Think, Consider & Contemplate the Greatness of Allah Ta’ala’s Creation

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا ۖ وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ ۖ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ*

'And He it is Who spread out the earth and set therein firm mountains and rivers, and of every fruit He has made in it two kinds. He covers the night with the day. Surely in that are signs for a people who think, consider and contemplate.'

(Surat al-Ra’d: 3)

This article was written by Ra'sul Hududil Mayameen Janab Syedi Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin in 2015.

Our bodies tire and need rest. Rest is essential for work. The Quran Majeed states that Allah Ta’ala made the day for earning our livelihood just as he made the night for rest (Surat al-Naba’: 9-11).

As we approach the days of Shehrullah in which we earn our livelihood for Aakherat, many of us take rest before it.

For our bodies’ rest, we seek places of natural beauty and tranquility. In Kitabul-Majalis wal-Musa’iraat, Syedna Qadi al-Nu’man RA narrates an anecdote in about the spring season, when the trees and flowers blossom, and people take outings and trips. Some people indulged in drinking during these outings, which has been forbidden by Allah Ta’ala. Imam SA exclaimed, ”Subhaan-Allah, is it not better (than engaging in haram actions) that they look upon Allah’s great power. That they stop and think how the trees came back to life after becoming dry. How, by Allah Ta’ala’s qudrat, they become lush after being dry, how they are adorned with fruits, alive after being dead, awakened after sleep, growing with soil and water, enriched with the heat of the sun and the pure air…we find in them our nourishment but our minds are astounded as to how it happens, how the Creator creates them, grows them from their fruits and seeds. All these trees with their variety of color, species and taste are “watered with the same water, but some are better than others to eat”(Surat al-Ra’d: 4). In these there are signs, proofs and ibrat for those who think, consider and contemplate their creation, the qudrat and power of their One Creator. The Imam recited the ayat quoted above, “in these things there are signs for those who think, consider and contemplate.”

In this is a lesson for us. Even when taking rest or enjoying our outings we must always think, consider and contemplate the greatness of Allah Ta’ala’s creation.

Just as our bodies need rest and rejuvenation, our minds need rejuvenation. As Amirul Mumineen SA has said: “Just as bodies tire, minds tire, so seek pearls of wisdom for them.” (View Syedna's TUS Majalis al Hikma on this topic)

We pray to Allah Ta’ala that we may rejuvenate our minds by contemplating the greatness of His creation, by learning the meaning of the symbols in creation, and in the Qur’an, from his awliya’ kiraam. We also pray that may our bodies be rested and rejuvenated to take full ghanimat to earn the livelihood of Aakherat in the fast approaching month of fasting, Shehrullah, Shehre-Ramadan-al-Mu’azzam.