Get inspiration from Nature, says Quran

The reading of Holy Quran this morning took me through pages where God asks us to get inspiration from Nature for belief in Him.Here are some samples from 16th Chapter:

(16:10)
It is He Who sends down
Rain from the sky
From it ye drink,
And out of it (grows)
The vegetation on which
Ye feed your cattle.

(16:11)
With it He produces
For you corn, olives,
Date-palms, grapes
And every kind of fruit:
Verily in this is a Sign
For those who give thought.

(16: 12)
He has made subject to you
The Night and the Day;
The Sun and the Moon;
And the Stars are in subjection
By His Command: verily
In this are signs
For humans who are wise.

(16:14)
It is He who has made
The sea subject, that ye
May eat thereof flesh
That is fresh and tender,
And that ye may extract
Therefrom ornaments to wear;
And thou seest the ships
Therein that plough the waves,
That ye may seek (thus)
Of the bounty of God
And that ye may be grateful.

(16:15)
And He has set up
On the earth mountains
Standing firm, lest it should
Shake with you; and rivers
And ways: that ye
May guide yourselves;

This is Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's second appeal to the people of Kerala released on December 10, 2011.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's appeal to people of Kerala

Following is the text of the appeal made by Jayalalithaa, chief minister of Tamil Nadu to people of Kerala on Tuesday (December 6, 2011) night: It has come to my notice that Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu on pilgrimage to Sabarimala have been attacked by their brothers in Kerala. Vehicles bearing Tamil Nadu registration plates are being vandalized. Similarly, Tamil establishments in Kerala and even journalists and professionals from Tamil Nadu who are there on official work are under threat. The reason for this animosity appears to be the dispute between the Governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullai Periyar Dam issue. I call upon the highly educated and intelligent people of God’s own Country not to fall a prey to the machinations of narrow, vested interests or of unscrupulous anti-social elements and allow their rational minds to be manipulated to indulge in Quixotic acts of wanton mob violence. To me, these violent developments are alarming and based on imaginary, unfounded fears, which have been fuelled by irresponsible positioning by vested political interests. When a volatile situation has been precipitated, it is but natural that public passions run high. When things are so, it is the responsibility of the protagonists to reach out to the people and place matters in the right perspective. Let me clarify. There is no justification whatsoever to believe that the Mullai Periyar dam is unsafe or likely to collapse, bringing a deluge upon Idukki and surrounding districts. The dam is well maintained and has been periodically reinforced. Its safety is being constantly monitored and highly qualified and accomplished technical experts, including those nominated by the Supreme Court of India, have repeatedly reiterated that it is absolutely safe. To doubt its safety merely because it is 116 years old is sheer ignorance. Kallanai, or the Grand Anaicut Dam, widely considered to be the oldest dam in the world, built by Karikala Cholan over the River Cauvery, still stands in Tamil Nadu. Built in the second century AD, it is all of 1900 years old and absolutely safe. Kallanai was built with the same surkhi mortar as the Mullai Periyar dam. There is therefore no necessity to dismiss the Mullai Periyar dam as a primitive construction or fear that it would self-destruct due to old age. It was based on the confidence in its longevity that the initial water-sharing agreement entered into between the British Government of the State of Madras and the State of Travancore was for a period of 999 years. There has been widespread panic in recent times in the wake of a rumour that the dam stands on an earthquake-prone zone. A study of the seismic map of India, which can be easily downloaded by anyone from the internet, clearly shows that the whole of Kerala and most parts of India, including the city of Chennai, come under Seizmic Zone III, which stands for “moderately active”. Tremors, if at all, in Zone III will rarely cross 3 points on the Richter scale. Tremors of 2 to 2.9 intensity on the Richter scale are “generally not felt, but recorded”. Such tremors are taking place every minute all over the world and are mere statistics for the Meteorology Department. Tremors of 3 to 3.9 intensity on the Richter scale are “often felt, but rarely cause damage”. Such tremors are also widespread and no cause for concern. When this is so, there is absolutely no basis for fear that an earthquake will cause the collapse of the existing Mullai Periyar Dam. These facts are known to all concerned in Kerala as well. Yet, for some vested reasons, they have preferred to allow a fear psychosis bordering on mass hysteria to build up all over the State over the alleged lack of safety of the Mullai Periyar dam. Kerala is Tamil Nadu’s closest neighbour. In fact, till the early 1950s, the two States were one. Malayalees and Tamils share a common linguistic and cultural heritage. There are a large number of Tamils in Kerala. There are an even larger number of Malayalees in Tamil Nadu. And all have lived together all these decades in an admirable display of brotherhood and co-operation. The Government of Tamil Nadu and the people of the State would be the last people on earth who would want devastation to visit their brothers and sisters in Kerala. We would not claim that the Mullai Periyar Dam is safe unless we were absolutely sure of our facts. I also call upon the media to exercise restraint and report the issue responsibly and objectively. I also make a fervent appeal to the people of Kerala not to succumb to the machinations of ill-wishers and unscrupulous mischief mongers. Please do not indulge in acts of senseless violence and vandalism over an imaginary non-issue. Please do not destroy the mutual trust, esteem and goodwill that exist between the people of the two States – which have been painstakingly built up, not just over the last six decades, but over centuries. Do not let whipped up passions cloud your reason and better judgement. This is my request to a people whom I have always held in the highest esteem for their intelligence, education, rationality and hard work. Finally, I also call upon the political class of Tamil Nadu to desist from making inflammatory speeches on the issue, which would vitiate the cordial relations that exist between the people of the two States.

