Epigraph

“Do not the disbelievers realize that the heavens and the earth were a solid mass, then We split them asunder, and We made from water every living thing? Will they not then believe? We have placed in the earth firm mountains lest it roll beneath them; and We have made wide pathways therein that they may thereby journey from place to place.

And We have made the heaven a roof, well-protected; yet they turn away from its Signs. He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon each gliding freely in its orbit.” (Al Quran 21:30-33)

Allah Protector of life on earth

Source: Muslim Sunrise: Summer 2011

By Zia H Shah MD and Sardar Anees Ahmad

The Qur’an (86:5) states that angels, under God’s command, ensure that every natural law operates as designed. Again, the Qur’an (13:12) states that angels surround humans, serving as guardians. Together, the verses indicate that angels uphold various laws to protect people’s lives. Life, therefore, is the exception and death is the norm. Alluding to the precarious balance between life and death, the Qur’an (21:33; 41:13) declares that the heavens and the upper levels of Earth protect the Earth from life threatening entities. Referencing the idea of balance, the Qur’an declares, “And We have made the heaven a roof, well protected; yet they turn away from its Signs” (21:33). Here, Saqfam-mahfooza (i.e., roof, well protected) is of prime importance.

The Qur’an (55:8-10) argues that balance is universally observable in nature, therefore mankind must always behave in accordance with this principle. In Arabic, the word Meezan is employed to indicate that one entity is balancing another; in (55:8-10), the heavens are given the title of meezan. However, in relation to the earth, the Qur’an employs another word from the same root, Mauzun, which means something which is made perfectly balanced. “And the earth have We spread out, and set therein firm mountains and caused everything to grow therein in proper proportion” (15:20). So the Qur’an distinguishes between the heavens which carry out balancing and the Earth’s ground which is affected thereby.

Read further on page 55: