Nature's Signposts

Holy Qur'an 24/43
 
Dear viewers, May peace, tranquility, serenity, harmony, and Salaams of The ALMIGHTY GOD on all. May I extend you the same greetings in Arabic! Assalamo Alaikum wa Ramatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
 
Come; Let us seek guidance from the One Who Created us, and Sustains us day and night. The One Who supplies us all our needs regularly. Guidance is also our vital need. HE has constantly bestowed down revelations in all the ages for the guidance of the humanity. Out of it, the Last and Final Testament has remained in its Original till date, and that is The Qur’an.
 
Now it is up to us to enlighten ourselves from its Divine Light and solve our age old quandary that is who we are? Where are we from? Where do we go at the time of our death, and what will happen with us there? In the very answers of these questions lies our success in the life and the life to come.
 
Dear viewers, we know that human life on this earth is constantly affected by his immediate surroundings. The forces of nature, the climate, temperature, water, air and many such things become so much a part of his life that any change above moderation, uproots his entire existence. The rising and setting of the Sun, the water cycle along with the formation of clouds, the falling of rain and growth of vegetation are so vital to his survival, if pondered upon, inevitably compel man into accepting the control of a Being, a Supreme Super Power, Who created all this, and Who controls and balances these forces of nature! Man’s inability and helplessness, in spite of tremendous scientific advances to control or divert these natural occurrence, subconsciously make him surrender to that Being called The ALMIGHTY GOD. The Qur’an calls man’s attention in the rhetoric in the first part of the verse of Chapter 24/43
 
 
 
 
It is not humanly possible to render the exact meaning of these Divine Verses in any earthly language. My humble attempt to get closer to its meaning is:
 
“Are you not aware that it is ALLAH who causes the clouds to move onward, then joins them together, then piles them up in masses, until you can see rain come forth from their midst? And HE, it is Who sends down from the skies, by degrees, mountainous masses of clouds charged with hail, striking therewith whomever HE wills, and averting it from whomever HE wills! The flash of HIS lightning well-nigh deprives (men of their) sight!”
 

The CREATOR of Man and the entire Universe poses this direct question to the entire Humanity through His Final Testament, The Qur’an, which is an open message from the CREATOR to Man.
 
The Noble Qur’an was revealed more than 14 centuries back. It is in the Arabic language, which is one of the richest languages in the world from the point of view of firmness of structure, depth and abundance of vocabulary. It descended like a flash of lightning in the darkness of the Age of Ignorance, and in the manner which conveyed various types of subject matter, in the most concise of sentences, quite different from the conventional language of the Arabs of those times.
 

The Qur’an constitutes the documentary proof of the Messenger-hood of the Last Messenger, Prophet Mohammed, (s.a.w.s). It was revealed over a period of twenty-three years in the form of verses and chapters. Since this is a message for the entire mankind, it transcends the boundaries of space and time, in its universal applicability.
 
The effect of the natural phenomenon of clouds and rains falling from the skies is sheer wonder for man, and he is awe-struck by the lightning and thunder. Primitive instincts would compel man to surrender to this display of power, and in his naivety, he would end up worshiping the created forces. The Qur’an tells him that it is not the created beings, but the CREATOR, Who is to be held in awe. Coming back to the verse recited:
 
 
“Are you not aware that it is GOD ALMIGHTY, Who causes the clouds to move onward, then joins them together, then piles them up in masses, until you can see rain comes forth from their midst……”
 
The formation of clouds has confounded men of science. It is now that with the help of satellites, we are able to have a better understanding of these natural phenomena. This verse of the Qur’an talks about the clouds being moved, being joined, and then being piled-up by ALMIGHTY GOD.
 
Scientists have studied cloud types and have realized, that rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite system, and certain steps connected with certain types of wind and clouds. One kind of rain cloud is the cumulonimbus cloud. Meteorologists have studied how cumulonimbus clouds are formed, and how they produce rain, hail, and lightning. They have found that cumulonimbus clouds go through the following steps to produce rain:
 
First of all the clouds are pushed by the wind. Cumulonimbus clouds begin to form when wind pushes some small pieces of clouds, cumulus clouds, to an area where these clouds converge.
 

Second step is their joining, the small clouds join together forming a mass of it.
 

The third step is its stacking. When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail, formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.
 
