One Water, Many Lands

Everywhere we look around us we can find repeating patterns, signs of Allah’s established sunnah, pervasive reminders that Allah is Al Rahman and Al Razzaaq. It is through these repeating patterns that Allah provides for our needs and the needs of all of creation. As mentioned in ayaat 45:3-6, some of these remarkable patterns are found in the earth and sky, in ourselves and in other creatures, in the changing of night and day, in the movement of winds and in precipitation from the sky and how it causes the earth to support life. 

Let’s carefully observe the alternation of day and night, as that readies us to consider the role of the sun in providing light and heat in a regular pattern, which affects the way air and water move around the earth. This choreography produces diverse climates, each supporting different biomes, even while all share one sun, one atmosphere and ‘one water’ (13:4). Let’s embark on a tour of Earth’s surface for an overview of ecosystems produced by varying conditions in the sky related to temperature and moisture.

Relatedly, Allah’s distribution of light among our souls reflects our personal patterns of behavior and affects the climate of our hearts; even balanced climates experience ‘bad weather’, yet with every hardship comes ease.

Lifelines in Waves and Weaves

This theme flows on from where One Water, Many Lands leaves off: where the river meets the sea. The focus on water expands from fresh water to include salt water and the ecosystems it supports.

Guided by ayah 17:70, let’s dive deep to understand humans’ connection to the sea and how, by way of it, Allah meets so many of our needs. Study of the sea and its ecosystems gives way to study of the land, beginning with coastal ecosystems, which support half of the human population worldwide, and how Allah additionally meets many of our needs through the land, especially by way of agriculture and pastoralism. We co-exist with amazing gifts that are Allah’s creations, over land and sea, with whom, we will discover, we are critically interdependent. Acting to preserve natural ecosystems supports their survival and, in turn, ours. Otherwise, Allah is most capable of resetting the balance (30:41).

Community Connections

Having explored how humans, animals, plants, insects and microbes interact interdependently within ecosystems, especially in the case of domestication and agriculture, we are now ready to explore in depth what it means, within an ecosystem, to be part of an ummah.

Let’s explore how a human ummah may start with just one person, much like a forest can grow from one seed. Ibrahim was the father of the ummah defined by the worldview in which Pure Truth is prioritized, sought, acknowledged and called to (16:120). We followers of Muhammad (saws) exist as an ummah within this greater ummah that has grown from the seed of Ibrahim: a forest of trees that are similar yet unique, connected in amazing ways.

Family connections have been an important structure for maintaining and spreading the worldview in which there is One God, but Muhammad (saws) delivered that message in a way that would reach every corner of the Earth and connect humans on a higher level. Ethnic, racial, linguistic and national differences fade into the background in the ummah of Muhammad. 

Yet, our basic nature ever threatens to steer us back to tribalist, racist sentiments and even sibling rivalries and bullying. Let’s explore this reality, along with its consequences, so as to recognize the signs and symptoms and become equipped with personal and interpersonal skills for preventing and solving such problems. Let’s delve into the Quranic stories as well as some modern literature dealing with these issues.

These explorations will necessarily involve delving into genetics, biology, soil science, electricity and magnetism and the physics of sound and light, as well as ancient and modern history of the Fertile Crescent, including its geography and social history. Through these studies, we may come to better understand ourselves, our families, our communities, our ummah, and–most importantly–our God.

Gifts of Matter

The fourth theme is rooted in a selection of Quranic verses that remind us that Allah is the source of all provision–not only food, water and air but all natural resources found in the universe. Ayah 16:78-83 lists provisions offered by Allah out of His immense generosity that fulfill the needs of His creations, ranging from the need for protection to the need for travel and transport to the need to be grateful. Numerous materials are mentioned which humans have used throughout history to varying degrees of sophistication and success. From these verses, we are set for a walk through the history of tool use and material science, to the modern material industries and on to the future of material science, mining and textiles. Our journey will necessarily take us through the history of writing systems, which has evolved along with materials.

We may appreciate the many gifts Allah provides and recognize His ultimate superiority (as demonstrated even by wealthy kings including Sulaiman and Dhul Qarnain), or we may be overtaken by the feeling of greatness we achieve through provisions (for example the garments that protect us from extremes) and refuse to acknowledge Allah’s generosity. This dichotomy is clearly illustrated by the fall, temporary or otherwise, of Adam and Iblis, through which we are reminded that “garments of taqwa” are by far the most protective.

From Meadow to Cosmos

Then He turned His attention [from the earth] to the sky while it was smoke…. (41:11)

Let’s go beyond material textiles to explore the fabric of the universe and discover what the signs in nature and in the Quran inform us about how the samaa’ (the observable universe) was brought into being and has been purposefully shaped and balanced by Allah: the Creator, the Evolver, the Shaper (59:27). The patterns we find in wildflower meadows are repeated throughout the cosmos, literally and figuratively, such that the path to discovering them is paved with a mixture of geometry, physics and poetry.

Let’s explore the great role of celestial bodies in timekeeping, calculation and navigation through history and visit with civilizations at great moments of discovery that continue to impact and shape modern life. Let’s ride through history up to the space race and consider current human ambitions in space exploration, mining and travel. Wherever we go, from the smallest scale to the largest, we can be absolutely sure that we will find more and more signs of Allah’s purposefulness and power (41:53).