I have recited and listened to Surah Al-Baqarah and this particular ayah countless times, but it never resonated with me as profoundly as it did today. This single verse connected with the entirety of the Quran in such a way that it felt like placing the last piece of a puzzle, revealing a comprehensive picture. However, this interpretation is solely my own, and Allah knows best. I seek refuge in Allah and ask for His guidance, for He alone can guide us, and none can lead astray those whom He guides.
Allah repeatedly encourages us to use our intellect and reason. He compares those who don’t employ their reasoning to the blind, deaf, and dumb (surah Al-Anfal 8:22). Elsewhere in the Quran, those who follow blindly, without questioning or seeking understanding, are likened to cattle, or even regarded as lower than cattle (Surah Al-Furqan 25:44, Surah Al-A'raf 7:179), because they obey without comprehension or inquiry. Picture a scene where cattle are driven towards a lush field to graze or towards a slaughterhouse, and you’ll notice they don’t use reason to differentiate between the two. This isn't an insult to cattle, as they are created with that level of intellect, whereas humans are bestowed with a far more advanced brain than any other creature on earth. Anthropologists have provided evidence of how Homo sapiens, with their superior brain development, surpassed Neanderthals, enabling humans to dominate the earth. Our advanced cognitive abilities allow us to use language, writing, and to build civilizations. Therefore, when we are endowed with unmatched capabilities and yet choose to ignore them, acting like cattle, the Creator, in His justice, rightfully describes such individuals as blind, deaf, and dumb.
Reflecting on this ayah, I often pondered how we can ascertain whether we are truly people of intellect, using our capabilities effectively. Is incessant questioning a mark of utilizing our intellect properly? Now, I believe this ayah, along with similar verses, serves as a litmus test. It suggests that people of intellect engage in a multitude of scientific disciplines: Astrophysics/Astronomy, Engineering, Oceanography and Oceanology, Naval Shipbuilding, Commerce, Trade, Economics, Meteorology, Geology, Agriculture, Botany, Zoology, Life Science, and the study of Weather and Climate. This single verse encourages the exploration of these sciences. And there are numerous other verses I can now connect with, where Allah guides us towards the sciences of Anthropology, History, Linguistics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, the Evolution of Life, Embryology, Metallurgy, Geography, and more. Hence, if we are truly people of the Book, the Quran, we are called to be people of civilization and progress, not just in a materialistic sense, but in a genuine advancement for humanity. It reveals, once again, why the Islamic civilization encompassed all the faculty of knowledge, mentioned above. It's no wonder that if we read and contemplate the Quran, we would be people of all knowledge. There's no escape to it.
These are so many ayat related to above but I have picked up a few for you to appreciate: Quran (surah#:ayah#) - (21:30), (21:30), (21:104), (23:12-14), (21:32), (57:25), (55:19-20), (21:33), (78:6-7), (51:47), (4:56), (24:40), (96:15-16).
Alhamdulillah.
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