"Do they not consider the camels, how they are created; the sky, how it is raised; the mountains, how they are established; and the earth, how it is spread? So remind! Thou art but a reminder; thou art not a warder over them."
Quran 88:17-22
I think this is the first thing I've culled out of surah 88, al-Ghashiyah, here rendered as "The Overwhelming Event." This passage contains a couple classic themes that run throughout the Quran, such as the reminder at the end that the job of the Prophet is merely to remind people of the truth. If in the end they/we don't do the right thing it's on them/us. That's also true in a broader sense in Islam because you completely own your own deeds.
This passage also displays another theme: referencing the world as self-evident proof of God's existence. I probably chose this one because I'll be camel riding with my students in Jordan next week. Nasr tells us:
"Camels were central to desert livelihood, as they were easy to domesticate; could be eaten, milked, or used as beasts or burden; and could carry large loads for many days, surviving on little water and thorny desert brush. The camel is thus seen in many commentaries and in Islamic literature in general as one of the supreme examples of God's Wisdom and Power. The reference to camels can also be understood as an allusion to the docile nature of camels, who despite their strength will yield to one who is leading them. In this sense, the verse could be read as chastising human beings for not yielding to the guidance of God in the manner that camel's yield to their guides." (p. 1508)
In a larger sense this is also interesting because it reflects on the default setting of Islam - or more generally of people of faith - that everything in this world proves that God exists. If you're not a person of faith then all the things of this world can be viewed as proof that God doesn't exist; how could all of this complexity exist inside of a divinely structured universe, the very random diversity acting as evidence against any sort of divine superstructure.
Quran 88:17-22
I think this is the first thing I've culled out of surah 88, al-Ghashiyah, here rendered as "The Overwhelming Event." This passage contains a couple classic themes that run throughout the Quran, such as the reminder at the end that the job of the Prophet is merely to remind people of the truth. If in the end they/we don't do the right thing it's on them/us. That's also true in a broader sense in Islam because you completely own your own deeds.
This passage also displays another theme: referencing the world as self-evident proof of God's existence. I probably chose this one because I'll be camel riding with my students in Jordan next week. Nasr tells us:
"Camels were central to desert livelihood, as they were easy to domesticate; could be eaten, milked, or used as beasts or burden; and could carry large loads for many days, surviving on little water and thorny desert brush. The camel is thus seen in many commentaries and in Islamic literature in general as one of the supreme examples of God's Wisdom and Power. The reference to camels can also be understood as an allusion to the docile nature of camels, who despite their strength will yield to one who is leading them. In this sense, the verse could be read as chastising human beings for not yielding to the guidance of God in the manner that camel's yield to their guides." (p. 1508)
In a larger sense this is also interesting because it reflects on the default setting of Islam - or more generally of people of faith - that everything in this world proves that God exists. If you're not a person of faith then all the things of this world can be viewed as proof that God doesn't exist; how could all of this complexity exist inside of a divinely structured universe, the very random diversity acting as evidence against any sort of divine superstructure.
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