Our God — Page 197
Refutation of Arguments Supporting Atheism 197 and explained their harmful effects, too. It can even be proved that this harmfulness is indirectly beneficial for mankind. That should make one think that many of the things appearing use- less and harmful today will appear full of hidden benefits tomor- row and, still later, the knowledge and insight about them will expand further. The knowledge will go on increasing as a result of new sciences and research and ignorance will go on decreas- ing. It is written in the Holy Quran and a ha d i th that in the lat- ter days the hidden treasures of the heaven and the earth will be disclosed and new sciences will flourish. Thus, it would be the height of ignorance to deny the benefits of countless things and, on account of some of their harmful effects, or on the basis of the current state of knowledge, believe them to be harmful. As explained above, even these harmful effects are based on the sub- tle wisdom of nature and mankind and other creatures indirectly benefit from them in many ways. But for the fear of prolonging this book, I could have listed many animals, plants, and minerals which were considered use- less and harmful in the past but are today serving mankind. Even snakes, scorpions, organisms causing fatal diseases, and poisons of various types, etc. , are not excluded from service to mankind. No new day dawns when the saying of the Holy Quran that God has not created anything in the heaven and the earth in vain 1 is not vindicated. 1. S u rah Sa d, 38:28.