What is concept of universe in islam? Islamic view of the universe..
Everything from atoms to the planets is a manifestation of the divine might, expression of divine power and distinguished beauties. Ziya Pasha expresses this divine poem as the following:
Bin ders-i maârif okunur her varakında,
Yâ Rab ne güzel mekteb olur mekteb-i âlem!
Meaning: Thousands of lessons regarding the manifestation of the wisdom and secret of knowing Allah can be read in every page of the book of this universe.
O my Lord! What a nice school this universe is for those who dive into the sea of contemplation and take lessons by watching the divine windows.
The universe is a kind of detailed interpretation of miracle of the Qur’an. In other words, the Qur’an is a universe that consisted of words; the universe is a Qur’an but has no words.
Another poet expresses this fact as follows:
Bir kitâbullâh-ı âzamdır serâser kâinat,
Hangi harfi yoklasan mânâsı hep Allah çıkar…
“The whole universe is the biggest book of Allah. Whichever letter of this enormous book you read, you will find out that it refers to Allah. On whichever atom of the universe you contemplate, it takes you Allah.”
Everything takes place in accordance with divine fate…
“… Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read).” (al-An’am, 6: 59)
As Sheikh Sâdî says:
“For the hearts that know Allah, even a single leaf in the trees is a means to know Allah. As for the heedless, the whole tree does not even have the value of a single leaf.”
This Universe is,
Âkıller için seyr-i bedâyi,
Ahmaklar için yemekle şehvet
Meaning, “The universe where we live is a palace that exhibits the magnificence, perfection, endless beauty of the divine arts. The wise contemplates on all the wonders of the divine arts and admires them. Whereas, for the foolish ones, it only means eating and lust just like it means for the rest of the creatures.”
Mawlana describes the miserable situation of those who are unaware of the manifestation of the divine power and might on earth by the following similitude:
An ox came to Baghdad and wandered all around the city through which Tigris river runs and which is full of magnificent natural beauties, palaces and mansions. However, he could not see all these beauties, but rather saw only the rinds of melon and watermelon in the dumps, just like the heedless man who is unaware of the manifestations of the divine magnificence.
Allah Almighty tells us:
“Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? … (Luqman, 31: 20)
The earth on which we live is a planet in the solar system chosen from among trillions of stars. Despite the studies on universe carried out for years, no other planet like earth, which is full of life, has been discovered yet. Other planets are either too hot or too cold, or lack of oxygen, or made only from gases or just rocky places.
The scholars estimate that 13 billion years have passed since the creation of the universe. The existence of man coincides only with the latest period of this long period of time. Allah Almighty also wants us to contemplate on this fact stated in the following verse:
“Has there not been over Man a long period of Time, when he was nothing – (not even) mentioned?” (al-Insan, 76: 1)
Neither the name nor the form of man existed. However, Allah Almighty prepared this universe for the people. In order to transform into a rich material for man to contemplate on, the divine art overflowed on this little planet.
The foolish evolutionists claim that the creatures developed their properties themselves by their own needs and wants as a result of environmental factors. Which creature would choose and consent to its own short life by itself? Which creature would willingly choose to be a prey for another creature?
Another way of contemplation is to think the opposite. This way of thinking also ensures the habits not to be obstacles before contemplation.
Source: The Universe, The Qur’an And The Human, Osman Nuri Topbaş, Erkam Publications