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MIRACLES
OF THE PROPHETS AS ALLUSIONS TO
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENTS
In
the name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate.
Not
a thing, fresh or withered, wet or
dry, but it is in a Manifest Book.
(6:59)
According
to one interpretation, the Manifest Book
is the Quran. This verse states that
everything, wet or dry, is found in it.
Is that really so? Yes, everything is
found in it, but everyone cannot see
that everything therein as the things
are found at different levels. The Quran
contains all things, either in the form
of seeds, or of nuclei, or of summaries,
or principles, or signs, and they are
found either explicitly or implicitly,
or allusively, or vaguely, or
suggestively. One or other of these
forms is preferred according to
occasion, in a way fitting for the
purposes of the Quran and in connection
with the requirements of the context.
For example:
How
does the Quran allude to scientific and
technological wonders?
As
the result of man’s progress in
science and industry, some scientific
and technological wonders such as
planes, electricity, motor vehicles, and
means of radio and telecommunication
have come into existence and taken the
most prominent position in the material
life of mankind. As it addresses the
whole of mankind [at all times], the
wise Quran certainly does not ignore
these. Indeed, it has not ignored them
and points to them in two ways:
For
example:
Down
with the makers of the trench of
the fuel-fed fire! When they sat
by it, and were themselves the
witnesses of what they did to
the believers. They ill-treated
them for no other reason than
that they believed in God, the
Mighty, the All-Praised One.
(85:4-8)
Likewise,
...
in the loaded fleet. And We have
created for them the like
thereof whereon they ride.
(36:41-2)
Verses
like these point to trains, while the
following verse, besides having many
other meanings and connotations, alludes
to electricity:
God
is the light of the heavens and
the earth. The parable of His
light is as a niche wherein is a
lamp, The lamp is in a glass.
The glass is as it were a
shining star. Kindled from a
blessed tree, an olive, neither
of the East or of the West,
whose oil would almost glow
forth (of it self) though no
fire touched it: Light upon
light.1
God guides to His Light whom He
wills. (24:35)
Since
numerous people have occupied
themselves with the second sort of
verses, those which allude to modern
technological wonders in connection
with historical events, and since they
require much care and detailed
explanation, and are in great number,
for the present I shall content myself
with these verses that allude to
trains and electricity.
God
made Prophets also the masters and
forerunners of material progress
As
God Almighty sent the Prophets to
human communities as leaders and
vanguards in respect of spiritual and
moral progress, so also He endowed
them with certain wonders and miracles
and made them the masters and
forerunners with respect to man’s
material progress. He commands men to
follow them absolutely.
Thus,
just as by speaking of the spiritual
and moral perfections of the Prophets,
the Quran encourages people to
benefit from them, so too in
presenting their miracles it intends
that people should try to achieve the
like of them by scientific means. It
may even be said that like spiritual
and moral attainments, material
attainments and wonders were also
first given to mankind as a gift
through Prophetic miracles. The
Prophet Noah, upon him be peace, was
the first to build ships, and Joseph,
upon him be peace, the clock.
Therefore, the ship and clock were
first given to mankind as Prophetic
miracles. It is a meaningful
indication to this reality that so
many craft guilds take a Prophet as
the ‘patron’ or originator of
their craft. For example, seamen take
Noah, watchmakers take Joseph, tailors
take Enoch, upon them be peace, and so
on.
Since
truth-seeking scholars and the science
of eloquence have agreed that each of
the Quran’s verses contains
guidance and instruction, then the
verses concerning the miracles of the
Prophets, the most brilliant among the
Qur’an’s verses, should not be
taken as historical events; rather,
they comprise numerous indications of
guidance. By mentioning the miracles
of the Prophets, the Quran shows
the ultimate goal of scientific and
technological developments, and
specifies their final aims. It urges
man forward toward those aims. Just as
the past is the field for the seeds of
the future and mirror to its potential
picture, so too the future is the time
to reap the harvest of the past life
and mirror to the actual situation.
