The Romans, part 3
#reflections
30:17 - So glorify Allah in the evening and in the morning— 30:18 - all praise is for Him in the heavens and the earth—as well as in the afternoon, and at noon.
reflection - these verses are an early (in Islamic history) command to pray and remember Allah at all times. The verses specify the times assigned for congregational prayers - morning, noon, afternoon, evening - night. Remembrance and God-consciousness keeps us away from sin and keeps us mindful of Allah at all times and in every thing that we do. If we are conscious of Allah's presence, sin becomes difficult. Prayer is a debt owed to Allah for His blessings upon us. One of the greatest blessings is that He has given us knowledge to read and understand and use these faculties to feel His presence. Imagine a person searching for knowledge, but living in a time when there were no books, no libraries, no access to knowledge. We are lucky to live in an age when information is easily available.
30:19 - He brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living. And He gives life to the earth after its death. And so will you be brought forth ˹from the grave˺
reflection - we see it every year, yet we let it pass. A seed contains life, yet on its own, the seed is not living. It needs water, soil, nutrients, and the correct temperature and light, before it can germinate and grow into a plant. The plant grows, flowers, more seeds form, then it dies, leaves a stubble and becomes one with the earth again. This cycle takes weeks, to months, repeats, again. Barren land becomes full of life. The stagnant water in paddy fields has its own eco-system, attracting water birds, insects, and fish. Where did the fish come from? The paddy was dry and frozen a few months earlier? An egg is dead, but given the right incubation, a chick comes from it. A chicken lays a dead egg, but then it becomes living. Our seeds, maybe in the form of DNA, lie all over the world. Humans already possess the technology to extract DNA from century old postal stamps, what is to say of the future?
30:20 - One of His signs is that He created you from dust, then—behold!—you are human beings spreading over ˹the earth˺.
reflection - there are three components to a human being - the body, the soul, the mind (consciousness). The body comes from the Earth (what we eat, drink), the mind is what makes the individual in us (identical twins have the same body, but they have different minds), and the soul is what Allah has given us. In this verse, Allah refers to the fact that - we were once few in number, but Allah taught us how to subject various elements of nature to our command and we used it to spread all over the world. If we would not have learnt that, it is quite possible that humans would have been extinct from disease, deprivation, or famine, a long time ago.
30:21 - And one of His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves so that you may find comfort in them. And He has placed between you compassion and mercy. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect
reflection - man (woman) is a social being, no man (woman) is an island upon himself. We need each other in one way or form. Whether to feel loved, secure, or cared for, or to have a support system in times of need or sickness, or protection from external forces. The basic unit of human existence is the relationship of man and woman. The greatness of this verse is - the use of the word, 'spouses,' or 'mates,' not wives or husbands. Comfort goes both ways. Allah places between a couple, compassion and mercy. Without compassion, what would life together be like? The Arabic word used in the verse also translates to 'love.' Allah placed love in the couple. And mercy, because mercy teaches us not to use power unjustly when we can use it. At the very least, it gives a sense of responsibility - with power comes responsibility, and responsibility breeds mercy.
30:22 - And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. Surely in this are signs for those of ˹sound˺ knowledge.
reflection - here is the juxtaposition of heavens, earth, and human. Just like there are so many stars in the universe, and none of them are alike, or there are planets in the solar system, and none of them are alike, there are humans, and none of them are absolutely alike. Imagine the Being that can give 8 billion plus variants of the same model? Each variant unique, with its own internal language, own colour, own processing system. You can take an iPhone from someone in Japan, and an iPhone from someone in Chile, and they can be interchanged with some software tweaking, without both owners even knowing. Cars? Clothes? How many varieties do we have? But the Creator has infinite variety! Languages? Where did the languages start? How long did it take for us to codify grammar, syntax, letters, sentences, paragraphs, books, and then to disseminate those languages, to teach those languages to younger ones, and on, and on, and on. Such that two humans who have never met, never gone to the same school, lived in different countries their whole lives, can meet and converse anytime. Language is a miracle!