PREFACE

Islam, which literally means peace, submission, and obedience, is the religion of the whole universe. The universe is orderly, a cosmos whose parts are linked together and work together for the same purpose and goal.

Islam and the Universe:
Everything is assigned a place in the grand scheme of the universe, which works in a magnificent way. The sun, moon, stars, and all heavenly bodies are knit together in a splendid system, follow unalterable laws, and never deviate from their ordained course.

The universe, although seemingly monotonous and blindly obeying a set of laws, is neither a factory, as thought by eighteenth-century theists, nor a chaos, as conceived by Existentialist philosophers. Rather, it is like a lively and dynamic organism, each part of which works according to the position it occupies and fulfills its role in the system of mutual relationships. On the other hand, God is not a passive power that set up the universe to work automatically, but an "ever-active" Power Who unceasingly reflects His Names in the mirror of the universe. Each such reflection renews the universe, meaning that a new one is manifested each moment. But this renewal depends upon certain immutable principles that allow us to regulate our lives and, therefore, make human life possible. These principles, which we deduce by observing "natural" events and call "natural" laws, have only nominal existence. The universe's Creator and Ruler established them; creation obeys them...

Islam Defined with Respect to the Universe:
Islam, derived from silm (submission, salvation, and peace), is the expression of God's Grace flowing in the universe's arteries. Being the Divine system to which all creation, except humanity, has submitted willingly, the universe contains no disorder. Islam is the firm, unbreakable rope stretched from Heaven to which all creatures hold fast and by which humanity will ascend to Paradise, our original home. Islam connects all creatures in a single unity, and thus is the religion of universal brotherhood, sisterhood, and solidarity.
Tawhid (monotheism), which is the bedrock of Islam, implies the necessity of humanity's harmony with nature. The universe, which has submitted to God, displays a coherence and harmony of which our world is also a part. Although our world is subject to the general laws of "nature" as well as its own unique set of laws, it is in harmony with other laws governing those phenomena beyond it. Humanity, which alone does not tread the path of nature, has free will and the gift of freedom, as well as the obligation to harmonize its life with the rest of nature. This harmony, moreover, is also the path of human exaltation and progress, the path upon which God originated human nature:...

The Universal Message:
While constant change is observed in nature, there is an underlying aspect of permanence in everything. For instance, a seed germinates underground and grows into a tree without the laws of germination and growth changing. Likewise the essential character of humanity and human life with all its vital, indispensable necessities, regardless of any external material or other changes in our lifestyles, as well as their impact upon our lives and environment, have remained unchanged since the creation of Adam and Eve. All of us share certain general conditions of life and value: we are born, mature, marry, have children, and die; we have some degree of will and common desires; we share certain values, such as honesty, kindness, justice, courage, and so on...

Islam Does Not Accept Contradictions:
Tawhid implies the equality and unity of all people in their relation with God, and thus indicates homogeneity, equality, and the unity of human origin. Humanness is the one element ingrained in the nature of all individuals. People of different social strata were not created by separate deities with varying levels of power, for this would violate tawhid by allowing possible disparity in their essential nature and erecting insuperable barriers between them. The same God created everyone, and so all people have the same fundamental essence: O humanity, be conscious of your Lord, Who created you of a single soul ....