Now, out of many examples, I shall
point out only a few:
Examples
of verses alluding to scientific
progress
through
miracles of the Prophets
Traveling
by air
The verse,
And
to Solomon (We subjugated) the
wind: its morning stride was a
month’s journey and the
evening stride was a month’s
journey. (34:12)
which
expresses the subjugation of the wind
to Solomon as one of his miracles,
says: ‘The Prophet Solomon covered
the distance of two months walk in two
strides by flying through the air.’
By this it suggests that the road is
open for mankind to cover the same
distance in the air. ‘So, O mankind!
Since the road is open to you, attain
this level and do so!’
Almighty
God also means by this verse:
O
man! A servant of mine did not
obey his carnal desires, and I
mounted him on the air. If you
give up laziness and benefit
properly from certain of My laws
in nature, you too can mount it.
Inventing
a device to obtain water
The verse,
When
Moses asked for water for his
people, We said: ‘Strike the
rock with your staff.’ Then
gushed forth therefrom twelve
springs (so that) each tribe
knew their drinking place’,
(2:60)
indicates
that it is quite possible to benefit
with simple tools from the treasuries
of Mercy under the earth. In places
hard as rock even, the water for life
may be drawn with so simple a device
as a staff. Thus, through this
meaning, the verse says to man, ‘You
can find the finest blessing of Mercy,
the water for life, with a staff-like
device. Therefore, come on, work and
find it!’
Through
this verse, God Almighty suggests:
O
man! Since I gave to a servant
of Mine who relied on Me such a
staff that he draws with it the
water for life from wherever he
wishes, you too can obtain a
device resembling it provided
you rely on My laws of Mercy.
So, come and do so!
One
of the important results of the
scientific developments which mankind
have achieved is the invention of
devices with which water is caused to
well up from most of the places where
they are applied. The verse points to
further goals and limits beyond that,
just as the previous one specified
further attainments far ahead of today’s
planes.
The
farthest point in medical developments
The
verse,
I
heal him who was born blind,
and the leper, and I raise the
dead by God’s leave, (2:60)
concerning
a miracle of Jesus, upon him be peace,
alludes to and encourages the highest
level of healing with which the Lord
endowed him. It suggests:
It
is possible to find cures for
even the most chronic ailments.
Therefore, O man! O
calamity-stricken sons of Adam!
Do not despair! Whatever the
ailment, its cure is possible.
Search for it and you will find
it. It is even possible to give
a temporary tinge of life to
death.
By
the verse God Almighty means:
O
man! To a servant of Mine who
renounced the world for My sake,
I gave two gifts, one the remedy
for spiritual ailments, the
other the cure for physical
sicknesses. Dead hearts were
quickened through the light of
guidance, and ill people who
were as though dead found health
through his breath and cure. You
too may find the cure for all
illnesses in My ‘pharmacy’
in nature where I attached to
each thing many important
purposes. Work and find it! You
will certainly find if you seek
it!
Thus,
this verse marks the final point of
medical developments, a point far
ahead of the present level, and urges
man towards it.
Using
iron and copper in industry and
extracting minerals
The verses,
We
made the iron supple for him.
(34:10), and, We gave him
wisdom and sound judgment in
speech and decision. (38:20)
which
are about David, upon him be peace,
and,
We
caused the fount of copper to
gush forth with him. (34:12)
which
is about Solomon, upon him be peace,
indicate that the softening of iron is
one of the greatest bounties of God,
through which He shows the virtue of a
great Prophet of His. Softening of
iron, that is, making it soft like
dough, and smelting copper, and
extracting minerals is the origin and
source, and basis of all material
industries. So, the verses state:
Softening
iron, making it like dough and
fine like a thread, and smelting
the copper are a great bounty
granted to two great Prophets
who ruled in a part of the world
according to God’s
commandments, and they are the
means to most general
industries.’ Since God endowed
a Prophet who was both a
Messenger and a Caliph, that is,
one who was both a spiritual and
worldly leader, with wise speech
and craftsmanship and industry,
He urges people to speak wisely
and encourages them toward
craftsmanship and industry.
