Page 26 - The Signs Leading to Faith
P. 26

The Signs Leading To Faith
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                       In the creation of the heavens and Earth, and the alternation of
                       night and day, there are Signs for people with intelligence:
                       those who remember God, standing, sitting, and lying on their
                       sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and Earth:
                       “Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to

                       You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.”
                       (Qur’an, 3:190-191)
                       God has revealed that the signs leading to faith have a
                  great significance for thinking people. However, the thinking

                  referred to here does not consist of such clichéd reactions as
                  “How splendidly God has created these” or “What a magnifi-

                  cent animal.” We must think long and hard, as well as deeply
                  and in a wide-ranging manner, about what God has created so
                  that we can identify the wisdom and detail in that creation and
                  thus bear witness to His infinite knowledge, might, and artistry.

                       One method that can be employed is that of questioning
                  and comparing the entities and phenomena around us. In one
                  verse, God gives us an example of such thinking:

                       If We had willed, We could have made it [the water that you
                       drink] bitter. So will you not give thanks? (Qur’an, 56:70)
                       Water, a blessing that covers much of the Earth, almost al-

                  ways can be found with ease. The great majority of people have
                  perhaps never even thought once about the water they drink
                  every day. They regard water’s existence and how it meets our

                  needs as something that does not require any consideration.
                  The fact is, however, that water’s physical and chemical proper-
                  ties could have been very different, had God so willed.
                       In addition, the atmosphere’s structure or temperature

                  could have been different. If that were the case, there would be
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