Pars Today

Welcome to our latest episode of “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, last week we started explanation of “Surah Nooh” which was revealed in Mecca and has 28 Ayahs. It opens with an account of Prophet Noah, hence its title “Nooh”. It sheds light on the relentless efforts of this ancient Prophet to guide the obstinate disbelievers to the path of monotheism and virtue by warning them of Divine Punishment before the massive flood that finally drowned them for their sins and idol-worship. The disbelievers of his time had transgressed all moral bounds. If they had availed of the centuries’ long respite given to them by the All-Merciful Creator, and repented and reformed themselves, they would have been spared of the terrible punishment. The message of this Surah is that pagan superstitions and cults do not add to human knowledge or well-being. They only increase error, evil, corruption and injustice.

Noah is the first of the Five Great Prophets – the other four being Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the Last and Greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny. He lived the longest timespan and is the only Prophet whose mission of 950 years is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Ordered by God Almighty, he built the huge Ark to rescue a pair of every kind of animals and the small number of people who were on the right path, and thus he succeeded in the deliverance of the virtuous among mankind and other species of living things from the great flood.

Glimpses of Noah’s mission are also found in the Surahs A’raaf, Younus, Houd, Anbiya, Momenoun, Shu’ara, and Ankabout.

We continue from where we left you last Friday and here are Ayahs 15 and 16:

“Have you not seen how Allah has created seven heavens in layers,

“And has made therein the moon for a light, and the sun for a lamp?”

If you remember, in our explanation of the previous Ayahs of this Surah last week we said Prophet Noah presented logical and meaningful arguments in order to make people understand the depth of their own being by reflecting on the Almighty Creator’s infinite bounties, both material and spiritual, so as to ensure the proper progress of sound and healthy societies. The various stages of our life are food for thought and should arouse human conscience to repent and return to the path of the All-Merciful Lord.

The Ayahs that we recited to you now are part of Prophet Noah’s arguments to the obdurate disbelievers, whom he invites to reflect on the numerous signs of the Majesty of God all around us and above us. He has created seven heavens in layers for our benefit, even if we are not able to fully observe them.

Ayah 16 says God Almighty has made the moon reflect light for our benefit, while the blazing sun is a brilliant lamp. It is true that billions of celestial bodies, far more brilliant than the suns and moon of our solar system exist in the seven heavens, but the latter two are of significance in our life since they give light in the day and at night respectively.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. The entire creation is far greater and wider than man has been able to perceive and know, which means the scientists shouldn't be proud of their findings and discoveries.
2. Paying attention to the vastness of the heavens and the innumerable celestial bodies moving in their specific orbits is among the ways for proper cognizance of Allah the Almighty Creator.
3. The life of the inhabitants of the earth totally depends on the sun and the moon, which are the creation of Allah the Exalted, and therefore should not be worshipped as deitieis, or regarded as accidental elements of evolution.

Now let us listen to Ayahs 17 and 18 of the same Surah:

“And Allah made you grow from the earth with a [vegetable] growth.

“Then He makes you return to it and He will bring you forth.”

These Ayahs refer to the creation of mankind and the role of the earth in our life. It means, although we are born from the mother’s womb, the main source is the ground on which we walk and exist, since the drop of fluid from which we originate was made from the food that the parents had eaten. In other words, our food is from the soil, either directly or indirectly. Thus, the term “growth” as applied here and its reference to vegetation indicates that mankind has been created from clay and all nourishment by which we grow comes from the earth – directly, like vegetables, seeds, and fruit, or indirectly, like meat. Moreover, there exists many similarities between mankind and vegetation which are both governed by the laws of nourishment, growth, and reproduction.

Ayah 18 is a reference to death and eventual resurrection. We all return to the earth from which we grew and it is the Almighty Creator Who will bring us back to life from the earth on the day of Resurrection for the Final Judgement. In this way, Prophet Noah produces arguments to try to convince the disbelievers on the infinite power of the One and Only God Whose majesty can be observed by reflecting on the system of creation.

These Ayahs teach us the following:

1. The earth is among the symbols of Allah’s power in creating all creatures from soil.
2. He who has created us from the earth is able to resurrect us after we have died and our bones decayed and turned into dust.

In conclusion of this week’s episode of Path toward Enlightenment, here are Ayahs 19 and 20 of Surah Nooh:

“And Allah has made the earth as a vast expanse for you,

“So that you may travel over its spacious ways.”

These Ayahs mean to say that the earth is not only the source of food for mankind and all other creatures, but it has been made habitable for settlement and proper growth and progress. The earth is neither so hard and tough nor so soft and shaky. It is quite suitable for all creatures existing on it, and even under its surface. The temperature on the earth is such that all creatures enjoy their needs. The mountains and valleys have been created in such a way as to make it possible to travel through them. In short, all conditions have been provided for the progress of mankind, the most excellent of creation.

These Ayahs teach us the following points:

1. Allah has prepared the earth in such a way that all our needs are fulfilled through its natural environment.
2. The optimal enjoying of the natural bounties require travels around the earth by availing the excellent conditions provided by Allah.

RM/AS/SS