In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Do you not see that God has made subservient to you all that is on earth, and the ships that sail the sea at His bidding? He it is who holds the celestial bodies, so that they may not fall upon the earth except by His leave. Most compassionate is God, and merciful to mankind. It is He who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and then will bring you back to life. Bereft of all gratitude is man. (The Pilgrimage, Al-Haj: 22: 65-66)
Once more the surah points out some of the aspects of God’s power as seen in nature. It draws people’s attention to the earth they live on, which contains a wide variety of powers and wealth which God has made subservient to man. Yet man remains oblivious of God’s favors which he enjoys night and day.
God has placed everything on earth at man’s disposal, by making the laws of nature affecting the earth compatible with man’s nature and abilities. Had these been at variance with the natural laws of the earth, human life would not have been possible on earth, let alone that man should be able to utilize its resources to his benefit. Had he been physically different from the condition which allows him to tolerate the earth atmosphere, breathe its air, eat its food and drink its water, man could not have survived on earth for even a very brief time. Had the density of the earth or man himself been different, man would not have been able to walk or stand upright on earth; he would either fly in the air or sink into the earth. Had the earth been without an atmosphere, or had the air been heavier or lighter than its present condition, man would have suffocated or been unable to breathe. Thus, it is the compatibility of all these natural elements with human nature that makes man able to live on earth and benefit by its resources. This is only feasible through God’s will.
Moreover, God made the earth subservient to man through the powers and abilities He has given man. Without these, man would not have been able to tap the resources of the earth to his benefit. As it is, man discovers these resources one by one. Whenever he needs something new for his life, he uncovers new treasures; and whenever he feels that the earth’s reserves of an essential material are running short, he finds new ones or alternative materials. Today, although there remains plenty of oil supplies and other minerals, yet the vast potential of nuclear energy becomes available to him. But man is still like a child who plays with fire, burning himself and those around him. Hence, he needs to abide by the code of living God has laid down so that he can make full benefit of the earth resources to build a better human life and fulfill his mission in this life.
“Do you not see that God has made subservient to you all that is on earth, and the ships that sail the sea at His bidding?” It is God who created the laws that allow ships to sail through the sea, and who gave man the necessary means to discover these laws and utilize them to his benefit. Had the nature of the sea, or the ships, or man’s powers of understanding and learning been different, nothing of this could have happened.
“He it is who holds the celestial bodies, so that they may not fall upon the earth except by His leave. Most compassionate is God, and merciful to mankind.” It is He who has created the universe and chosen its appropriate system. It is He who has made its laws which ensure that celestial bodies remain far apart, with none of them ramming another or falling over it.
Every theory explaining the universal system is no more than an attempt to understand the laws that ensure the maintenance of the balance that God has placed in the universe. Yet some people overlook this essential fact. They think that if they learn how the universal system works, then they are negating God’s role and His power which operates it. That is a most singular way of thinking.
To explain how a certain law of nature works does not negate that it has been devised by the One who set it in operation in the first place, or that He continues to ensure that such a law remains in operation. Besides, all that man has come up with is a host of theories that attempt to explain natural phenomena. They may be right, and may equally be wrong.
God Almighty “holds the celestial bodies so that they may not fall upon the earth” through the system He has devised for the universe. He keeps them from falling “except by His leave.” This is a reference to the time when He may decide to stop this system for a purpose He, in His infinite wisdom, may wish to happen.
The surah completes its reference to aspects of God’s power and the perfection of natural laws with a reference to the human soul. It speaks of human existence, life and death: “It is He who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and then will bring you back to life. Bereft of all gratitude is man.” The first life is a miracle renewed with every child born at every moment of night and day. Its secret continues to fill man’s mind with wonder and to leave a vast area for us to contemplate. Death also is a secret that man cannot fathom. It occurs within a brief moment, yet the gulf between the nature of life and that of death is vast indeed, leaving a similarly vast area for contemplation. Life after death is something that lies beyond our faculties of perception, but our present life provides ample evidence for it. This is a further area for contemplation.
Yet man seldom reflects or contemplates, because man is “bereft of all gratitude.” The surah shows all these aspects and draws our attention to them within the context of assuring victims of oppression that they will have God’s support as they try to repel such aggression. Such is the Qur’anic method in using universal scenes to arouse human feelings, and in linking the laws of justice to the laws governing universal existence.