Harmony in creation
By Haider Zaman
QURAN
says: “He (God) subjected to you all that is in the heavens and in the earth,
all from Himself. There are many signs in this for those who reflect” (45:13).
“And
of His signs is the creation of the heaven and the earth and the differences in
your languages and colours. Lo! Herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge”
(30:22).
This
seems to have three-fold object. One is that all those who observe and ponder
over these signs and in particular over the degree of accuracy and harmony with
which the whole system is functioning will accept, without any hesitation, that
its creation without a single creator and designer could not have been
possible.
Albert
Einstein, the famous scientist, says: “God reveals Himself in the harmony that
exists in the creation”. According to Quran, had there been other gods other than
Allah, everything in the heavens and in the earth would have gone out of order
(21:22).
The
other object is that those who so ponder will readily accept that human beings,
to whom all these creation have been subjected, are truly the vicegerents of
Allah. The third is that they would learn something from these signs and make
use thereof if they seriously ponder.
The
first thing that one can note while pondering over the setting and functioning
of countless celestial bodies could be the exceptional degree of harmony in
their existence. This is clearly indicated by Quran when it says “He raised the
heavens high and set the balance” (55:7). The verse, among other things,
implies that after their creation, all the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies
were placed in proper order with a view to maintaining necessary equilibrium
and balance. Explaining it further Quran says “the sun must not catch up the
moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is travelling in an orbit
with its own motion.” (36:40).
If
human beings follow the same lesson in their private lives, in inter-personal
relations, in national affairs and in international dealings there is no reason
as to why they should not overcome most of the problems of this age and live in
peace and harmony. Take the example of human body. Slight increase in the rate
of blood circulation can disturb the balance and cause damage to such vital
parts of the body as heart and kidney. Only a balanced diet, among other
things, can ensure the fitness of human body.
Quran
also tells us about many a nation that were wiped out from the earth because
they had disturbed the balance to an extent that their elimination could be the
only way of restoring the balance. The examples of the people of Lut, of Faraoh
and of Madyan could be the most glaring of all.
The
upshot of the above lessons is that the setup of the whole universe of which we
form a part is so designed and structured that every part thereof has to abide
by the principles of balance if it has to survive in the system. Human beings,
as the vicegerents of Allah, have been assigned a special role in this behalf
and for that purpose have been provided necessary guidance. In the first
instance they are told not to disturb the balance (55:8). Then they are told
how they have to maintain the balance in the sphere of their own activities.
Quran
says “we sent our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book
and balance so that the people stand by justice.” (57:25). It means that Allah
first made use of balance in setting the Universe in order (55:7) and then sent
it down to earth so that the people make use of it in the sphere of their own
activities.
Quran
categorically tells us to do justice (5:8). Justice can be done in many ways
but of particular significance could be when one is assigned to do it between
the contesting parties in that case, justice will mainly depend on two things,
one is the independence of the person assigned to do justice, the other is the
relevance and unbiasedness of the evidence.
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