Page 52 - Beauties for Life in the Qur'an

50 BEAUTIES FOR LIFE IN THE QUR'AN

Islam will have a positive impact upon other people.
The Prophet Musa (as)'s call to Pharaoh is a good example of
this:
Has the story of Musa reached you, when his Lord called out to
him in the holy valley of Tuwa? "Go to Pharaoh, for he has over-
stepped the limits, and say: 'Do you resolve to purify yourself? I
will guide you to your Lord so that you may fear Him.'" (Surat
an-Nazi'at: 15-19)
The wisdom here is self-explanatory: Refuting the rationale of
the leading unbelievers' disbelief facilitates the conversion of
their followers to truth.

The Influence of Wealth and Splendor
A beautiful physical environment is another important factor
that contributes to the believers' success in spreading Allah's
message. As a matter of fact, whether this is the purpose or not,
trying to establish a beautiful place is the natural outcome of all
believers' desire and endeavor to draw near to the beauties of
Paradise, for believers try to apply the Qur'anic understanding
of aesthetics and art to their surrounding environment. The
Qur'an contains extremely glorious and impressive descrip-
tions of mansions, gardens, rivers, couches, and other decora-
tive elements that address themselves to the human soul. Thus,
believers adopt the Qur'anic style of aesthetics.
Furthermore, the Qur'an draws attention to the positive effect
that a glorious and splendid environment makes on those peo-
ple to whom Islam is being conveyed. This way, people who
have recently been introduced to Islam should be able to see the
Paradise-like features inherent in the believers' lifestyle and sur-
rounding environment. This brings their hearts closer to Islam
and, as with all other aspects of the Qur'an, they can observe