of knowledge; so that your path is always bright.
The “I Wonder About Islam” series have been written using the works of the great Muslim scholar Said Nursi (1878–1960). The answers given to the questions and the examples to help you understand the topics have all been taken from his Risale-i Nur books.
Özkan Öze
İstanbul, 2012
Why did Allah create the universe?
It was not without purpose that We created the heavens and the earth and everything in between.
Surah Sad 38:27
YOU MAY BE a great artist. On the paper that your brush touches, flowers trees and all sorts of landscapes turn into a painting.
But we won’t be able to know of your artistic talent without seeing any of your work.
You will be the only one who knows of your own ability, your skill, and your talent!
If you want others to see it, you must make a painting and show it to other people. You migh open a gallery. You might invite people to the gallery.
People would then come and see your amazing work.
In this way, we would have all seen and understood what a great artist you are.
We would appreciate you, and gaze at your work with amazement.
We would investigate your skill, look at how you drew a tree, what colours you painted the flowers, how you could make the horses so noble and make rabbits so cute with a few lines.
If you want to be known and recognised, if you say others should see the beauty of your art and your precious work, then you must make artwork and exhibit them in galleries.
Otherwise, none of us would know how the papers your brush touches turn into a painting. If you don’t show us your art, then your skill, your ability and your talent would remain unknown to us.
We would leave this world without knowing and loving your art.
So, in this way, if Allah hadn’t created the universe, we would never get to know Him. Because just like everything else in the universe, we also would not have been created.
Only Allah would have known what kind of a Creator He is. Because there would have been nothing else, only Allah.
There was only Allah…
Before the universe was created there was only Allah. But Allah could still create anything.
But only He knew this.
Allah’s might was endless before He created more stars in the sky than sand particles on Earth.
But only He knew this.
Allah was the Giver of Life before He chose the Earth from countless planets in the sky to cover with an atmosphere and seas on its surface, then adorned it with streams and mountains, made plants, animals and humans.
But only He knew this.
Before He decorated the Earth’s fields, vineyards and gardens with a thousand different sorts of flowers…
Before He painted these flowers with a number of different colours…
Before He gave roses a smell and daisies a golden heart…
Allah was the Creator of everything.
But only He knew this.
Not only did Allah have the power to create and give life, He was also very compassionate to every being He created.
He was the One who knew everything when there was nothing.
He heard all voices and conversations.
He saw all things in both darkness and light, both near and far.
He could resurrect the dead.
His generosity and kindness was limitless.
He could give faith to hearts.
But He was the only One who knew all this.
And our Lord wished to be known. He created the universe to show all this beauty.
See, this universe is like a huge gallery that shows Allah’s countless qualities and endless abilities.
In it we’ll see His workmanship’s grace and brilliance on every kind of canvas.
The blue sky is a canvas.
The starry night is a canvas.
Butterfly wings are a canvas.
Fruitful trees are a canvas.
And babies sucking from their mothers’ breasts are a whole other canvas; it shows us how our Lord’s infinite compassion shines on each baby.
As we open our eyes and look, we see His masterpieces all around us.
Some of us say MASHALLAH, as God has willed.
“Mashallah! Allah wished to create these butterflies so beautiful, so pleasant and so colourful”
Some of us say SUBHANALLAH, glory be to God.
“Subhanallah! Allah, who created this blue sky, decorated it with these white clouds and created this rainbow that brings happiness to those who see it, is far from any defect and fault!”
Some of us say ALLAHU AKBAR, God is great.
“Allahu Akbar! The One who decorates the night’s face with billions of stars is great!
“The One who makes each star swim in the seas of the sky is great!
“The One who hangs one of those stars, the Sun, as a lamp for us and the Moon as a lantern for our nights is great!”
Did Allah need to create the universe?
Allah, Who is in need of none and of Whom all are in need
Surah al-Ikhlas 112:2
I THOUGHT A question like this would come to your mind because many things in our world are made to meet some of our needs.
Before I answer this question,
