first scrupulously observing weights and measures in our dealings with each other, without the least cheating or deceit.

Here, it would not be out of context to cite a famous saying from the Prophet’s Vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Taleb (AS), the Symbol of Justice in society, while inspecting the marketplace: “O merchants! Ask God Almighty for good. Find Divine Blessing in being lenient toward people. Refrain from telling lies in transactions. Abstain from injustice. Be not involved in usury.”

These Ayahs teach us the following points:

1. The universe is based on perfect order, with the celestial bodies that appear as glittering lights in the canopy of sky far above, following fixed courses with measured-out calculation.
2. Among the wonders of the universe is the balanced placing of all things in their respective spheres, which in turn require us to maintain justice in society, since disturbing of the calculated measures of creation, whether in the environment around us or our own unjust actions, leads to devastation of the world of nature and our own self-destruction, besides the punishment that awaits the disbelievers and sinners on Judgement Day.
3. As the creation is based on balance and order, the raising of Prophets, Imams and Saints, is also aimed at ensuring guidance for human beings with emphasis on righteousness, justice, and virtue, which are interconnected.
4. Balance may be applied in all matters including beliefs and ethics and whatever may be assayed in everyday life so that people may not be wronged in transactions or incur loss in other affairs.

We invite you to listen to ayahs 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the same Surah in conclusion of this week’s episode:

“And the earth, He laid it out for mankind.

“In it are fruits and date-palms with sheaths;

“Grain with husk and fragrant herbs;

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?”

Among the Divine blessings is the creation of Planet Earth with all its wondrous forms of life and inanimate objects as the cradle for the comfort and flourishing of human beings, who have been granted different types of provisions to eat and enjoy, such as a variety of fruits and vegetables, and grains, including wheat, rice, barley, millets, etc., as well as various fragrant plants and flowers to take pleasure from.

Divine bounties encompass all our life and the environment around us as irrefutable proof of God Almighty’s Omnipotence, Graciousness, and Mercy, which cannot be denied, although many people fail to recognize and realize these realities. Thus, the rhetorical question posed by Ayah 13, which is repeated after every few Ayahs as a reminder to make both mankind and genies reflect upon the blessings of the All-Merciful Creator by opening their minds’ eye and taking stock of themselves and their deeds.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. Cognizance of Divine bounties results in consciousness of His Power and Wisdom which in turn make us humble and obedient to Him.
2. Fruits and vegetables play a very important role in nutrition, while dates have high nutritious value, and for this reason have been mentioned separately.
3. The fragrance and beautiful colour of herbs and flowers are all part of wondrous Divine bounties.
4. Both the humans and the jinn should be careful not to deny Divine bounties.

RM/AS/SS