God's infinite variety in creation, from desert birds, animals, plants and clouds to human colors and languages, as proofs calling for knowledge, reverence and appreciation, drawn from Quranic verses. A physician's excerpt describes the medical benefits of Ramadan fasting. Readers' comments on the website follow, including a Christian seeking to understand Ramadan amid the air strike against Iraq.
Do you not see that God has committed in
your service everything in the heavens and the earth,
and has showered you with His blessings—obvious and hidden? (31:20)
Do you not realize that God
sends down from the sky water, whereby we produce fruits of various colors.
Even the mountains have different colors; the peaks are white or red or
some other color. And the ravens are black. Also, the people, the animals,
and the livestock come in various colors. This is why the people who truly
reverence God are those who are knowledgeable. God is Almighty, Forgiving.
(35:27-8)
The people who truly reverence God are those who are knowledgeable.
Reverence and knowledge go hand in hand. And I think tied closely to that
is appreciation. We have to acknowledge that God created everything. Then,
we have to
remember to be appreciative of all He created.
We can probably never be appreciative enough, but we have to try. After
all, in order for us to survive physically in this world we just need
some basics—air, water, food. And yet, God created such a variety
of everything. Why?
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation
of night and day, the ships that roam the ocean for the benefit of the
people, the water that God sends down from the sky to revive dead land
and to spread in it all kinds of creatures, the manipulation of the winds,
and the clouds that are placed between the sky and the earth, there are
sufficient proofs for people who understand. (2:164)
The heavens and the earth are
full of proofs for the believers. Also in your creation and the creation
of all the animals, there are proofs for people who are certain. (45:3-4)
The creatures, like all the forces of nature, are among God’s
proofs. There is such an infinite variety of animals in this world. There
are animals that lived on earth before man ever came down. Today there
are creatures living in the depths of the ocean that we know little or
nothing about. Every year 7-10 thousand new species of insects are discovered.
Scientists estimate that there are perhaps 10 million insect species still
undiscovered.
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Infinite Variety
But what we do have knowledge of is staggering. There are more
than 4500 species of mammals. There are about 9,700 species of birds.
There are more than a million species of insects that we know about.
This is amazing. And they all interact with one another in such
intricate and perfect ways. “Proofs for the believers.”
If we simply looked at animals of the desert we would be amazed
at their variety. There are bright and colorful birds such as the
hooded oriole with a vivid yellow body and a sharp black mask on
its face. There are dull colored birds, such as the curved bill
thrasher that blend into their surroundings. And all kinds of birds
in between—the roadrunner who races along the desert floor,
using its long tail as a rudder for maneuvering, only flying when
absolutely necessary, and the Gambels quail, who stay together as
a family unit all summer long, crossing the road with mama in front,
all the little chicks scurrying behind, and papa bringing up the
rear. And birds that soar in the summer sky. Not just one kind of
soaring bird but five or six different species of hawks, two kinds
of vultures, eagles and at least four different species of owl.
They are beautiful to watch as they catch a thermal and soar with
almost no movement of their wings. What beauty! What variety!
And that’s just the birds. Rodents of all sizes and shapes
burrow in the ground and build elaborate nests of twigs among the
cactus. Mammals, such as coyotes and mountain lions, deer and javelina
wander the desert, following the design of their Lord. Lizards,
ranging in size from the tiny gecko to the
large and venomous Gila Monster, and
snakes—huge and dangerous like the diamondback rattlesnake
and small and delicate like the banded sand snake, all move along
the desert floor, soaking in the warmth of the sun. And strange
and wondrous insects and spiders, like the tarantula, the black
widow spider, several varieties of scorpions, centipedes and millipedes.
The ground is alive with these creatures, but you have to really
look for them. And God fully controls each and every one of them.
Among His proofs is the creation of the heavens
and the earth, and the creatures He spreads in them. He is able
to summon them when He wills. (42:29)
Infinite variety doesn’t just apply to animals. How many
species of plants are there in the world? Just in the desert, the
variety is amazing—special plants adapted to live with limited
water and great heat. It’s not one kind of cactus; it’s
dozens. And in a lush rain forest, plants are so abundant and varied
they live on top of each other. You cannot imagine the number of
shades of green till you’ve looked at a hillside covered with
trees. And then, by God’s wonderful grace, many of those greens
change to yellow and orange and vivid red.
He is the One who sends down from the sky water,
whereby we produce all kinds of plants. We produce from the green
material multitudes of complex grains, palm trees with hanging clusters,
and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranate; fruits that are similar,
yet dissimilar. Note their fruits as they grow and ripen. These
are signs for people who believe. (6:99)
How many kinds of fruit are there in the world? I wonder if anyone
has tried them all. Such variety in
appearance, texture and taste.
What about the sky? We know it is a perfect structure that protects
and provides for us. Have they not looked at
the sky above them and how we constructed it and adorned it, without
a flaw? (50:6) And the clouds in the sky—why are there
so many varieties of cloud—powerful storm clouds and gentle
drifting lines and shapes? They are part of the “adornment”
of the sky, providing beauty and enjoyment as you watch them drifting
by. And, of course, they bring the blessing of rain.
God is the One who sends the winds, to stir up clouds,
to be spread throughout the sky in accordance with His will. He
then piles the clouds up, then you see the rain coming down therefrom.
When it falls on whomever He chooses from among His servants, they
rejoice. (30:48)
There is certainly infinite variety in people. Why? We could all
be one color, one size, one shape. We could all look exactly the
same. Sometimes it seems as if science would like to create that
sameness. God made each of us unique.
