on This Earth

In a parallel series to my current series on connecting to nature in terms time and place, I am resharing some of my earlier writings about nature. I recently recovered some of the past blog posts and thought I would share them with you.

This is originally from 2009 linked here but I have added to it in this current post.

Blog post from February of 2009

It’s late evening and I’m feeling a little mellow. It’s been snowing since 2 hours ago and now the ground is white as snow. The lochen (mini loch) is almost frozen over and covered with snow as well. Again, I find myself thinking of God’s beauty which is reflected in the beauty of His creation.

Yet, each of His creation is a double edged sword. There has been people stranded in the snowstorms around Britain this week and a boy died falling through the ice. In Australia, they are battling yet another creation of His; the fire whose usefulness to human is enormous. I heard about 96 people are believed to have died and the body count is expected to rise. Similarly, humans too, as His ultimate creation, tasked to be His viceroy on Earth, have both good and dark sides.

It is a philosophical question, but why does God create as such? In Islam, God has 99 names, much of which are reflections of His attributes and characters. Take for example:

Al-Qaabid
The Constricter, The Retainer, The Withholder, The One who constricts the sustenance by His wisdomand expands and widens it with His Generosity and Mercy.
Al-Baasit
The Expander, The Englarger, The One who constricts the sustenance by His wisdomand expands and widens it with His Generosity and Mercy.

or

Al-Khaafid
The Abaser, The One who lowers whoever He willed by His Destruction and raises whoever He willed by His Endowment.
Ar-Raafi
The Exalter, The Elevator, The One who lowers whoever He willed by His Destruction and raises whoever He willed by His Endowment.

Many of His attributes are again coupled. A dual quality that allows us to appreciate the contrast in order to develop a deeper understanding. I believe it is something that God devised for us especially. Unlike His other creations like the other living things on this Earth, we make choices based on our rationality. In the Qur’an, this appeal to our thinking or reasoning is very much apparent.

Duality is central to life in this universe. In physics, you have push-pull forces. Then there is the concept of expansion and contraction. Positive and negative. In finance, a call and a put option. In Operations Research, there is maximization and minimization, primal and dual problems to be solved. Hot and cold. Male and female. 

Balance and Equilibrium

But why is duality so prevalent and central? What is the purpose of duality? I posit that the purpose is to achieve balance. In the Qur’an, the concept of balance is prevalent in so many verses, none more explicit than in Surah Ar-Rahman. But here are other related verses

• Economic equality and equilibrium – Surah Al-Mutaffifin 83:1-3, Surah Al-Isra 17:26-27
• As a middle nation (one that is moderate, falling into neither extremes, following the straight path) – Surah Al-Baqarah 2:143
• All of creation in perfect equilibrium, balance, and proportions – Surah At-Taghabun 64:3, Surah Al-Hijr 15:19

Balance is therefore key to life on this Earth and it is based on treading that narrow line between extremes. By understanding the nature of these extremes, we can course correct to maintain that balance. The farther we go to one extreme, the more we have to course correct. A simple example is that of the pendulum. I am reminded of the pendulum in my grandmother’s ancient grandfather clock. It needed to swing from end to end in order to keep time. But it will ultimately stop in the middle if we don’t keep it moving.

We are seeing the same phenomenon in nature with the extreme weather patterns. And in the breakdown of communities and society in general. The chaos will continue until a new equilibrium is achieved. We are living through one of the most chaotic times when both the natural and societal elements are swinging from one extreme to the next. In such situations, preparedness and patience are key to surviving and even thriving. Our actions must contribute to bringing back balance to both nature and society.