Islam and Human Rights — Page 24
Isl am and Hum an R ights 24 who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying down, and ponder the creation of the heavens and the earth. This leads them to exclaim: Our Lord, Thou hast not created all this with out purpose; Holy art Thou” (3:191-192). Whenever attention is drawn in the Quran to God’s Signs, the object is to urge reflection upon the event or phenomenon cited, that we may proceed to draw lessons therefrom which will help us to grasp the Truth; to under stand the operation of Divine attributes and of Divine laws; to appreciate spiritual values and to adjust and order our lives accordingly, so that all our activities in every sphere may become wholly beneficent. It is in that sense that the guidance contained in the Quran is described as “a healing and a mercy for those who put their faith in it” (17:83). We are reminded: “O mankind, there has indeed come to you an exhortation from your Lord and a healing for what ever ills there are in the hearts, and a guidance and a mercy for those who believe” (10:58). With all this, man is left to his own free choice in acceptance of the Truth. Faith is not commanded on the basis of authority, but is invited on the basis of under standing (12:109). “This is a Book that We have revealed to thee, full of blessings, that they may reflect