WHAT IS ISLAM? Part 1
Islam is an Arabic word. Its root is Seen Laam Meem. Its basic
word is Salmun. The lexicologists -Taj, Muheet and Lane -draw
all the meanings from this word. Islam is the name of accepting
and obeying the Laws of Allah. In this way it is leading life
according to these Laws. On the other hand, refusing to act upon
these Laws, deviating from them in practical life, and rebelling
against them is kuf'r. Look at the grand and wonderful system of
this universe. Every thing is busy in obeying the laws
prescribed for it. None is capable of deviating from them. Even
a slight difference in their prescribed course is not possible.
The Quran makes this fact very clear when, in Surah Al-Hajj,
Verse 18, it says: Have you not seen that unto the Laws of Allah
obeys whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the
earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the hills,
and the trees, and the beasts . . . all are obeying the Laws of
Allah. At another place, (Surah Al-Nahl, Verse 49) the Quran
makes this reality clear in these meanings: And unto the Laws of
Allah follows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in
the earth of living creatures and the forces of nature as well.
And never disobey the Laws of Allah. In the Quranic words, in
Surah Al-Nahl, Verse 50, their duty and style of life is:
Whatsoever they are ordered, they continuously keep on working
strictly in accordance with it. Wonders of the Heavenly Bodies
How do the bodies in the universe function in accordance with
the Laws of Allah? Leave this question aside. There are other
questions too that demand our attention. Have we ever thought of
the magnitude of the heavenly bodies, which the Quran calls
"Samawaat"? What a wonderful natural phenomenon do these bodies
bring forth? Think over these two questions. The communication
means of the day have made it clear that our earth is a huge
planet. It is always in motion around its axis as well as its
orbit. But a few of us will be knowing that out of the so many
planets moving in the unbounded heights of the universe, our
earth is no bigger than the size of a grain of sand in the
desert. This is no poetry. It is a reality. Our sun, which looks
no bigger than the size of a plate, is at a distance of
9,29,00,000 miles from us. Its diameter is 109 times of our
earth. In other words we can say that it can accommodate
thirteen hundred thousand lands like the size of our earth. But,
compared to the other heavenly bodies, this huge planet, our
sun, is no more than a drop of water in the sea. Now look at the
twinkling stars in the sky. The nearest star to our earth is as
far away as is the product of the distance of the sun from the
earth multiplied by two lakh and seventy thousand. This is the
distance of the nearest star of our earth in miles. The
distances of the heavenly bodies are measured in "light years",
not in miles as we measure our roads. Now think over the "light
years". Light covers the distance of 1,86,000 miles in a second.
With this speed of light in mind, just imagine how much distance
it would cover in one year. There are stars the light of which
reaches us in 1,85,000 years. Imagine once again that the light
from these stars, traveling with the speed of 1,86,000 miles in
one second, will reach us in 1,85,000 years. Anyhow, this is the
example of the distance of the stars that are far away. The
galaxy of our earth is a constellation of stars. The light of
its nearest star takes 18,400 "light years" to reach us. Now the
other question is: 'How many stars are there in the sky?' If we
start counting one thousand and five hundred stars in one
second, it will take us seven hundred years to count these
stars. And ours is not the only world. There are numerous worlds
ahead of the stars. The "world" is known as "Nebula". The
farthest "Nebula" that our telescope could find so far is at a
distance of two fifty million "light years" from us. In other
words we can say that the light travelling with the speed of
1,86,000 mile per second can reach us in two fifty million
years. Just imagine the magnitude of the distance. Have you
imagined the magnitude of the "Samawaat", the heavenly bodies?
These "Samawaat", are the heavenly bodies, where everything is
functioning strictly in accordance with the Laws of Allah. And
no one is empowered to cross the boundary walls prescribed for
them -not even of the difference of one thousandth of an inch.
There is also no room for making a difference of ten millionth
of a second in their speed. Gravitational Pull All these
planets, the heavenly spheres, are hanging in the space of the
universe. In other words, these are tied with such pillars,
which the Quran calls "invisible". In this regard, in Surah
Al-Ra'ad, Verse 2, the Quran says: Allah is He who has raised
the heavenly spheres aloft without any visible pillars. These
"invisible pillars" are the Gravitational Pull, which is
supporting each one of these planets. You have just imagined the
depth of the space and the number of the planets in the sky. You
have also seen how much the distance is among these planets. And
you have also found that Gravitational Force of these planets is
supporting one another. Now estimate the all-embracing nature of
this Gravitational Pull from what Sir James Genes says. He says
if we move even one of our fingers, it effects each one of the
planets. The scientists say that the base of all the data about
weight, volume, distance etc. of the planets is this amazing law
of Gravitational Force. This law is so firm that had there been
an unobservable difference in the ratio of Gravitational Pull of
any star or planet, the entire system of the universe would have
been lain in a state of a mess. This is but a light glimpse of
the wonderful greatness and the amazing broadness of the huge
planets moving in the universe. Now have a look at the atoms.