It is amazing to see that the steps match exactly with the sequence and description mentioned in The Qur’an. Meteorologists have only come to know recently the details of cloud formation, structure and functions, with the help of advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons and other equipments. They also study wind and its direction to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure. After mentioning clouds and rain, ALMIGHTY GOD speaks about hail and lightning in the last part of the verse:
 
 
“……And HE, it is Who sends down from the skies, by degrees, mountainous masses of clouds charged with hail, striking therewith whomever HE Wills and averting it from whomever HE Wills. The flash of HIS lightning well-nigh deprives men of their sight!”
 

In this verse, GOD ALMIGHTY, in 7th century Revelation informs that hail is the cause of lightning. But until 17th century, Aristotle’s ideas on meteorology prevailed. According to him, the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry, and thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire.7 In modern days now, Meteorology science says the same thing which The GOD of the Universe has said 14 centuries back. It is the tragedy of humanity, not to refer the Original of the Last and Final Testament. It is high time for us to make centre of our research in the Divine Light bestowed on humanity long back, and address the woes of the humanity, still prevailing, however the science is developing day in and day out.
 
Another beautiful display of Might of The ALMIGHTY is mentioned in the verse, and that is lightning. Lightning is one of the most beautiful displays of nature. It is also one of the most deadly natural phenomena known to man. With bolt temperatures hotter than the surface of the Sun, and shockwaves beaming out in all directions, lightning is a lesson in physical science and humidity. It is described in 13/12 carrying other dimensions, I recite it here.
 
 
“HE, it is Who displays before you the lightning, to give rise to both, fear and hope and causes heavy clouds into being, and the thunder extols HIS Limitless Glory and praises HIM, and the angels in awe of HIM, and HE, it is Who lets loose the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom HE wills. And yet they stubbornly argue about GOD, the ALMIGHTY, not withstanding (all evidence that) HE Alone has the Power to contrive whatever HIS unfathomable wisdom wills!”
 
Beyond its powerful beauty, lightning presents science with one of its greatest local mysteries. It is common knowledge that lightning is generated in electrically charged storm systems. But the method of cloud-charging still remains elusive for us. It is not until recently we came to know that each flash of lightning contains about one billion volts of electricity. That is enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for three months.
 
Cloud-to-ground lightning is usually caused when a negative charge at the base of a cloud is attracted to the positive charge at the earth's surface; a powerful surge of electricity descends to the ground carrying a current made up of millions of electrons. This is answered by a return stroke, which appears to us as the bright flash of cloud-to-ground lightning. Lightning causes thunder because a strike of lightning is incredibly hot. A typical bolt of lightning can immediately heat the air to between 15 to 60 thousand degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the Sun.
 
A lightning strike can heat the air in a fraction of a second. When air is heated that quickly, it expands violently, and then contracts like an explosion and it happens in the blink of an eye. It's that explosion of air that creates sound waves, which we hear and call thunder.
 
Light and sound will always move at different speeds. And lightning always produces thunder because of a strike's high temperature. Hence we always see a flash of lightning before we hear thunder.
 
Fear is an instinctive human reaction to lightning and thunder. The Qur’an also mentions hope along with fear here. Hope could mean that lightning is a herald of rain-bearing clouds, and showers that bring fertility and prosperity to the earth. Recent scientific studies show that lightning brings with it 5 pounds of Nitrogen to the surface of the earth, increasing the fertility of the earth. According to research, lightning leaves behind an amazing affect on human beings too. People often report feelings of pleasantness and well being, following an electrical storm. Electrical storms are generally proceeded by higher levels of positive ions, and followed by higher levels of’ negative ions. Research indicates that ionization of the air has some effects on human behavior. Negative ions are used to treat asthma, respiratory ailments, burns and post-operative pain. The negative ions have been observed to act as tranquillizers, and patients experience a feeling of calmness. Productivity of factory workers increased, and their disposition improved after being exposed to negative ions.
 

Thus we see that every thing around us that GOD ALMIGHTY has created, and the natural events that HE Commands to occur have a reason. HE is Limitless in HIS Might and Wisdom. HE could very well cause these natural events which bring innumerable benefits for mankind, to go haywire and use them as severe punishment.
 
This creation of man, the Universe, the alteration of night and day, the changes in seasons etc; has a purpose. Can any intelligent person accept that the vast scheme of being, with all the wonder-inducing manifestations of life, should be based on aimless-ness and purposeless-ness?
 

It is an undoubted scientific principle that purposive-ness is the concomitant of all life, thought and will. It is not possible that a Most Wise Being should consciously undertake an action, in which no goal or purpose resides.
 