Abusing the media, the DMK style

"We were defeated because of you. You, NDTV, repeatedly showed image of A. Raja and Kanimozhi being arrested. That contributed to our poll defeat," said a DMK general council member, while refusing to talk to us on elder brother M.K.Alagiri sulking at the proposed elevation of younger brother M.K. Stalin in the ranks of the DMK.

When another media colleague talked live about the DMK assessing its poll defeat outside DMK's general council venue at Coimbatore, he was mobbed. Thanks to some media-friendly volunteers of the DMK and other media colleagues, he escaped an attack.

At least two media colleagues had to shift their reporting locations away from the crowd of DMK cadre during the DMK's executive and general council held on July 23 and 24 at Singanallur in Coimbatore. It is to be recalled that the DMK chief himself had blamed the media for Dayanidhi Maran's exit from the UPA cabinet.

DMK chief M.Karunanidhi had used the media (not just Sun TV,Dinakaran and Kalaignar TV) to attack his Opposition when he was ruling Tamil Nadu. He had effectively used media even when he was the Opposition. So, he can stop instigating his cadre against the media.

Please read this now

Seest thou not that it is
God Whose praises all beings
In the heavens and on earth
Do celebrate, and the birds
(of the air) with wings
Outspread? Each one knows
Its own (mode of) prayer
And praise. And God
Knows well all that they do. (Holy Quran Chapter:24, Verse:41)

Yea, to God belongs
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth; and to God
Is the return. (Holy Quran 24:42)

Seest thou not that God
Makes the clouds move
Gently, then joins them
Together, then makes them
Into a heap? - then wilt thou
See rain issue forth
From their midst. And He
Sends down from the sky
Mountain masses (of clouds)
Wherein is hail: He strikes
Therewith whom He pleases
And He turns it away
From whom He pleases.
The vivid flash of its lightning
Well-nigh blinds the sight. (Holy Quran 24: 43)

It is God Who alternates
The Night and the Day:
Verily in these things
Is an instructive example
For those who have vision! (Holy Quran 24: 44)

And God has created
Every animal from water:
Of them there are some
That creep on their bellies;
Some that walk on two legs:
And some that walk on four.
God creates what He wills;
For verily God has power
Over all things. (Holy Quran 24:45)

We have indeed sent down
Signs that make things manifest:
And God guides whom He wills
To a way that is straight. (Holy Quran 24:46)

Today's Reading

The following verses of Holy Quran from Chapter 39 inspired me today:

God is the Creator
Of all things, and He
Is the Guardian and Disposer
Of all affairs. (39: 62)

To Him belong the keys
Of the heavens
And the earth:
And those who reject
The Signs of God,-
It is they who will
Be in loss. (39:63)

One, yet we differ

As we read The Quran, it is increasingly clear that the divisions on the basis of religion are human-made. In the Book's 42nd chapter, the following verses explain the phenomenon.

