Surah Ale-Imran (The Family Of Imran ) 3 : 191

Overview (Verses 190 - 194)

Universal Evidence of Creation

In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed signs for men endowed with insight, who remember God when they stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory. Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them. Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who calls to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, then, our sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with the truly virtuous. Our Lord, grant us what You have promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Surely, You never fail to fulfil Your promise. (Verses 190-194)

What are these signs contained in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night? What is the message understood by men of wisdom when they reflect on these phenomena, as they remember God in all situations, when they stand up, sit and lie down? Furthermore, what is the relationship between their reflection on these signs and their remembrance of God in all situations? How does their reflection lead them to engage in their supplication which expresses their humility and fear of God: “Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory. Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire.”

What we find here is a vivid image of the sound and proper reception of the messages transmitted by the physical universe to a healthy mind. Proper response is made to these messages which are open to all throughout the universe, both during the day and during the night.

Telling signs appear in every new page of this open book. They awaken uncorrupted human nature to appreciate the truth which is well established both in this book of the universe and in the perfect design of its structure. They create a strong desire to respond to the Creator Who has established this truth in His creation, and couples loving Him with a feeling of fear of Him. People endowed with understanding open their minds to receive the messages God has placed in the universe. They allow no barriers to prevent them from appreciating these messages. Their hearts turn to God when they stand, sit or lie down. Hence, their faculties of understanding are sharpened and they are able to appreciate the message God has placed in the universe, its purpose and its basic nature. Thus, the laws of the universe transmit their inspiration to men’s hearts.

We have only to rid ourselves of the shackles of familiarity and to open our eyes and minds to these scenes of the creation of the heavens and earth and the succession of day and night and look at them afresh, as if for the first time, so that we may be overwhelmed with awe and stand in utter wonder and amazement. When we do this, we are bound to feel that behind all this harmony and perfection there must be an organising hand, an elaborate thinking and a law that never fails. We are bound to conclude that nothing of this is deceptive, borne by coincidence or happening in vain.

Our wonder at this beautiful, awe-inspiring scene of the universe is not diminished in any way by our knowledge that the day and the night are two phenomena which result from the earth constantly revolving around the sun, or by our knowledge that the harmony apparent in the creation of the heavens and the earth relies on the law of gravity or some such force. These are mere theories which may be true and equally may be wrong. Be that as it may, they in no way diminish our appreciation of these phenomena and the precise, perfect laws which regulate and preserve them. Regardless of what human scientists may call these laws, they continue to serve as evidence of the truth and of God’s power which is manifest in “the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the succession of night and day.”

This Qur’ānic passage describes in great detail the different psychological stages which result from approaching the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night as men endowed with understanding. At the same time, this description points out the proper approach to universal phenomena, how to respond to the universe and its nature and how to appreciate its messages and inspiration. It makes the open book of the universe a book of knowledge for the believer who maintains his relationship with God and with what God creates.

It combines man’s remembrance and worship of God in all situations, when he, “stands, sits and lies down” with his reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth and on the succession of day and night. Thus, reflection becomes intertwined with worship and an aspect of remembering God. This combination presents us with two highly important facts, namely, that reflection on God’s creation is an act of worship, and the signs that God has placed in the universe do not impart their true messages except to people who always remember God and worship Him.

A Passionate Prayer by True Believers

The first fact is that reflection on God’s creation and contemplation of the open book of the universe and the great wonders which God has placed in the universe constitute a definite act of worship and an essential part of remembering God. Had natural sciences which study various aspects, laws and phenomena of the universe in order to unravel their secrets and potential, been directed to remembrance of the Creator of this universe and to appreciate and acknowledge His majesty and grace, they would instantaneously have become part of worship and prayer to the Creator. Human life would have benefited a great deal by these sciences and would have turned towards God. The materialistic trend, however, severs all links between the universe and its Creator, and severs the relationship which should have always existed between natural sciences and the eternal truth of the Divine Being. Scientific research, God’s great gift to man, thus becomes a curse which makes human life a continuous succession of misery, worry and spiritual emptiness which weigh very heavily on man.

The second fact is that the signs that God has placed throughout the universe do not impart their inspiring messages except to hearts and minds refined by worship and the remembrance of God. Those who remember God in all situations, when they stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and on the succession of day and night are indeed the very people whose hearts and minds are ready to appreciate the messages imparted by these universal phenomena. They are the ones who reach beyond these messages to the Divine method which ensures salvation, goodness and prosperity. On the other hand, those who confine themselves to the study of certain aspects and appearances, and discover the secrets of some universal laws, without any attempt to know the Divine method of life inevitably destroy life and destroy themselves with the secrets they discover. They cannot escape the misery and worry which characterise their lives and they inevitably end up incurring God’s wrath and deserving His punishment.

