Observation, Reason, and the Quran –1

an you not see the numerous designs made by God as signs, similitudes, or analogies of resurrection? He has placed them in every era, the alteration of day and night, even in the coming and going of clouds”. Said Nursi.

Humans are endowed with the faculties of reason and intellect, and to ask them to abandon their intellectual faculties in developing their faith and relationship with God would be inconsistent with their God-given autonomy. On the contrary, the Qur’an asks its readers to make observations, relate empathically, think logically, and arrive at conclusions that will pave the way to faith and worship. This approach, however, should not be confused with empiricism, rationalism or skepticism, in which everything is questioned and the only way to knowledge is through experience or reason.

The Qur’anic approach is to arrive at a position through observation and reason from which the intellect clears the obstacles for faith, allowing it to take hold in one’s heart and preparing the way for dedicated worship of one God. After faith takes hold of one’s heart, there will be many elements of creed as well as principles of personal and social life which may or may not be suitable for verification through scientific means. In such cases, it is sufficient that such beliefs and rules of conduct do not contradict observation or reason. Hence, the Qur’anic style combines philosophy, theology, and “all dimensions of our being.”

In the following I will give examples from the exegeses of Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi, Elmalili Muhammed Hamdi Yazir and Said Nursi that, in my opinion, support this view. Unless marked otherwise, the English rendering of verse meanings will be from the Maududi exegesis translated by Ansari.

Nursi: KNOW, O FRIEND, that out of the purposes for things’ existence, the Qur’an sometimes mentions those related to humanity. This does not mean, however, that humanity was created only for the purposes mentioned. Rather, it draws our attention to their benefits, to the order and harmony they display, and thus to their Maker’s Names. We only pay attention to and prefer that which is related to us, even if it is microscopic, in preference to a “sun” with which we have no relation. For example: “And the moon: We have determined stations (phases) for it” (36:39), “that you might know the number of years and the reckoning” (10:5). This is only one of the moon’s thousands of purposes, and it is mentioned because it is the most evident one for humanity.

Yazir comments on the role of such verses in encouraging humanity to discover the laws of nature, which are indeed works of God, and through them to discover the purpose of human life, developing a methodology for a type of scientific acquisition of knowledge along the way:

Yazir: Indeed, the source of the notion of time is movement, a continuity and change that underlies the order in which these created objects exist. Indeed, the way to the true sciences is reflection on the heavens and the Earth, the day and the night, creation and change and their perception by intelligence.

Yazir also narrates a report of Prophet Muhammad’s reception of this verse. Aisha told that the Prophet asked permission to worship. She said, “He then stood up, made ablution with a little water and stood for prayer. He was reciting the Qur’an and crying. I even saw that his tears wet the floor. Then Bilal came and informed him of the congregation for morning prayer. Upon seeing that the Prophet was crying, Bilal asked: ‘O Messenger of God, did not God forgive your previous as well as future sins? Why would you cry?’ The Prophet then responded: ‘O Bilal! Under these circumstances, should I not be a thankful servant? Why should I not cry, God Almighty revealed this verse tonight, (and recited the verse) Woe on those who recite this verse and do not reflect on it.’”

“He set the earth for all creatures, with all kinds of tasty fruits in abundance and palm-trees with sheathed fruit, and a variety of corn with husk as well as grain. So, O jinn and men, which of your Lord’s blessings will you deny?” (Rahman 55:10-13

Maududi begins his commentary with a discussion of the term alaa’ which has traditionally been understood to mean bounty.

Maududi then indicates another meaning of the term, that is, power and the wonders of power, which is based on the famous exegesis of Ibn Jarir Tabari. He continues to comment on how the observation of these objects of need and desire come not only with benefits, but also with the qualities that satisfy the various lofty human senses. He describes in what ways humans deny the bounties of God: By outright rejection of a creator, by associating partners with God, by disobeying the commands of their Creator or by simply not offering thanksgiving, which he calls denial by practice.

Nursi comments on the importance of thanksgiving based on the observation of the universe, the Earth, the living beings, including the human, and how the latter are cared for and sustained:

Nursi: Indeed, both the All-Wise Qur’an shows thanks to be the result of creation, and the mighty Qur’an of the universe shows that the most important result of the creation of the world is thanks. For if the universe is observed carefully, it is apparent that all things result in thanks in the way each is arranged within it; to a degree each looks to thanks and is turned towards it. It is as if the most important fruit of the tree of creation is thanks and the most elevated product of the factory of the universe is thanks

Nursi then details the picture that emerges when one carefully observes the relationship of the universe, the inanimate beings, the living beings, and humans.

Nursi: We see in the creation of the world that its beings are arranged as though in a circle, with life as its central point. All beings look to life, and serve life, and produce the necessities of life. That is to say, the One Who created the universe cares for life in it.

Then we see that He created the animal kingdom in the form of a circle and placed the human at its center. Simply, He centered the aims intended from animate beings on the human, gathering all living creatures around him (the human), and subjugating them to him...Then we see that the world of human, and the animal world too, are formed like circles, with sustenance placed at their centre. We can draw a picture based on Nursi’s description: Nursi then continues to comment on the relationship of sustenance with thanksgiving:

Nursi: He has made mankind and the animals enamored of sustenance, has subjugated them to it, and made them serve it. What rules them is sustenance. And He has made sustenance such a vast and rich treasury that it encompasses His innumerable bounties. Even, with a faculty called the sense of taste, He has placed on the tongue fine and sensitive scales to the number of foods, so that they can recognize the tastes of the many varieties of sustenance. That is to say, the most mysterious, richest, most wonderful, most agreeable, most comprehensive, and most marvelous truth in the universe lies in sustenance. Now we see that just as everything has been gathered around sustenance and looks to it, so does sustenance in all its varieties subsist through thanks, both material and immaterial and this is offered by word and by state; it exists through thanks, it produces thanks, it shows thanks.

We can summarize Nursi’s commentary as follows: When a human observes the universe, they will notice that all inanimate beings serve life, plants and animals serve humans, and humans are in need of sustenance. In addition to satisfying the needs of life, sustenance carries other qualities that satisfy the higher senses of the human. It shows signs of mercy, care and love from the Creator. Therefore, all of these observations ought to lead a person to be thankful to their Creator.