World Blog by humble servant.Islam is a natural religion.

Islam is a natural religion.

As part of man’s privilege, Islam, through the Qur’an, invites man to discover the laws of nature and the ways in which the universe exists. There is no threat to Allah’s supremacy in this way, because if Allah wills something to remain a mystery (such as Himself) then man has no possible way of discovering whatever Allah chooses to remain hidden. On the contrary, when man sees for himself the extent to which the universe has been meticulously planned and provided for, Allah’s infinite wisdom becomes apparent. Man is invited to question, discover, explore, and manipulate the world around him and use it for his benefit.

There are three types of learning encouraged in Islam, all of which will (or should) inevitably lead to acknowledgement and recognition of Allah’s power. These are: (1) the discovery of nature, its laws, and how it can be used for the benefit of mankind; (2) the exploration of the history and the geography of the physical world and its peoples; and (3) knowledge of oneself (Rahman).Nature exists for man to exploit for his own ends, while the end of man himself is nothing else but to serve God, to be grateful to him, and to worship him alone” (Rahman). Islam suggests that nature was created by Allah specifically for mankind’s use and so must be recognised and respected as a gift for which man must be grateful. There are three reasons for creation: (1) “to serve as a collection of signs, or ayat, of the power and goodness of Allah”; (2) “to serve Allah and to be submissive to God’s will”; and

(3) “for the use of humans.In Islamic teachings, in contrast to those of Christianity, man was not made in God’s image. Rather, Allah distinguished man from His other creations by breathing His own spirit into man. This preferential treatment of God’s creation gave man two privileges not made available to the rest of creation: (1) freedom of choice and (2) specialised knowledge or “creative knowledge” (Rahman).

Freedom of choice allows man the ability to make the decision whether or not to worship Allah and follow His will. The universe, as described before, is governed by the laws decreed for it by Allah, and has, therefore, been in submission to Allah since its creation. Man, however, was given the ability to think, rationalize, and argue the presence of a creator, and then decide whether to submit to Him or not.