In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
It is He who sends down water from the skies. From it you drink, and out of it grow the plants on which you feed your cattle. And with it He causes crops to grow for you, and olive trees, and date palms, and grapes, and all other kinds of fruit. Surely, in this there is a sign for people who think. He has constrained the night and the day, and the sun and the moon to be of service to you; and all the stars are made subservient to His command. In this there are signs for people who use their reason. On the Earth He has fashioned for you objects of various hues; surely in this there is a sign for people who take heed. (The Bee, An-Nahl: 16: 10-13)
We have discussed the signs that different types of creation give to confirm the Oneness of the Creator. These are referred to in the opening verses of the Surah which refer to the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, man and cattle. Now the Surah mentions many other types of creation which God has placed at our service. These are blessings He has bestowed on us so that human life may prosper. The least we should do is to reflect on these and how they meet our needs, serve our purposes and help human life to continue along its course. Let us now have a brief look at these other types of God’s grace.
The second group of the great signs of God’s creation and His unlimited blessings is stated as follows: “It is He who sends down water from the skies. From it you drink, and out of it grow the plants on which you feed your cattle. And with it He causes crops to grow for you, and olive trees, and date palms, and grapes, and all other kinds of fruit. Surely in this there is a sign for people who think.”
Water pours down from the sky in accordance with laws that God has placed in nature and set into operation. It is these laws that control the running of such water and bring about its outcome in accordance with God’s will. Indeed He initiates every movement and determines every result by a special act of will. The water is mentioned here as an aspect of God’s grace. “From it you drink.”
So it has the quality of being suitable for drinking. Its other quality follows: “And out of it grow the plants on which you feed your cattle.” This reference fits in well with the earlier mention of cattle. It provides harmony between the pasture and cattle. A reference is also made to plants which serve as food for man, including olives, dates and grapes, and many other types of fruit.
“Surely in this there is a sign for people who think.” There is certainly a sign in the way God has designed the universe and set its laws so that they fit human life. Man would not have been able to survive on this planet had the laws of nature been unsuitable for his nature and life needs. That man is placed on the surface of the Earth has not come about by blind coincidence. Nor is it a matter of coincidence that proportions and relativity between our planet and other planets and stars are in their existing figures, or that the climatic conditions are so suitable to support human life and satisfy man’s needs and desires.
The people who think are the ones who understand that there is elaborate and wise planning in the universe. They relate a natural phenomenon such as rain and its effects of initiating life and helping plants and trees to grow and yield their fruit to the higher laws of existence and the evidence pointing to the Creator and that He is one, without partners. They appreciate that everything is part of His planning and under His management. The careless see such phenomena every morning and every evening, winter and summer, but it stirs nothing in their minds. They do not feel any urge to try to identify the One who has designed this unique and remarkable system.
A third group of signs are then added: “He has constrained the night and the day, and the sun and the moon to be of service to you; and all the stars are made subservient to His command. In this there are signs for people who use their reason.”
Another aspect of the perfect design of creation and the blessings bestowed on mankind at the same time is the creation of the night, day, sun, moon and stars. All these help to meet the needs of man on Earth. We do not say that they have been created for him, but they are made to serve his existence and to benefit him. The phenomenon of succession of day and night has a profound effect on human life. If anyone is in doubt, let him imagine a day that is not followed by a night, or a night not followed by a day, and reflect what that would mean to the life of human beings, animals and plants on Earth.
The same applies to the sun and moon. They have a direct bearing on life on Earth, its origin, maintenance and growth. Moreover, “all the stars are made subservient to His command.” They serve the interests of man and other beings known only to God. All that is, again, part of the wise and elaborate planning that includes every thing in the universe. The harmony and balance between all universal laws are appreciated by people who use their reason and contemplate what lies beyond these laws: “In this there are signs for people who use their reason.”
Yet another group of blessings that God bestows on mankind is mentioned: “On the Earth He has fashioned for you objects of various hues; surely in this there is a sign for people who take heed.”
What God has created and placed in the Earth is fantastic in its nature and diversity. We need only to mention the metals that are available in the soil. These support the life of whole communities for different periods. It is sufficient to cast a glance at these hidden resources to appreciate the great blessing to which the Surah refers. These are kept for mankind until they have achieved sufficient progress to make use of these resources when they are needed. Whenever it is said that a great treasure has been exhausted, another is discovered. All this is part of the provisions God has placed at man’s service. “Surely in this there is a sign for people who take heed.” Such people do not forget that it is God’s able hand that has kept these treasures and resources hidden for them until they are able to make use of them.
We are then alerted to another group of God’s creation which is the sea and its animal life. Its water is salty and cannot be used for drinking or irrigation. Yet it includes a fantastic range of blessings that God bestows on man: “It is He who has made the sea subservient to (His laws), so that you may eat fresh meat from it, and take from it gems which you may wear. You see the ships plowing through the waves, so that you may seek His bounty, and that you may be grateful.”