Surah Al-A‘raf, Verse 54: Creation and Governance Belong to Allah
24 January 2021
Thinking About Ourselves as We Look at the Sky
Verse 54 of Surah Al-A‘raf turns our attention to the heavens, the earth, the night, the day, the sun, the moon, and the stars. It then reminds us that both creation and command belong to Allah. Let us not simply read this reminder as information about a distant landscape and move on. We too are within that created life. We work beneath the sun that rises every day, rest in the night, and live with a body that has been given to us. We therefore cannot place a wall between the power described in the verse and our own lives. The days I live, the choices I make, and the accounting I will ultimately face are not outside this whole either. Thinking about this nourishes both our trust and our sense of responsibility.
This passage comes after verses describing scenes of the Hereafter. People may ask questions about things they have not seen. What will happen after death? How will our deeds be repaid? How should we think about what lies beyond worldly life? The verse directs our gaze toward the world we know and live within. By reminding us of the power of Allah, who created the heavens and the earth, it enables us to reflect on the Day of Reckoning. We are not designing a future whose every detail we know here. While accepting the limits of what we know, we learn not to try to measure the Creator’s knowledge and power by our own limited experience. Considering something impossible merely because we have not yet seen it can close the door to reflection from the outset.
Being Created Does Not Mean Being Left Without Responsibility
Let us pause over the reminder that creation and command belong to Him. We may acknowledge that Allah created us, then behave as though our lives have nothing to do with Him. When making decisions at work, at home, while shopping, or in an argument, we may act as though we alone set every standard. Yet being created invites us to consider the source of the means we possess. How we use those means also matters. Can I turn authority entrusted to me into injustice? Can I regard every earning as right simply because I can obtain it? Does having the power to do something show that I have the right to do it? The verse helps us remember this responsibility.
When we do a job, we want our own effort to be recognized. We describe something we have produced, show how we prepared it, and speak about our experience. Sometimes we present previous work as examples in order to obtain a new job. While people do not want even their own small contribution to be treated as worthless, they may regard the whole life they inhabit as an ordinary backdrop. The issue here is not to belittle human effort. While acknowledging our own effort as real, let us not forget the means that sustain us. When describing success, let us also remember our health, time, opportunities to learn, and other people’s support. In this way, we recognize the conditions behind our effort and do not imagine ourselves the sole owner of everything.
As Night Follows Day, Life Does Not Stop
The succession of night and day feels very familiar to us. Because it is familiar, we can easily stop thinking about it. Morning comes and we go to work; evening comes and we return home. Within the flow of days, there are even moments when we think we are standing still. But sitting somewhere does not mean that life has stopped. Time passes, our body works, and changes take place around us. A word we said yesterday continues to have an effect within a relationship today. The time available for a task we postponed grows shorter. That is why saying, “I am doing nothing for now,” does not mean that everything is waiting for us in the same place. Waiting also occurs within passing time.
Recognizing this movement should not drive us into constant haste. Always rushing to finish something, working without stopping, or treating rest as a fault is another extreme. What is recalled here is the value of the time given to us. We can pause to think, wait before a decision, and rest when we are tired. But leaving a problem we avoid entirely unexamined is not the same as giving ourselves time to address it more soundly. One may serve to postpone responsibility, while the other may serve to act more correctly. Within the order of night and day, we can look at our own lives this way too: What do I need to repair, learn, and leave behind today?
Can We Appreciate a Blessing Before Losing It?
The lesson considers contrasting conditions. When we think about abundance and scarcity, comfort and hardship, health and illness, we may more easily recognize the value of what we have. But we do not necessarily have to lose a blessing to understand it. We can learn gratitude while we are healthy. We do not have to recognize the support of someone beside us only after they have gone away. Looking carefully at the means we possess today can also reduce the regrets we may experience later. Without explaining every hardship by the same cause, and remembering that everyone’s circumstances differ, let us ask ourselves: What am I overlooking that makes my life easier right now? Which blessing am I treating as ordinary because I think I will always have it?
Think of a child who continually lives with everything readily provided. Without seeing how something is earned, they may imagine that it exists by itself. As adults, we can fall into a similar misconception too. A regular income or family support does not mean that no effort will be needed in the future. At the same time, fear of becoming poor should not be the sole reason for working. Fulfilling our responsibilities, easing another person’s burden, and using what we possess beneficially matter too. We can learn, spend carefully, and consider those in need while we have the means. Appreciating a blessing means taking seriously how we live with it, rather than constantly feeling trapped by anxiety about losing it.
We Cannot Build the Future by Blaming the Past
People sometimes become stuck on a decision in the past. They say, “If only I had not chosen that profession, said those words, or had behaved differently.” These questions are valuable if they help us learn a lesson. But if we merely repeat the same regret, they may keep us where we are. Our inability to change what happened does not mean that we have entirely lost what comes next. What is before us today? What precautions can we take to avoid repeating a wrong? If we have caused harm, what can we make amends for? Looking honestly at the past does not mean constantly punishing ourselves. It means carrying the knowledge of the past into our behavior today. Only in this way can regret open a door to a new beginning.
