Man is in a never ending search for the cause behind all that exist in this Universe-right from the sub atomic particles to the gigantic stars and unfathomable depths of galaxies and things beyond the bowl of night. But every time a cause is found it so emerges out that there still remains a cause behind that cause.

This search goes on and on. But it does have an end-when man reaches a `cause’ which does not have to have a cause, a superior being without cause-ie., a causeless cause. That causeless cause is the end of man’s inquiry. In other words man’s search for a cause ceases at this point. We do not find in this universe any materialistic phenomenon without a cause.

So it turns out that the causeless superior being must be outside this Universe and beyond material existence. Islam calls this primary causeless cause behind all small and big, micro and macro phenomena in the universe Allah!

But Islam does not teach that `Allah’-this causeless cause is some conventional form of force or simple ordinary energy. The real essence of God is beyond man’s comprehension and description. Man knows the essence of that Divine being only through His own divine revelations. However, the materialistic objects in this universe reveal and testify His omniscience and omnipotence. The Holy Qur’an exhorts man to realize this fact through reason-unbiased and rational free thinking

“Do they not look at the camels
How they are made?
And at the sky,
How it is raised high?
And at the mountains,
How they are fixed firm?
And at the Earth.
How it is spread out?” (Al Ghashiyah: 17-20)

The Qur’an commands man to realize the Great Power behind the wonderful design of the universe by discerning the surrounding nature. During the middle ages the Church’s strictures prohibited reason as it would lead to atheism. Islam does not subscribe to this view. Qur’anic verses teach man to make best use of his eyes, ears and brain to see, hear and think.

There is not even a single verse in Qur’an which restricts man from following reasons. As a matter of fact there is no other book which invokes human intelligence in such an inspiring manner. The Quranic verses urging man to think and learn from nature and realize the invincibility of the Supreme Being, are thought-provoking to a lay man as well as a scientist.
Human being

The first verses revealed to prophet (S.A) command:

“Proclaim! (or Read!),
In the name of the Lord And Cherisher
Who created man, out of
A leech-like clot’’ (Al Alaq: 1-2)

These lines incite man to think freely about himself. He was nothing a few years back-just two unknown insignificant entities fused together-first part, one out of millions of spermatozoa of the father’s semen and the second, an ovum produced from the mother’s womb to form the embryo. It grew to form a little mass of flesh. Inside the flesh bones started taking shape. Then the skeletal from started building up. The bones of the skeletal system were then covered by muscles. Then eyes, ears, nose, arms, legs and head grew at different rates in different proportions. Finally one fine day this great man appeared on Earth’s surface, in flesh and blood from inside his mother’s womb, absolutely helpless, as one in crores. Then began his struggle for life!

Human body has various systems which are interconnected. All these systems viz., skeletal, cardio-vascular, renal, reproductive, digestive, nervous, respiratory, endocrine & Excretive, function involuntarily.

The same power which caused the fusion of ovum in to the male sperm, its step by step transformation into a foetus, then into a child and then to a full fledged human being, has also designed and laid out the most sophisticated, perfectly functional systems inside the body. From layman living aimlessly to the scientist investigating into the intricacies of human metabolism share alike the abundance of the Creator’s blessings. The Qur’an asks man:

“How can you reject
The faith in Allah?
Seeing that you were without life
And He gave you life’’ (Al Baqarah: 28)

The Qur’an reveals the secrets of man’s birth:

“Man We did create
From a quintessence (of clay)
Then We placed him
As (a drop of) sperm
In a place of rest
Firmly fixed
Then We made the sperm
into a clot of congealed blood,
Then of that clot We made
A (foetus) lump, then We
Made out of that lump
Bones and clothed the bones
with flesh; then we developed
Out of it another creature
So blessed be Allah
The Best to create!’’ (Al Mu’minun: 12-14)

The Qur’an asks man again:

“Do you then see? The (human seed) that You throw out It is you who create it Or are We the creator?’’ (Al Waqiah: 58,59)

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