11. (He is) the Creator
Of the heavens and
The earth: He has made
For you pairs
From among yourselves,
And pairs among cattle:
By this means does He
Multiply you: there is nothing
Whatever like unto Him,
And He is the One
That hears and sees.

12. To Him belong the keys
Of the heavens and the earth:
He enlarges and restricts
The Sustenance to whom
He will: for He knows
Full well all things.

13. The same religion has He
Established for you as that
Which He enjoined on Noah-
The which We have sent
By inspiration to thee-
And that which We enjoined
On Abraham, Moses and Jesus:
Namely, that ye should remain
Steadfast in Religion, and make
No divisions therein:
To those who worship
Other things than God,
Hard is the (way)
To which thou callest them.
God chooses to Himself
Those whom He pleases,
And guides to Himself
Those who turn (to Him).

14. And they became divided
Only after knowledge
Reached them, - being insolent to
One another.
Had it not been
For a word that
Went forth before
From thy Lord,
(Tending) to a Term appointed,
The matter would have
Been settled between them:
But truly those who have
Inherited the Book after them
Are in suspicious (disquieting)
Doubt concerning it.

15. Now then, for that (reason),
Call (them to the Faith),
And stand steadfast
As thou art commanded,
Nor follow thou their vain
Desires; but say; "I believe
In whatever Book
God has sent down;
And I am commanded
To judge justly between you.
God is our Lord
And your Lord! For us
(Is the responsibility for)
Our deeds, and for you
For your deeds. There is
No contention between us
And you. God will
Bring us together,
And to Him is
(Our) final goal.

Wealth and children are not yours

If you ever thought your wealth and children are yours alone, you may be making a mistake. That is the message that I get while reading The Quran. Here is a sample verse from tenth chapter. (10:24)

The likeness of the life
Of the Present is
As the rain which we
Send down from the skies:
By its mingling arises
The produce of the earth-
Which provides food
For humans and animals:
(It grows) till the earth
Is clad with its golden
Ornaments and is decked out
(In beauty): the people to whom
It belongs think they have
All powers of disposal over it:
There reaches Our command
By night or by day,
And we make it
Like a harvest clean-mown,
As if it had not flourished
Only the day before!
Thus do We explain
The Signs in detail
For those who reflect.

What Nature tells us about God?

A keen observation of Nature may lead to remembrance of God; In its 16th chapter, Quran tells us why in detail:

Chapter 16

Verse 65: And God sends down rain
From the skies, and gives therewith
Life to the earth after its death:
Verily in this is a Sign
For those who listen.

66: And verily in cattle (too)
Will ye find an instructive Sign.
From what is within their bodies,
Between excretions and blood,
We produce, for your drink,
Milk, pure and agreeable
To those who drink it.

67: And from the fruit
Of the date-palm and the vine,
Ye get out strong drink,
And wholesome food: behold, in this
Also is a Sign
For those who are wise.

68: And thy Lord taught the Bee
To build its cells in hills,
On trees, and in (humans') habitations;

69: Then to eat of all
The produce (of the earth)
And follow the ways of Thy
Lord made smooth: there issues
From within their bodies
A drink of varying colours,
Wherein is healing for humans:
Verily in this is a Sign
For those who give thought.

70: It is God Who creates you
And takes your souls at death;
And of you there are
Some who are sent back
To a feeble age, so that
They know nothing after
Having known (much):
For God is All-Knowing,
All-Powerful.

71: God has bestowed His gifts
Of sustenance more freely on some
Of you than on others: those
More favoured are not going
To throw back their gifts
To those whom their right hands
Possess, so as to be equal
In that respect. Will they then
Deny the favours of God?

These words have made me remember God.

IT IS A DUTY TO STOP INJUSTICE

Why Holy Quran says it is your duty to stop injustice? These three verses (115 to 117) in Chapter 11 make things clear:

115. And be steadfast in patience;
For verily God will not suffer
The reward of the righteous
To perish.

116. If only there had been
Of the generations before you,
Humans of righteousness
Who prohibited humans
From mischief in the earth
(But there were none)
Except a few among them
Whom we saved (from harm)
But the wrong-doers pursued
The enjoyment of the good things
Of life which were given to them,
And persisted in sin.

117. Nor would thy Lord be
The One to destroy
The towns unjustly
While their people are
Righteous.

These words are worth contemplating these days.