INFINITE VARIETY

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.

Continued on page 2