By
these verses, God Almighty also
suggests:
O
sons of Adam! I gave such wisdom
to the tongue and heart of one
of My servants who obeyed My
religious commandments that he
judged of and distinguished
between all things with perfect
clarity and discerned the truth.
Also, I endowed him with such
skill that he could cast iron
into whatever mould he wished,
and make use of it as an
important source of strength for
his rule. Since this is
possible, and since iron is of
great significance for, and you
are in much need of it in, your
social life, that wisdom and
skill will be bestowed on you
provided you obey My commands of
creation, My laws of nature. In
the course of time you will
attain it!
By
softening iron and smelting copper,
man has achieved great progress in
industry, and great power in material
terms. These verses direct man’s
attention towards this truth, and just
as much as they warned the people of
former times who did not appreciate
how important it was, so too they warn
those lazy people of the present.
The
ultimate point in the transmission of
images and sounds
The verse,
One
with whom was knowledge of the
Book said: ‘I will bring it
to you before your gaze
returns to you (in the
twinkling of an eye).’ When
Solomon saw it set in his
presence... (27:40)
describes
this wonderful event: In order to
procure the transport of the throne of
the Queen of Saba, one of Solomon’s
ministers who was well versed in the
transport of things said: ‘I’ll
have the throne here in your presence
in the twinkling of an eye.’ The
verse suggests that it is possible to
transport things over long distances,
either bodily or in their images. In
fact, God Almighty bestowed this on
Solomon, upon him be peace, who was
honored with kingship as well as
Divine Messengership, as a miracle so
that, in order to maintain his
infallibility and justice he might
personally be informed of all the
regions of his extensive realm and see
the conditions of his subjects and
hear of their troubles. That means, if
man relies on Almighty God, and
appeals to Him in the tongue of his
potentials as Solomon did in the
tongue of his infallibility, and if he
acts in conformity with His laws in
the universe and with what attracts
His favor, the world may become like a
town for him. While the throne of the
queen was in the Yemen, it was seen in
Damascus either bodily or in image.
For sure, the forms of the men around
the throne were also seen and their
voices heard. The verse points in a
splendid fashion to the transport of
forms and transmission of sounds over
long distances, and in effect says:
O
rulers! If you wish to realize
perfect justice, try to see and
know your realm in all its
details, as Solomon did. For,
only by rising to the level of
being informed whenever he
wishes about every part of his
realm, may a just ruler who
cherishes his subjects be saved
from being held accountable, and
may realize perfect justice.
God
Almighty means by this verse:
O
sons of Adam! I bestowed on a
servant of Mine a vast realm,
and in order that he might
realize perfect justice
throughout it, I allowed him to
know personally of its state and
of everything that was happening
there. Since I have created
every individual with a capacity
to rule according to My
commands, I have also given him,
as a requirement of My Wisdom,
the potential to scan the face
of the whole earth and
comprehend whatever is in it. If
every individual does not
succeed in attaining to that
point, as a species mankind may
realize it. If, however, they do
not achieve it physically, they
can do it, like the saints, in
spiritual terms. Therefore, you
may benefit from this great
blessing. Come on, let Me see
you do it! On condition you do
not neglect your duties of
worship, strive in such a way
that you may turn the face of
the earth into a garden every
part of which you may see, and
the sounds from every corner of
which you may hear!
Heed
the decree of the Most Merciful in the
verse,
He
it is Who has made the earth
subservient to you, so walk in
the paths thereof and eat of
His providence. Unto Him is
the resurrection (of the
dead). (67:15)
Thus,
the verse mentioned above about
Solomon marks the ultimate point in
the transmission of images and sounds,
which constitutes one of the latest
and most significant developments in
science and technology, and encourages
men towards that furthest point.