Take the example of one drop of water. There are tens of
thousands of molecules in a single drop of water. Every molecule
contains one atom of Oxygen and two atoms of Hydrogen. The
diameter of one atom of Hydrogen is one hundred millionth of a
centimeter. Now look at the smallness of this atom and then
gloss over its greatness. Like the solar system, the atom of
water has its own system. There is one nucleus with one electron
that revolves around it. This electron equals one hundred
thousandth of a molecule. Revolving round its orbit, it
completes seven billion revolutions within ten hundred
thousandth of a second. And this revolution takes place
according to an unalterable law. This is but the slightest
glimpse of the depths and the heights of the universe. This is
Cosmic Islam The Quran has described this wonderful system of
the universe in ONE word: ISLAM. It has called it DEEN ALLAH. In
Sura Aal-e-Imran, verse 82, the Quran holds: Do these people
desire to follow a system of life other than Deen Allah, the
System of Allah? The state of the fact is that they can see that
everything in the universe submits to Allah's Laws by choice or
by compulsion and follows the way, which leads to the goal set
for each one by Allah! In other words it means the system of
life Allah has prescribed. It is called DEEN ALLAH. Every body
in the universe submits to this DEEN alone. Submitting to this
system of life is the name of Islam. This is the only style of
life that can lead to the true and genuine goal of life. That is
why, the Quran, in the same Sura, in its verse 84, says:
Whosoever adopts a system of life other than this -AL-Islam
-that system can never be acceptable and at the end he would be
the loser. Conquering the Universe It is evident that the DEEN
(System of life) of everything in the universe is Islam.
Everything is following the Laws of Allah. This following is a
mean to an end, which Allah has prescribed for it. The trial and
endeavour of each and everything is for the accomplishment of
Allah's prescribed program. In this regard, the Quran, in Sura
Al-Baqara, in verse 116, says: All that is there in the heavens
and the earth is busy for the accomplishment of Allah's
prescribed program. And each one therein has preserved and
dedicated their potentialities for this purpose. The Quran's
word "Qaanetoon" in this verse is the most meaningful word. In
Arabic Language "Saqaa'a Taneetun" is the small water-skin,
which does not even let a drop of water go waste and keeps it
preserved and safe for its adequate and proper use. Now apply
this concept. Everything in the universe enjoys unbounded energy
by instinct. Take the example of solar energy. It is a reservoir
of heat and energy both. It does never let its energy go waste
for any purpose other than what has been prescribed for it. This
is "Qaanetoon". A duty has been assigned to it. And it is busy
in carrying out its duty all the daylong. This process in Arabic
Language is called "Tasbeeh". In this regard, the Quran, in
Surah Al-Hadeed, Verse 1, says: Whatsoever is there in the
depths and the heights of the universe is intensely and speedily
busy for the accomplishment of the System of Allah who is
all-powerful and the proprietor of the best designs. It is this
thread of the Divine System with which He has embedded
everything of the universe. No one deviates even a little bit
from the style He has prescribed for it. The sole purpose of
this thread is that the man may take work from them. In this
regard the Quran, in Surah Al-Jaasia, Verse 13 says: And He has
of service to you whatsoever is there in the heavens and
whatsoever is there in the earth; it is all from Him. Lo! Herein
verily are portents for people who reflect. This view -that the
man may take work from everything of the universe -is expressed
simply and tersely in Surah Ibrahim, Verse 32-33 of the Quran:
Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth; He causes the
clouds to rain, thereby produces fruits as food for you, and
makes the ships -within the bounds of the Law -to be of service
to you, -the ships that run upon the sea according to His Law.
And He has made of service to you the rivers within the boundary
walls of Law. Not only ships and the rivers but also He has made
the sun and the moon -within the bounds of Law -constant in
their courses, to be of service to you according to His Law. And
likewise He has made the night and the day for service to you
under the boundary walls of a System. This makes it clear that
the man has to discover these bounds of Allah's Laws. This will
be the conquering of the forces of nature. Revelation in the
Universe The laws under which the physical objects of the
universe have to operate have instinctively been given to them.
These are called Laws of Nature. It is the Divine Revelation
that has been given to each one directly. In this regard the
Quran, in Surah Haameem Al-Sajda, Verse 12, says: He inspired in
each heaven its mandate. And the likewise is in the earth. In
this connection, the Quran in Surah Azz-Zalzaal, Verse 5), says:
Your Nourisher inspired in her i.e., the earth. This is the very
revelation with which everything of the universe is familiar of
its own system and the operational mode. In other words
everything, in fact, receives from Allah all the guidance, which
it needs. The Allah's directive force is operative in the
universe. The regularity with which physical objects move
reveals the guiding hand of Allah. This directive force is at
work in everything. In this regard, the Quran, in Surah Al-Noor,
Verse 41, says: Everything knows it too that 'what its duties
are', and also that 'for performing these duties what its
spheres of actions are'. Allah has termed it as His Directive
Force or Guidance. It is operative in the universe. This concept
becomes clear when we study the Quran in Surah Taahaa, Verse 50,
where Pharaoh asked Moses (AS): "Who is your Rabb?" He said: Our
Nourisher is He who has created all the objects in the universe.
He then has also undertaken to make them aware of their goal and
guides them towards it. How does this guiding and directing
force of Allah operate wonderfully in the physical objects of
the universe? Only the people, who have spent their life in
studying and observing the life of these things, can know it.
The result of their observations make one wonder struck. The
following examples will make it clear: A kind of fish is found
in the lakes of Europe and North America. It is called Eel. At a
certain period of their age, the eels start coming out of the
places of their birth. In the darkness of the night, passing
through mud and grass, these eels reach from one lake to the
other. Covering thousands of miles, slowly and gradually, they
reach near the Island of Moda in the Atlantic Ocean, which is
very deep. Now look to the other side: The eels of America reach
there likewise. After laying eggs in the deep ocean, they die.
Their kiddies, after brooding, start their journey to their
native country. Passing through the paths their forefathers have
passed, they reach their own lakes and rivulets. Neither of them
forgets their path, nor reaches any wrong place. This journey
takes them three years to reach their destination. This series
of sequence continues. The observers observe their particulars
very carefully. But no one is able to discover the mystery as
to, which is the force that guides the kiddies, whose parents
died before their birth, and also the mystery as to how they
reach their native country. These kiddies do never lose their
way in this journey of thousands of miles. continued...