Placing the blame entirely on someone else also leaves us in a similar position. We may think, “If my spouse had not done that, if my child had not said that, if that person had not crossed my path.” We do not have to deny what others have done. Recognizing injustice, seeking our rights, and protecting ourselves when necessary matter. But the response I give is also a choice. We cannot present destructive behavior, gossip, or a new injustice within an argument as a necessity. The other person’s wrong does not automatically make all my behavior right. Precisely where we struggle, we need to distinguish our own limits and responsibility. Doing this is not easy, but it is a real beginning for change.
In a situation where anger is rising, we do not have to have the final word immediately. If necessary, we can pause the argument, calm down, and speak more clearly afterward. Taking a break does not mean ignoring the issue. It is an opportunity to consider what I heard, what I may have misunderstood, and what I want to say. As we listen inwardly, let us look not only for where we are right, but also for where we went too far. When telling someone else about the incident, are we seeking a solution, or trying to diminish the other person in everyone’s eyes? Recognizing this distinction can prevent a small disagreement from becoming a wider hurt. Calmness creates room to solve the problem.
Recognizing Our Limits Where We Do Not Know
The verse mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days. As we reflect on this expression, let us remember that human knowledge of time is limited too. In everyday life, we count days by familiar measures. But claiming that we have resolved every detail of the verse through this familiarity is a different assertion. In the lesson too, rather than hastily manufacturing certainty about unknown details, attention returns to the basic reminder the verse directs toward us. We reflect on the knowledge of creation, Allah’s power, and humanity’s place. If there is something we do not understand, we investigate; we do not avoid saying, “I do not know.” We do not have to speak with certainty about what we do not know in order to make our faith appear strong. An honest question is more valuable than an unfounded answer.
Reflecting on the sky, time, and creation does not require us to present every statement as a scientific explanation either. There is a difference between hearing the verse’s admonition and making a detailed claim of expertise. Here we are trying to reflect on the Owner of life, order, and responsibility. If we fill the expression we read with our own guesses, after a while we may begin presenting our guess as the verse itself. That is why we need to distinguish what is directly in the text from what is our interpretation. Such care does not diminish our curiosity; it places it on firmer ground. As we continue learning, we respect both the source and the limits of our knowledge. We can receive profound guidance from the verse without making our own understanding absolute.
Even Our Body Does Not Work Solely at Our Command
Thinking about our own body can also remind us of our helplessness. We do not manage each heartbeat individually. We do not carry out all the processes in our body after eating a mouthful through our conscious instructions. Yet through everyday habit, we may regard this life as entirely within our control. This does not lead to the conclusion that we should neglect our body. On the contrary, trying to protect the life entrusted to us, resting, and obtaining professional support when needed are our responsibilities. What is recalled is that our means are not unlimited. We can make an effort, but we cannot guarantee every outcome. There is an important difference between taking good care of ourselves and imagining that we are the absolute owners of life. Gratitude includes being able to see this difference too.
Our ability to decide freely does not take us outside being created either. I can say something, enter a transaction, or postpone an act of kindness. But the opportunity to choose does not mean that I determine every consequence. I do not become worthless whenever I fail to obtain what I want; nor do I become superior to others whenever I succeed. The creation and sovereignty recalled by the verse help us stand more moderately between these two extremes. I try not to become spoiled when I gain, or fall apart completely when I lose. While respecting other people’s rights, I do not rely solely on my own power. Thinking that I will account for what I do is an important reminder to remain honest even where no one sees.
When reflecting on a day, let us not count only the great things we did. Let us also remember the language we used, how we received someone’s request, and the patience we showed while waiting. Responsibility often appears in these small behaviors that disappear between major decisions. Listening to someone, correcting inaccurate information we gave, or remembering our debt may not be impressive. Yet these are real parts of our lives. If we can connect the broad view the verse opens to us with these small steps, our thought does not remain suspended in the air. It becomes a remembrance reflected in our daily lives.
How Will We Live from Now On?
When we finish reading this verse and get up, all our questions about the world may not be resolved. We will still work, decide, sometimes make mistakes, and learn again. But the position from which we look at ourselves can change. We can say, “I am not the sole owner of everything; I am a person bearing responsibility within the life given to me.” This thought does not diminish our effort. It helps give our effort a more appropriate direction. We can work to do what is right, rather than to show ourselves off. When we have power, we can support others instead of crushing them. When our knowledge is insufficient, we can choose to learn rather than hide our shortcomings. At the end of the day, what matters is that this reminder truly touches some part of our behavior.
Let us ask our Lord to help us recognize our past wrongs and not return to the same mistakes. Let us praise Him for creating and sustaining us, and avoid regarding what we possess as evidence of our superiority. Instead of continually making the past a renewed subject of conflict, let us try to give today its due. Let us not forget moderation when speaking, honesty when earning, justice when deciding, and sharing when we have the means. Remembering the Creator of the heavens and the earth should not remain limited to looking at the sky for a moment and then forgetting everything. Let it reach our home, work, relationships, and the intention we carry within. Reflecting that creation and command belong to Allah calls us to live this brief life given to us more carefully and more gratefully.