It is a fact that the human being instinctively regards an aimless act as incompatible with wisdom and intelligence; he can clearly perceive that all the atoms in the world of being, are ruled by order and calculation. So just as the orderliness of life springs from the Knowledge and Wisdom of the CREATOR, the same may be said of the purposive-ness of the whole scheme of being, including the existence of the human being on this globe. GOD ALMIGHTY asks us in His Final Testament in chapter 30/8:
 
 
“Has mankind never learned to think for their own-selves that The ALMIGHTY GOD has not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without purpose and for a specific deadline set by HIM? Behold, there are many people who stubbornly deny the truth that they are destined to meet their SUSTAINER!”
 
There must be a purpose behind the creation of Universe, behind the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. How can one assume it to be purposeless or useless! No sensible person will ever think so! And how can we ever assume it to be useless, while it is our observation that each and every thing has its shape, function and age! Once again our CREATOR asks us in His Final Testament in chapter 23/115 & 116:
 
 
“O mankind, did you think that WE Created you just for fun, and that you would not have to return to US? Sublimely Exalted is ALMIGHTY GOD, The Supreme Sovereign. There is no GOD except HIM, The SUSTAINER in Bountiful Almightiness Enthroned!”
 
Although The Qur’an has mentioned various fields of science, it is not a book of science. It is a Code of Conduct which the CREATOR wants us to follow. The scientific verses of the Holy Qur’an are a striking evidence of the Scripture being revealed by the CREATOR of Man and the Universe which surrounds him. The Qur’an is a human heritage and revealed for entire Mankind. It can prove to be of tremendous help to scientific progress in the right direction thus preventing a lot of waste of energy and resources.
 

The Qur’an is a Book of Guidance to the right conduct of men and women in the society, a Message for mankind, guides towards discovering the purpose of man’s life on earth, and also a means for Man to know his own CREATOR. It also holds the key to salvation and success in the hereafter.

It is evident that Man with scientific knowledge sans morals, no matter what his level of progress is, would indeed be worse than a beast.

 
The CREATOR has laid down some universal fundamental duties for each one as a whole, which are to be discharged by individuals under all circumstances. To perform these duties, a very effective moral system is laid down. Thus whatever leads to the welfare of the individual, or the society has been enjoined by The LORD, and whatever corrupts the moral fabric of the society has been strictly forbidden by Him in His Message to mankind. It shows us that The LORD wants that mankind must survive on this globe in peace, love, tranquility and harmony. HE does not want certain rituals to be practiced, but HE wants that every individual should follow the Conduct provided by HIM in HIS Scripture. I will recite here a verse from chapter 2 bearing the number 177:
 
 
"Virtue does not mean that you turn your faces towards East or West; but pious and virtuous is he, who puts his trust and belief in One ALMIGHTY GOD, and is conscious of the accountability on the Day of The Final Judgment, and believe in the existence of the Angels, and acts according the Book of Revelations, and the Messengers. And to seek love of The LORD, spends in charity on the nears, on the orphans and have-nots, on the needy, on the wayfarer, on those who ask for help; and for freeing the necks from the bondage and debts; and keeps up prayers and practices regular charity, and keep their words whenever they promise, and keep firmness and patience in hardships, adversity and in times of panic. Such are the people who proved themselves true and such are truly conscious of The GOD ALMIGHTY.”
 
Let us make an attempt to be a man of truth, to recognize the truth and follow the truth with conviction! Let us not forget the sequence provided here in this verse and in the rest of The Scripture. Very firstly one should recognize that The LORD is One, The ALMIGHTY, All Powerful, Omniscience, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. Now we need to be conscious enough for all our acts, deeds, utterances, thoughts and feelings, as undoubtedly we will be accounted for all these things in the Day which will come upon its set time by The ALMIGHTY. We should also act according to the Code of Conduct laid down by our LORD and follow the Messenger. We should not deny the system of Revelations from The ALMIGHTY carried by the angels and delivered to the Prophets. We should be fruitful, careful and duty bound to our fellow beings. We should be steadfast in our prayers, regular in doing charities and conscious for all our commitments. We should be patient in all hardships, only to get the reward from our LORD, The One and Only LORD of all. Aameen.
 

Let us start the practice from today itself. Let us reconnect our relation with The Revelation and act accordingly. May ALLAH help all of us.

 
Thank you very much, GOD Bless all of us.