Page 53 - Beauties for Life in the Qur'an

QUR'ANIC METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING ISLAM 51

how this Qur'anic concept is practiced.
The Qur'an provides us with an example in the story of the
Prophet Sulayman (as) and the Queen of Saba:
She was told: "Enter the courtyard." But when she saw it, she
thought that it was a pool and so bared her legs. He said: "It is a
courtyard paved with glass." She replied: "My Lord, I have
wronged myself but I have submitted, with Sulayman, to the
Lord of all the worlds." (Surat an-Naml: 44)
Having heard that the Queen of Saba and her people were
worshipping the sun, the Prophet Sulayman (as) summoned
them to submit to Allah and Islam. The queen, who came to
Sulayman (as)'s palace after receiving his letter, was extremely
impressed by the magnificence and wealth she saw there. Her
admiration for this taste led her to submit herself to the true
path.
The verse informs us that the palace's floor was so transparent
that the Queen of Saba thought that it was an expanse of water
and thus pulled up her skirts. This floor bore a striking resem-
blance to Paradise, which the Qur'an depicts as a place full of
gardens "with rivers flowing under them," and, although it was
built by people, it had an immediate effect upon the person to
whom Islam was being conveyed. Recognizing that the beauties
surrounding her were the result of great wisdom, she acknowl-
edged Islam's superiority.
Moreover, a place's aesthetic appearance and cleanliness pro-
vides some relief to the human soul. Bright, spacious, and clean
places possessing an aesthetic decorative touch display the be-
lievers' peaceful state of mind and positively affect the people to
whom the message is being conveyed. On the other hand, dark,
gloomy, and messy places depress everyone, even if they them-
selves are unaware of this fact.