Nature in the Quran

Nature in the Quran has been talked about in many verses. In general, the Quran attaches special importance to the conservation of nature and its protection.

In this article on Islam4u, we will discuss the following topics:

Nature in the Quran: God Censures Those who Corrupt the Land

Allah Almighty says in the Noble Quran:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ الْخِصَامِ ﴿204﴾

Among the people is he whose talk about worldly life impresses you, and he holds Allah witness to what is in his heart, though he is the staunchest of enemies.

وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ الْحَرْثَ وَالنَّسْلَ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ ﴿205﴾

If he were to wield authority, he would try to cause corruption in the land and to ruin the crop and the stock, and Allah does not like corruption. ¹

As this verse clearly indicates, causing corruption on earth is not limited to killing, prosecuting, and doing injustice to people, but rather harming nature and ruining crops is also a form of corruption in the land that God definitely does not like. We as Muslims must try to preserve nature and the ecosystem. We should not hunt animals for fun, especially animals that are going extinct. Bothering harmless animals is something that God forbids as it is a kind of oppression and God does not like the oppressors and wrongdoers:

وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿57﴾

But as for those who have faith and do righteous deeds, He will pay them in full their rewards, and Allah does not like the wrongdoers. ²

Nature in the Quran: God Splits the Grain and Pit

God Almighty says the following in the Noble Quran:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ ۖ يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّـهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ ﴿95﴾

Indeed Allah is the splitter of the grain and the pit. He brings forth the living from the dead and He brings forth the dead from the living. That is Allah! Then where do you stray? ³

When a seed or grain sprouts, it splits open and the growth of the plant starts from the center of that seed or grain. God Almighty says that He is the one who causes the grain and the pit to be split into half. It is easy for God to do anything, whether it is splitting of a grain or bringing forth the living from the dead. In fact, everything that takes place in nature is the action of God and is governed by the rules that He has laid down. As people age, they become weak and frail and ultimately die. This is the rule of nature laid down by God. God says in this regard:

وَمَن نُّعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ ۖ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿68﴾

And whomever We give a long life, We cause him to regress in creation. Then, will they not exercise their reason? ⁴

The Death and Rebirth of the Earth in Quran

God explains in the Quran how the earth dies during winter. Then, when spring comes, God revives the earth and causes plants to grow once again by making rain fall, the winds to blow and scatter the pollen, and the earth to become fertilized:

وَاللَّـهُ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَسُقْنَاهُ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ النُّشُورُ ﴿9﴾

It is Allah who sends the winds and they raise a cloud; then We drive it toward a dead land and with it revive the earth after its death. Likewise will be the resurrection [of the dead]. ⁵

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْأَرْضَ خَاشِعَةً فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِي أَحْيَاهَا لَمُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿39﴾

Among His signs, is that you see the earth desolate; but when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells. Indeed, He who revives it will also revive the dead. Indeed, He has power over all things. ⁶

God shows us through nature that the revival of human beings after their death on the Day of Judgment is possible and God is capable of doing it, because He revives the dead earth, why should He not be able to revive dead human beings?

The Night and Day in Quran

God says in the Quran:

فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ﴿96﴾

Splitter of the dawn, He has made the night for rest, and the sun and the moon for calculation. That is the ordaining of the All-mighty, the All-knowing. ⁷

Night and day also plays a crucial role in nature. At night, usually living beings especially humans rest as it is too dark to work and see anything, whereas during the day, when the sun rises everywhere becomes bright and can be seen. Therefore, living beings function better during the day, except some animals that are nocturnal animals. Likewise, the sun and moon are two elements of nature that affect our lives greatly. We use them for calculating dates and time.

Nature in the Quran: The Stars Guide People

God says in the Quran:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿97﴾

It is He who made the stars for you, so that you may be guided by them in the darkness of land and sea. We have certainly elaborated the signs for a people who have knowledge. ⁸

Stars are also part of nature. During the night, the sky is ornamented by these beautiful and bright celestial bodies. However, they serve a purpose too. People find their way using the star when they voyage from one place to another. Indeed, how else would have voyagers found their way home if God had not created stars in the darkness of the night?

Nature in the Quran: The Human Being Is the Noblest Creation

God has said that the human being is His noblest creation. In fact, He made everything for him, including nature. However he must take good care of it and not lay it to waste. God says in the Quran:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَفْقَهُونَ ﴿98﴾

It is He who created you from a single soul, then there is the [enduring] abode and the place of temporary lodging. We have certainly elaborated the signs for a people who understand. ⁹

We all descended from Prophet Adam. The temporary lodging mentioned in the above verse is this worldly life while the enduring abode is the Hereafter. It is a marvel of nature and the display of God’s power that many human beings are created from a single human being. This verse refers to the reproductive cycle in nature and how we have one ancestor.

Nature in the Quran: Growth of Vegetation and Fruits

God explains in the Quran how He sends down rain from the sky and causes all kinds of fruits and vegetables to grow as a sustenance for us human beings:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّاتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ ۗ انظُرُوا إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكُمْ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿99﴾

It is He who sends down water from the sky, and brings forth with it every kind of growing thing. Then from it We bring forth vegetation from which We produce the grain, in clusters, and from the palm-tree, from the spathes of it, low-hanging clusters [of dates], and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Look at its fruit as it fructifies and ripens. Indeed, there are signs in that for a people who have faith. ¹⁰

If there was a single verse to be called the verse of nature, this verse would be entitled to it. It is a very colorful verse that talks about many fruits and vegetation such as grapes, olives, dates, and pomegranates. Again, these are all the signs of God that exist in nature. As a matter of fact, by looking at nature, we are reminded of God with every second and our belief and faith in one God should be strengthened.

Nature in the Quran: Another Colorful Verse

God says in the Quran:

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ ثَمَرَاتٍ مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهَا ۚ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ ﴿27﴾

Have you not regarded that Allah sends down water from the sky, with which We produce fruits of diverse hues. And in the mountains are stripes, white and red, of diverse hues, and [others] pitch black?

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّـهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ ﴿28﴾

And of humans and beasts and cattle there are likewise diverse hues. Only those of Allah’s servants having knowledge fear Him. Indeed Allah is all-mighty, all-forgiving. ¹¹

In these two verses, it is as though God has done a painting of the mountains with their white, red, and black stripes. Colors are what make nature beautiful and it is God who has created all these different colors to add beauty to His creation. Only the knowledgeable servants of God appreciate these subtleties and praise and glorify God for them. They are the ones who truly fear Him.

Conclusion

Nature in the Quran appears in many verses. God talks about different elements of nature including:

• rain
• wind
• trees
• sun and moon
• clouds
• the earth
• fruits
• vegetation
• animals
• the human being

However, the gardens and nature that exists in paradise and in the Hereafter pales in comparison to the one in this world. God willing, we will all be granted a place in heaven.