Author: Abu Raef
The Role of Muslims in the Formation and Development of Science (Part 58)
Beauty in the Quran and Sunnah
The wisdom of the creation of trees, plants, and fruits is not limited to the vital and well-known benefits such as providing food for humans and animals or their role as respiratory lungs for the environment; Rather, the Almighty Allah has mentioned in his book another role that trees and gardens play in human life and emotions, and that is the joy and vitality that they create in the human heart, as Allah the Almighty says: “أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَأَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُنْبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا أَإِلَهُ مَعَ اللَّهِ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ” Translation: “Is it He who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the sky for you, so that We may produce therewith trees and gardens of a kind that you could not have produced? Is there any god besides Allah? (There is no god) but these polytheists turn away (from Allah).” [1]
This characteristic of beauty, which is evident in nature with all its elements, is nothing but the realization of a general rule that Allah has made prevalent in all manifestations of creation and has also made it acceptable for His servants; namely, the rule of beauty, as Ibn Mas’ud narrated from the Prophet (PBUH) who said: “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.” [2]
One of the interesting points to note is the frequent repetition of words such as tree, fruit, and garden in the Quran; In such a way that the word Shajar (tree) and its derivatives appear about 26 times, the word Thamar (fruit) and its derivatives appear 22 times, Nabat (plant) and its derivatives appear 26 times, Hadayeq (gardens) appear three times, and the word Jannah (paradise) (in singular and plural) appear 138 times. [3]
Even when the Quran introduces trees and fruits as food for humans and animals, this introduction is done in an aesthetic and mind-affecting format; Like the saying of Almighty God: “فَلْيَنْظُرِ الإِنْسَانُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ أَنَا صَبَيْنَا الْمَاءَ صَبًّا ثُمَّ شَفَقْنَا الْأَرْضَ شَقًّا فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّا وَعِنَبًا وَقَضْبًا وَزَيْتُونَا وَنَخْلاً وَحَدَائِقَ غُلْبًا وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًا مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ” Translation: “So let man look to his food. We have sent down water (from the sky) in due measure. Then We have split the earth and caused to grow therein grain, and grapes and vegetables, and olives and date palms, and gardens of abundant fruit and pastures, for you and your cattle to enjoy.” [4]
In addition to the fact that the Quran expresses the beautiful wisdom in the creation of gardens and trees in this magnificent way, the depiction of a paradise in which all kinds of material and spiritual pleasures are included has also had a powerful impact on Muslims, leading them to imitate this ideal image in dealing with the environment.
The following is mentioned about the scenes of paradise in the Qur’an: “وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * ذَوَاتَا أَفْنَانٍ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * فِيهِمَا مِنْ كُلِّ فَاكِهَةٍ زَوْجَانِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * مُتَّكِثِينَ عَلَى فُرُشٍ بَطَائِنُهَا مِنْ إِسْتَبْرَقٍ وَجَنَى الْجَنَّتَيْنِ دَانٍ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنْسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * كَأَنَّهُنَّ الْيَاقُوتُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * هَلْ جَزَاءُ الإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * وَمِنْ دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ مُدْهَامَّتَانِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * بِهِمَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَنَخْلٌ وَرُمَّانٌ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَاتٌ حِسَانٌ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * حُورٌ مَقْصُورَاتٌ فِي الْخِيَامِ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنْسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌ * فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ مُتَّكِثِينَ عَلَى رَفْرَفٍ خُضْرٍ وَعَبْقَرِي حِسَانٍ” Translation: “Whoever fears the position of his Lord, will have gardens (in Paradise). “So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? Gardens with all kinds of fruit-bearing trees, with soft and juicy branches. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? Therein are flowing springs. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? Therein are all kinds of fruits. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny?” The dwellers of Paradise will recline on carpets whose linings are of thick silk. And the ripe fruits of the Gardens of Paradise will be near and within reach. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? In the Gardens of Paradise will be women who love none but their spouses, and no one from mankind or jinn has ever approached them before. So, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? As if they were rubies and corals. So, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? Is the reward for doing good except seeing good? So, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? There are other gardens besides the former. So, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? Both are green and lush. So, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? In them are springs gushing forth from the earth. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? In those gardens are all kinds of fruits, including dates and pomegranates. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? In the gardens of Paradise are beautiful women. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? Black-eyed, who never go out of their tents. So, which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? No one from mankind or jinn has ever come near them before. So. which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? The inhabitants of Paradise recline on pillows of precious green silk and lie on exquisitely beautiful, uniquely patterned carpets.” [5] And many other verses that deal with the same style and theme.
Also, the words of the Messenger of Allah ‘peace be upon him’ are the second source from which Muslims have derived their aesthetic attitude towards the environment. Among them: Hazrat Abu Hurairah (MABH) narrated that we said: O Messenger of Allah, inform us about the structure of Paradise. He said: “Its bricks are gold and silver, its mortar is pure musk, its pebbles are pearls and rubies, and its soil is saffron. Whoever enters it will be in eternal bliss, he will not suffer or die, his clothes will not wear out, and his youth will not end.” [6]
It is narrated from Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari (MABH) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “there is a tent made of a hollow pearl for the believer in Paradise, the length of which is sixty miles, and for him there are wives to whom he goes, and none of them sees the other.” [7]
It is also narrated from Abu Hurairah (MABH) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “There is a tree in Paradise, if a rider rides under its shade for a hundred years, he will not reach its end.” [8]
And Anas bin Malik (MABH) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “While I was walking in Paradise, I came to a river on both sides of which were domes of hollow pearls. I asked: O Gabriel, what is this? He said: This is the Kawthar that your Lord has given you, and its soil was pure musk.”[9]
By all these verses and hadiths that are full of beauty, the general Islamic conscience was formed on the desire for these blessings; Therefore, Muslims have offered everything they could to human civilization to demonstrate in practice the image of paradise that the Quran and Sunnah have painted.
Continues…
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References:
[1]. Al-Naml/60.
[2]. Muslim, Book of Faith, (91).
[3]. What have Muslims given to the world? P. 622
[4]. Abas/24-32.
[5]. Al-Rahman/46-76.
[6]. Ahmad, 8030.
[7]. Bukhari, 4598.
[8]. Bukhari, 3079.
[9]. Bukhari, 6210.