Employing
jinn, devils and evil spirits
The
verses,
Others
linked together in chains,
(38:38) and, Of the evil ones
were some who dived for him,
and did other work. (21:82)
which
state that Solomon, upon him be peace,
made the jinn, devils, and evil
spirits obedient to him, succeeding in
preventing their evil and employing
them in beneficial work, say:
The
jinn, who are conscious beings
and the most important
inhabitants of the earth next to
men, may serve man. Contact may
be made with them. Devils too
may be made to give up enmity
and to serve willingly or
unwillingly. God Almighty made
them subservient to a servant of
His who was obedient to His
commands.
These
verses imply:
O
man! I made the jinn, and
devils, including their most
evil ones, obedient to a servant
of Mine, who obeyed Me. If you
submit yourself to My commands,
most of the creatures, including
even jinn and devils, may be
subjugated to you.
Thus,
these verses mark the ultimate point
in occult or supernatural sciences
dealing with paranormal events like
spiritism, the attraction of spirits,
and communication with the jinn, which
have appeared as a blend of art and
science and out of the extraordinary
material and spiritual sensitivity of
man. These verses urge man not, as
happens nowadays, to be subjugated to
the jinn, devils, and evil spirits,
who sometimes call themselves the
spirits of the dead, and to become
their plaything, and a laughing-stock,
but to subjugate and employ them
through the Qur’an, and be saved
from their evil.
Attraction
of spirits or communication with the
spirits of the dead
These verses, as well as certain
others like
Then
We sent to her Our spirit and
it assumed for her the form of
a perfect man. (19:17)
point,
besides the attraction of spirits, to
the fact that spirit beings may assume
visible forms. However, what the Qur’an
alludes to here is not modern
necromancy, which some so-called ‘civilized’
people practice by communication by
magic with evil spirits who introduce
themselves as spirits of the dead.
Rather, it is as certain kinds of
saints (like Muhy al-Din ibn al-‘Arabi)
who, for a serious reason, communicate
with good spirits whenever they want,
make contact with them and form a
relation with them, and by going to
their abodes and to a degree drawing
near to their atmosphere, benefit from
their spirituality.
Invention
of cassette-recorders and players and
communication with animals
The
verses,
We
subdued the hills to hymn the
praises (of their Lord) with
him at nightfall and after
sunrise. (38:18); and, O you
mountains! Echo His psalms of
praise! and you birds! And We
made the iron supple for him.
(34:10); and, We have been
taught the language of birds.
(27:16)
which
are about David’s miracles, point
out that Almighty God gave to the
glorifications of David, upon him be
peace, such a strength and a tone so
resonant and pleasing that they
brought the mountains to ecstasy,
which, each like a huge gramophone or
a man, formed a circle against the
horizon around the chief reciter-David-and
repeated the glorifications. Is this
possible and a reality?
Yes,
it is reality. Every mountain with
caves can speak to man in human
language like a parrot. For if you
declare before a mountain, ‘All
praise be to God,’ the mountain will
echo it back. Since God Almighty has
granted this ability to mountains, for
sure it can be developed.
Since
God endowed the Prophet David, upon
him be peace, with both Messengership
and Caliphate on the earth in
exceptional form, He made this seed of
ability flourish as a miracle in due
measure with that comprehensive
Messengership and magnificent
sovereignty such that great mountains
followed him, in the manner of
soldiers, or students, or disciples,
and under his direction and in his
tongue, they declared the
glorifications of the All-Majestic
Creator. Whatever David, upon him be
peace, uttered, they repeated. At
present, due to the means of
communication being multiplied and
developed, a great commander can get a
large army dispersed through the
mountains to repeat his declaration of
‘God is the greatest!’ all
together at the same time, and make
the mountains speak and ring with the
words. Now if an ordinary commander
can make the mountains ring with the
words of those present in them, for
sure, a magnificent commander of
Almighty God can get them actually to
utter and recite God’s
glorifications. Besides this, as I
explained earlier in this book, each
mountain has a collective personality
and corporate identity, and offers
glorifications and worship particular
to itself. This means that just as
every mountain recites glorifications
in the tongue of men by way of
echoing, so too it glorifies the
All-Majestic Creator in its own
particular tongue.
