Antares, The Blue Whale And Granny Smiths
The first attribute of Allah revealed in the Quran through His Wisdom was The Creator: “Recite in the name of your Lord who created.” (Q. 96:1) Yet how often do we contemplate over the majesty and magnificence of His verses and creation? Unfortunately, we have been overtaken and consumed by the life of this world and our ‘concrete jungle’ lifestyle and are disconnected from nature. We find it hard to find time for our own families let alone for reflection. Allah says, “And how many a sign within the Heavens and Earth do they pass over while they, therefrom, are heedless?”(Q. 12:105) Has worldly occupation hardened our hearts? Only when the clamour of the outside world is silenced will we be able to hear the deeper vibrations.
So what does Allah ask us to reflect over? “Indeed, in the creation of the Heavens and Earth… are Signs for a people that are wise” (Q. 2:164). The Earth and the Heavens. Ponder over these amazing facts: think about the vastness of this Earth we reside in, of which is covered by around 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of water. Now think a bit larger; the Sun, in which you can fit about 1 million Earths! Let’s go supersize, ever heard of Antares? Antares is a star that is 800 times larger and 10,000 times brighter than the Sun!
Consider what we are so proud about; our houses, cars, children – what we work a whole life time to achieve, and consider how insignificant and tiny they are in relation to the bigger picture. Reflect. Humble yourself in front of Allah.
What else are we commanded to reflect over? “What, do they not reflect upon how the camel was created?” (Q. 88:17). Animals are another example. So let’s take a minute to reflect over an amazing animal, the largest animal alive swimming deep below the magnificent creation of the oceans; the blue whale. Ponder over these facts: there are around 25,000 blue whales alive and each weighs up to 200 tonnes! Any ideas what they eat per day; hundreds of sharks? Octopuses? Biryani? Nope. They eat only krill; a tiny 1-3 cm and 1-2 gram creature. Though they can hold 90 tonnes in their mouths, they can’t swallow anything larger than a beach ball! Imagine how Allah has humbled such a colossal creature. How many krill you ask? Up to 40 million per day! Do the math – 25,000 whales eating 40 million krill a day, and who provides all this for them – Al-Razzaq (The Provider). Yet we on land worry so much about our sustenance and provisions. Pondering over this will develop that tawakkul (trust in Allah) which has been eroded.
A topic we’re well experienced in next; food! “Let the human reflect on the food he eats.” (Q. 80:24) Have we ever stopped to think about the miracle of these beautiful foods before sinking our teeth into them? Imagine a simple apple which we pluck off a tree. Where did the life of this huge tree begin? As a simple seed the size of an ant. With Allah’s Mercy, He provided for this seed to grow into something which provides food, shade and the oxygen which we breathe. Do we take these things for granted? We must not let our familiarity with these ayats of Allah reduce their value in our eyes; it’s in our heads but we must now put it in our hearts. Everything in the skies and Earth continues to declare Allah’s perfection by means of its existence.
We can continue forever reflecting on the beauty of Allah’s creation. But I wish to end on one point. This amazing world, this vast universe and that which we see and don’t see in it, it is not worth the wing of a mosquito to Allah. Then imagine, reflect, what awaits us in the Hereafter…
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah…” (Q. 57:16)
By Umar Malik of 1st Ethical Trust
Umar Malik writes on behalf of the 1st Ethical Charitable Trust, which encourages British Muslims to benefit wider society, thereby fostering improved social and religious cohesion.