Sacred Nature by Karen Armstrong

Author:Karen Armstrong [Armstrong, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2022-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

The Qur’an insists that its teachings are addressed to “a people who know” and “a people who understand,” who deliberately cultivate a sense of wonder for the divine realities of everyday life. This requires continuous practice; a momentary, spontaneous mental uplift is not enough. All the other creatures in our world submit to God’s design, the Qur’an insists, and are natural muslims. “The sun runs its course: this is determined by the Almighty, the All-knowing,” God explains, “and we have determined phases for the moon until finally it becomes like an old date-stalk. The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day: each floats in [its own] orbit.”[11] Human beings have the freedom to make a voluntary act of islam (the “surrender” of ego) and to consciously shape their lives so that they reflect the source of being. This is not simply for their personal development; the challenge is to make their society reflect the laws of nature:

The All-merciful has taught the Qur’an.

He created man

and he has taught him the Explanation.

The sun and the moon to a reckoning,

and the stars and trees bow themselves

and the heaven—He raised it up and set the Balance.

(Transgress not in the Balance,

and weigh with justice, and skimp not in the Balance.)

And earth—He set it down for all beings,

therein fruits, and palm-tress with sheaths,

and grain in the blade, and fragrant herbs.

O which of your Lord’s bounties will you and you deny?[12]

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