Intermediate
Signs of the Universe
Surah: Fussilat (53)
We Will Show Them Our Signs on the Horizons and Within Themselves — Quran and Science
سَنُرِيهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِنَا فِي ٱلۡأٓفَاقِ وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ
— فصلت الآية 53
Verse: "We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth." (41:53)
Reflection:
"Sanurihim" — the "sin" prefix indicates future tense — a promise to be fulfilled gradually over time. Written ~630 CE, astronomers and biologists still discover divine signs today.
Two types of signs:
The Quran did not answer every scientific question directly — it urged reflection: "Do they not look at the camel how it was created, and the sky how it was raised?" — so humans discover Allah through reason, not just inherited belief.
Lesson: Every genuine scientific discovery is a new divine sign Allah has uncovered. Learning natural sciences is worship when accompanied by reflection and gratitude.
Reflection:
"Sanurihim" — the "sin" prefix indicates future tense — a promise to be fulfilled gradually over time. Written ~630 CE, astronomers and biologists still discover divine signs today.
Two types of signs:
- Signs on the horizons: external cosmic phenomena — stars, cosmology, Earth's rotation, cosmic expansion
- Signs within themselves: embryology, cellular biology, neuroscience — "We created man from an extract of clay"
The Quran did not answer every scientific question directly — it urged reflection: "Do they not look at the camel how it was created, and the sky how it was raised?" — so humans discover Allah through reason, not just inherited belief.
Lesson: Every genuine scientific discovery is a new divine sign Allah has uncovered. Learning natural sciences is worship when accompanied by reflection and gratitude.
Source: Ibn Kathir (7/179); Al-Sadi; Al-Qurtubi (15/377)
Test Yourself
What two types of signs does Allah promise to show in "We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves"?
Show Answer