The
sentences,
We
have been taught the tongues
of birds, (27:16) and, The
birds assembled, (38:19)
point
out that Almighty God bestowed on
David and Solomon, upon them be peace,
knowledge of the languages of the bird
species, and of the tongues of their
abilities, that is, of what they would
be useful for. Since this is a
reality, since the face of the earth
is a laden table of the Most Merciful
One, which He has set up in honor of
man, most of the other animals and
birds, which benefit from that table,
may have been subjugated to man to
serve him. God has put to work some of
the smallest animals like the honeybee
and silkworm, and employs them through
the guidance of His special
inspiration in a way that greatly
benefits man. Also, by enabling man to
use pigeons in various tasks and make
certain birds like parrots speak, He
has added to the beauties of human
civilization. Similarly, if the ways
of making use of other birds and
animals are discovered, among them are
many species which may be employed for
important tasks just as domestic
animals are employed.
For
example, if the languages of starlings
are known, which destroy locusts
without eating them, and their
movements can be arranged and
regulated, they can be employed
against plagues of locusts; what a
valuable service they would render
free of charge! Thus, the verses
mentioned show the ultimate point in
subjugating birds and benefiting from
them, and in making lifeless beings
speak like a telephone or a
gramophone, and, by specifying the
farthest aim in this field, the verses
urge man toward it.
By
the same verses, God Almighty
indicates:
O
men! In order that his
infallibility as a Prophet and
his justice as a sovereign might
not be damaged even to the
slightest degree, I subjugated
to one of your fellow men, who
was totally submitted to Me, the
huge creatures in My Kingdom and
made them speak, and I put most
of My troops and animals in his
service. Likewise, since I have
entrusted to each of you the
Supreme Trust2 from the bearing
of which the heavens, earth, and
mountains held back, and endowed
you with the potential to become
My vicegerent-one who will rule
on the earth according to My
commands-you should yield to the
One in Whose hand are the reins
of all creatures, so that the
creatures in His Kingdom may
yield also to you, and you may
use them in the Name of the One
Who holds their reins, and rise
to a position worthy of your
potential.
Since
this is the reality, then rather than
playing on the gramophone or
record-players and other musical
apparatus, harmful and obscene pieces,
playing with pigeons, and being
occupied with useless things like
wasting time in making parrots speak,
try for a most agreeable, elevated and
sacred sort of amusement, that the
mountains may function as huge
gramophones for you as for David, and
at the touching of the breeze the
tunes of Divine praises and
glorifications may reach your ears
from the trees and plants, and the
mountains may manifest themselves as
wonderful creatures that recite Divine
glorifications in thousands of
tongues, and most birds may turn to be
each an intimate friend or an obedient
servant, like Solomon’s hoopoe. They
may both entertain you and drive you
with zeal towards the perfections and
attainments of which you are capable,
and not cause you to fall from the
position required by your humanity, as
vain amusements do.
Invention
of fridges
In the verse,
We
said: ‘O fire! Be coolness and
peace for Abraham.’ (21:69)
which
is about one of Abraham’s miracles,
there are three subtle indications:
Like every element in
nature, fire does not act on
its own and blindly, rather
it performs a duty under a
command. It did not burn the
Prophet Abraham, upon him be
peace, for God commanded it
not to burn him.
There is a degree of heat
which burns through
coldness. That is, it has an
effect like burning. Through
the word ‘Be peace!’,3
God Almighty commanded the
cold: ‘Like heat, do not
burn him either!’ That is,
through its coldness, fire
at that degree produces an
effect like burning. It is
both fire, and, at the same
time, cold. As science
accepts it, there is a
degree of fire called ‘white
heat’, which does not
radiate its heat to its
surroundings; instead,
attracting the heat around
it to itself, it causes the
surrounding area to become
cold enough to freeze
liquids like water, and in
effect burns them through
its cold. (It may be noted
here, incidentally, that
there must surely be in
Hell, which contains all the
degrees and sorts of fire,
this intense cold.)
