Page 59 - Islam and Buddhism

fore He created it, no material thing existed. Nothing, animate
or inanimate, had been brought into existence; there was noth-
ing but a complete void. The moment the universe was created, only
then did time, space and matter come into being, created by the
Eternal God Who is not subject to any of them. In one verse (2: 117) of

the Qur'an, God speaks of Himself as the flawless Creator of the uni-
verse:
[He is] The Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides
on something, He just says to it, "Be!" and it is.
God creates everything that is happening at this moment, and
every moment. God constantly creates every rain drop that falls,
every child who is born, the photosynthesis occurring in leaves, the

functions of living bodies, the courses of the stars in their galaxies,
every seed that sprouts, all we know and everything we do not.
Everything in the universe, great and small, functions according to
His command (Qur'an, 27: 64):
He Who originates creation and then regenerates it and provides
for you from out of heaven and earth. Is there another god besides
God? Say: "Bring your proof if you are being truthful."

From the cells of living things to the stars in the universe, all sys-
tems exist in wonderful order and function perfectly. This amazing
order, controlled at every moment, continues in perfect harmony be-
cause our Lord embraces all existing things with His eternal knowl-
edge (Qur'an, 67: 3-4):

57