O people, we created you from the same male and female,
and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize
one another. The best among you in the sight of God is the most
righteous. God is Omniscient, Cognizant. (49:13)
Among His proofs are the creation of the heavens
and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors.
In these, there are signs for the knowledgeable. (30:22)
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Infinite Variety
As humans, we tend to go through our day as if blindfolded. Unless
we really concentrate, we’re too busy to notice anything around
us. But when we take the time, all of our senses are assaulted with
the wonder and variety of God’s creations. Watch the sunrises
and the sunsets, the brilliant colors moving and changing across
the sky—deep bright reds, pastel pinks and vivid yellow. Listen
to the birds and the
amazing variety of their sounds—from
the soft cooing of doves to the varied tunes of a mockingbird, the
raucous harmony of a tree filled with song birds, as they glorify
God in their own way. Smell the land after a rain, enjoy the perfume
of blossoms filling the air. Feel the textures of the bark of a
tree and the petals of a flower, or the soft fur of a puppy or kitten.
Taste the fresh white snowflakes or a just-picked strawberry.
Remember that God didn’t have to create such a wondrous variety
of
gifts for our senses. We could all survive
with water, one kind of food and air to breathe. But how dull our
lives would be. We need to recognize and appreciate that God made
all of this for our enjoyment and our service. It’s important
to take every opportunity to thank Him for these blessings of infinite
variety.
If you count God’s blessings, you cannot possibly
encompass them. (16:18)
Lydia Kelley
Medical Benefits of Ramadan
Most Muslims do not fast because of medical benefits but
because it has been ordained to them in the Quran. The medical
benefits of fasting are as a result of fasting. Fasting in
general has been used in medicine for medical reasons including
weight management, for rest of the digestive tract and for
lowering lipids. There are many adverse effects of total fasting
as well as so-called crash diets. Islamic fasting is different
from such diet plans because in Ramadan fasting, there is
no malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake. The caloric
intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or slightly below the
national requirement guidelines. In addition, the fasting
in Ramadan is voluntarily taken and is not a prescribed imposition
from the physician.
Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self-training,
with the hope that this training will last beyond the end
of Ramadan. If the lessons learned during Ramadan, whether
in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on
after Ramadan, it is beneficial for one’s entire life.
Moreover, the type of food taken during Ramadan does not have
any selective criteria of crash diets such as those which
are protein only or fruit only type diets. Everything that
is permissible is taken in moderate quantities.
The only difference between Ramadan and total fasting is
the timing of the food; during Ramadan, we basically miss
lunch and take an early breakfast and do not eat until dusk.
Abstinence from water during this period is not bad at all
and in fact, it causes concentration of all fluids within
the body, producing slight dehydration. The body has its own
water conservation mechanism; in fact, it has been shown that
slight dehydration and water conservation, at least in plant
life, improve their longevity.
The physiological effect of fasting includes lower of blood
sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic
blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal
recommendation for treatment of mild to moderate, stable,
non-insulin diabetes, obesity and essential hypertension.
In 1994 the first International Congress on “Health
and Ramadan,” held in Casablanca, entered 50 research
papers from all over the world, from Muslim and non-Muslim
researchers who have done extensive studies on the medical
ethics of fasting. While improvement in many medical conditions
was noted; however, in no way did fasting worsen any patients’
health or baseline medical condition. On the other hand, patients
who are suffering from severe diseases, whether diabetes or
coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc., are exempt from
fasting and should not try to fast.
…I encourage my Muslim patients to fast in the month
of Ramadan, but they must do it under medical supervision.
Healthy adult Muslims should not fear becoming weak by fasting,
but instead it should improve their health and stamina.
Excerpts from Shahid Athar, M.D.
Page 4
Comments On Web Site
I stumbled across your page trying to understand Ramadan and the potential
consequences of the ill- conceived air strike against Iraq.
So, I came here surrounded by a cloak of war and have found exactly
the opposite. Thank God.
I profess complete ignorance of the Quran and so, have downloaded the
translation you offer. I am looking forward to reading it. Though raised
a Christian, I have always had an intuitive conflict with the divinity
of Christ. I have never argued against that divinity though. Who am I
to decide that? I will only say that the clarity and simplicity of God
Alone is comforting and feels right to me somehow.
Thank you for your efforts to maintain this web site. I plan to visit
often.
* * * * * * * * * *
Assalaam aleikum,
I am learning a lot from this website, ma sha allah. This is the first
time that I have heard to disregard sunna and hadith. It makes sense.
How is this accepted amongst scholars today? I converted to Islam 6 years
ago and am striving to learn everyday.
Ramadan Mubarak
Wa salaam
Marria
* * * * * * * * * *
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Thanks for your great website: submission.org/home.html
This is the greatest Islamic website ever created. It is consistently
on top of most topics. It is by far the ultimate source for Islam on the
Internet. I just love it. It is really such a good source of information
online. It regularly updates its topics and brings new ideas. What could
be better?
This site is setup in such a way that it answers questions as they arise;
it leaves no stone unturned. I spent a great deal of time surfing on it,
unlike any other site.
It is an excellent guide for those interested
in the Quran and its relation to other religions, a gripping homepage
and a must visit for all those who are seeking the truth.
Ramadan Mubarek to all of you,
Karim Azzouzi
* * * * * * * * * *
I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful web site you have created.
I, myself, am a Christian, and I had never had any idea of how much there
was in common between the Bible and the Quran. I thank you for what you
are doing and glory to God in the highest! The world will be a much better
place when we stop hating each other for misperceived differences.
Scott
[Ed’s note: We always welcome and appreciate
the comments, suggestions and contributions of our readers. God bless
you all.]
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