Just as there is an
immaterial substance like
belief, and an armor like
Islam, which will remove the
effects of Hellfire and
protect against it, so too
there must be a physical
substance which will protect
against it, which will
prevent the effects of
worldly fire. For, as is
required by His Name, the
All-Wise, and since this
world is the abode of
wisdom, [the abode where
everything takes place for a
definite purpose and usually
according to cause and
effect] God Almighty acts
behind the veil of cause and
effect. Therefore, the fire
did not burn Abraham’s
body, nor did it burn his
garments, He gave them a
state which resisted fire.
Thus, the verse suggests:
O
nation of Abraham! Be like
Abraham, so that your
garments may be your guard
against the fire, your
greatest enemy, both here
and there, the other
world. Coat your spirit
with belief, and it will
be your armor against
Hellfire. Likewise, there
are certain substances
which Almighty God has
treasured in the earth for
you. They will protect you
from the evil of fire.
Search for them, extract
them, and coat yourselves
with them!
As
an important step in his progress,
mankind has discovered a substance,
out of which he has made a coat which
fire does not burn. However, see how
elevated, fine, and beautiful a
garment this verse points to, which
will be woven on the loom of hanifan
Musliman (purity of belief in and
submission to God), and which will not
be rent for all eternity.
Teaching
Adam the Names implies the
ultimate points and final goals of
human attainment and progress
Also, the verse,
He
taught Adam the names, all of
them. (2:31)
states
that, as his greatest miracle in the
cause of supreme vicegerency, Adam,
upon him be peace, was taught the
names. While the miracles of other
Prophets each point to a certain
particular wonder in the course of
scientific and technological progress,
the miracle of Adam, upon him be
peace, who was the father of all the
Prophets and the Opening of the Office
of Prophethood, alludes almost
explicitly to the ultimate points and
final goals of all human attainment
and progress.
By
this verse, God Almighty suggests:
O
sons of Adam! By way of proof of
his superiority over the angels
in the issue of vicegerencey, I
taught your father all the
Names.4 Being his sons and the
inheritors of his abilities, you
should learn all the Names and
show your worthiness of that
superiority before all other
creatures in the universe, such
that vast creatures like the
earth are made obedient to you.
Come on, step forward, hold on
to one of My Names and rise!
Nevertheless, your father was
deceived by Satan once and for
all, and temporarily fell to the
earth from an abode like the
Garden. Beware! do not follow
Satan in your progress and make
it the means of falling from the
heavens of Divine Wisdom into
the misguidance of attributing
creativity to nature or real
effect to cause and effect in
the creation and operation of
nature. Raise your head and,
studying My Beautiful Names,
make the sciences and your
progress steps by which to
ascend to those heavens. Then
you may rise to My Names of
Lordship, which are the essences
and sources of your sciences and
attainments, and through the
telescope of those Names, you
may look to your Lord with your
hearts.
1.
The sentence, whose oil
would almost glow forth (of
itself) though no fire
touched it: Light upon
light, makes the allusion
clearer.
2.
The Supreme Trust is man’s
ego or human identity formed
of, or endowed and
distinguished with, free
will, knowledge, intellect
and speech.
3.
An interpreter of the Qur’an
remarks: ‘If He had not
said, “Be peace!”, it
would have burnt him with
its coldness.’
4.
The Names taught to Adam,
upon him be peace, are the
names of things or the keys
to all human knowledge or
the Divine Names, in the
manifestation of each of
which a branch of science
originates. For example,
medicine has its source in
the Name, the All-Healing,
engineering in the Names,
the All-Determiner and the
Giver of Certain Measure.
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