The Gift of Nature

Cont'd from page 3

If we do not use God’s gifts and bounties in the Divine design He intended for us, it could be tantamount to us being ungrateful. In other words, a “kaafir”. [2:29] He is the One who created for you everything on earth, then turned to the sky and perfected seven universes therein, and He is fully aware of all things.
The “you” here is all of us including most of the population yet to come. God’s gifts are blessings and we should realise our moral obligations to God as well as future generations. We need to act with responsibility and accountability.

Water is among God’s gifts to us and among His proofs.

[21:30] Do the unbelievers not realize that the heaven and the earth used to be one solid mass that we exploded into existence? And from water we made all living things. Would they believe?

God designed water to be the basis of all life. As new-borns, we are about 75% water, as adults that percentage drops but remains about 55-60%. All of this is created by God who is the only One who can create life.

The Most Gracious has given us clean air and pure water essential for our survival and we should be appreciative of His blessings and not abuse them.

[15:22] And we send the winds as pollinators, and cause water to come down from the sky for you to drink. Otherwise, you could not keep it palatable. Cool winds also bring relief on hot days and push rain-bearing clouds. This provides for our cleansing as well as drinking.

This water is not just for us, but also for other creatures.

[25:48-50] He is the One who sends the winds with good omens of His mercy, and we send down from the sky pure water. With it, we revive dead lands and provide drink for our creations―multitudes of animals and humans. We have distributed it among them in exact measure, that they may take heed. But most people insist upon disbelieving.

[16:10-11] He sends down from the sky water for your drink, and to grow trees for your benefit. With it, He grows for you crops, olives, date palms, grapes, and all kinds of fruits. This is (sufficient) proof for people who think.

We can only imagine the countless forms of marine life dwelling in the waters and how perfectly God designed each one. Consider the Mariana snailfish which has been observed at depths of 8,178 meters – just over 5 miles down. The fish is named after its home, the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the world’s oceans). The pressure on it would be the equivalent of 50 jumbo jets stacked on top of one another. All the creatures designed by God play a vital role in

sustaining a complex ecological system.

Over 90% of the world’s cargo travels on water transport. It is, by far, the most cost-effective way to move goods and raw materials around the world.

[16:14] And He committed the sea to serve you; you eat from it tender meat, and extract jewelry which you wear. And you see the ships roaming it for your commercial benefits, as you seek His bounties, that you may be appreciative.

We should express our gratitude to God for water which is a continuous blessing.

[56:68-70] Have you noted the water you drink? Did you send it down from the clouds, or did we? If we will, we can make it salty. You should be thankful.

In summary, let us appreciate God’s many blessings upon us. Let us enjoy God’s gifts equitably while encouraging environmental protection through conservation and prohibition of wasteful practices (30:41). God’s earth is for all creatures, those here today and those to come.

[15:19-21] As for the earth, we constructed it, and placed on it stabilizers (mountains), and we grew on it a perfect balance of everything. We made it habitable for you, and for creatures you do not provide for. There is nothing that we do not own infinite amounts thereof. But we send it down in precise measure.

Alim