Allah is He Who made for you the night that you may rest therein and the day to see;
most surely Allah is Gracious to men, but most men do not give thanks.
That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of everything; there is no Allah but He; why are you then turned away? Thus were turned away those who denied the communications of Allah.
Allah is He Who made the earth a resting-place for you and the heaven a canopy,
and He formed you, then made goodly your forms, and He provided you with goodly things;
that is Allah, your Lord; blessed then is Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
He is the Living, there is no god but He, therefore call on Him, being sincere to Him in obedience; (all) praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
Say: I am forbidden to serve those whom you call upon besides Allah when clear arguments have come to me from my Lord, and I am commanded that I should submit to the Lord of the worlds.] He it is Who created you from dust, then from a small life germ, then from a clot, then He brings you forth as a child, then that you may attain your maturity, then that you may be old– and of you there are some who are caused to die before– and that you may reach an appointed term, and that you may understand
He it is Who gives life and brings death, so when He decrees an affair, He only says to it: Be, and it is..
(Holy Qur’an, al-Ghafir, 40:61-67)
Questions for Reflection
- What benefits are describes in these verses? What are the reasons given for the creation of these benefits?
- Draw some of the benefits that are described in these verses.
- What qualities of God can you derive from these verses?
- What type of relationship with Allah is the human being encouraged to have in these verses?
- Verse 67 describes the stages of the human being. What is the benefit of having stages and different abilities at each stage?