These two facts are mutually complementary, and they are presented here in this way for men of understanding at the precise moment of their reflection on universal phenomena. It is a moment which represents clarity of heart and soul, an open mind ready to receive a message and an attitude of being prepared to give the right response and abide by the implications of the truth.

It is a moment of worship, which means that it is a moment of establishing a relationship and receiving a message. It is no wonder, then, that the mere reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night is enough to reveal the truth about them and the fact that nothing of this has been created in vain. The immediate result of this attitude is embodied in these words: “’Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory.’” This is immediately followed by a psychological response to the inspiration of the universe: “Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them.’’

What is the nature of the emotional relationship between recognising the truth behind the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night and the fear of being thrown into hell? Recognition of this truth means to those endowed with understanding and insight that it is all made according to an elaborate plan and for a definite purpose, and that truth and justice will be maintained beyond man’s life on this planet. This inevitably means that whatever people do will be taken into account and that rewards will be administered. This leads to the conclusion that there is another life where the truth will be established and where justice will be done.

This line of argument is both obvious and natural. Its conclusion is quickly formulated in the minds of those people of understanding. Hence, the picture of the fire is immediately visualised in their minds and the foremost thought which accompanies their recognition of the truth is to pray to God to guard them against the fire. This shows a remarkable understanding of how thoughts and feelings are aroused in the minds and the hearts of people endowed with understanding. They express their feelings in their long supplication, apprehensive, urgent, melodious, finely rhythmic: “Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them.” This suggests that, first and foremost, they fear the disgrace which will inevitably befall those who are thrown into hell. They shiver with shame when they realise what sort of disgrace befalls such people. They stand ashamed in front of God, and they feel this shame to be more painful than the scourge of the fire. It also expresses their knowledge that there is no one to help them against God: “The evildoers shall have none to help them.’’

We move on with this humble prayer: “Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who calls to faith, [saying]: ’Believe in your Lord’, and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, then, our sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with the truly virtuous.” These hearts are open. They only need to receive the message in order to respond to it. Their sensitivity is enhanced. The first thing impressed on their minds is the fact that they commit sins and may be guilty of disobedience. Hence, they turn to their Lord, praying for His forgiveness and for their bad deeds to be effaced. They also pray to be grouped with the righteous when they die.

The message of these verses fits in with the message of the rest of the sūrah. The believers pray to God to forgive them their sins so that they can win their continuous battle against desire and temptation. Achieving victory in this battle is akin to victory in a military battle against the enemies of God and the enemies of faith. Thus the sūrah is a whole unit, each part complementing the other, and delivering a complete and harmonious message.

The last part of this prayer expresses hope, reliance on God and deriving strength from the believers’ unshakable trust that He always fulfils His promises: “Our Lord, grant us what You have promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Surely, You never fail to fulfil Your promise.” They pray for the fulfilment of God’s promise conveyed to them by His messengers, expressing their absolute confidence that God never fails in His promise, and their hope to be spared disgrace on the Day of Resurrection. This last expression of apprehension relates to that at the beginning of their prayer. It demonstrates their great sensitivity to this disgrace and the fact that they always remember it and mention it both at the beginning and at the end of their prayer. How sensitive and pious are these hearts and how strong their sense of shame in front of God. Taken as a whole, this prayer represents a genuine and profound response to the message which the universe and its signs and phenomena give to men whose hearts remain open and uncorrupted.

A brief word should be added here about the artistic excellence reflected in the rhyming of these verses. It is a rhythm which does not repeat the same tempo, but rather a rhythm of harmony. Most of the 200 verses of this sūrah maintain a rhythm which is normally associated with statement of fact. The rhythm is briefly changed in only two instances, the first occurs early in the sūrah and the second applies to these verses. In both instances, the verses concerned include a prayer to God. We note that the changes are made for artistic beauty, whereby the rhythm adopted gives the verses a melodious effect which suits the atmosphere of prayer.

Moreover, reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night is particularly suitable to a long, deliberate prayer which admits elongation and musical overtone. Thus, the scene itself is maintained for a longer period so as to prolong its message and effect on people’s minds and imagination.