Man and the Universe

Islam is an Arabic word, derived from a root which means both “peace” and “submission.” It thus connotes the attainment of peace, here and Hereafter, through submission to Allah, or, in other words, through conformity to His Will. A person who thus submits is a Muslim. In the Quran (the scripture of Islam), the appellation “Muslim” is applied to all the righteous.

For intance, Abraham is described as “ever inclined to God and in submission to Him [Muslim]” (2:68). “When his Lord said to him: Do thou submit, he responded: I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds. The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons-and so did Jacob, saying: O my sons, truly Allah has chosen this religion for you; so let not death overtake you except when you are in a state of submission [Muslim]” (2:132-133).

When death came to Jacob. “he said to his sons: What will you worship after me? They answered: We shall worship thy God, the God of thy fathers, Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, the One God; and to Him we submit ourselves [Muslims]” (2:J 14).

Joseph is mensioned as praying: “O my Lord. Thou hast bestowed power upon me and taught me the interpretation of dreams. O Maker of the heavens and the earth. Thou art my Protector in this world and the Hereafter. Let death come to me in a state of submission to Thy will [Muslim] and join me to the righteous” (12:102).

Concerning the disciples of Jesus it is stated: “I inspired the disciples (of Jesus) to believe in Me and My Messenger (Jesus). They said: We believe and bear Thou witness that we have submitted [are Muslims]” (5:112). Jesus said: “Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples answered: We are helpers in the cause of Allah. We have believed in Allah, and bear thou witness that we are obedient [Muslims]” (3:53).

So with every Prophet; those who accepted a Prophet and submitted to the Divine Will as revealed through him were Muslims. As, however, the term was given currency by the Quran, its application has become limited to those who profess belief in Islam.

Islam represents the culmination of the evolutionary process in revelation. “This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you and have chosen for you Islam as religion” (5:4).

The Quran, however, affirms the truth of all previous revelations and the righteousness of all previous Prophets.
It starts with the position that no people has been left without revealed guidance. This flows from God’s attribute of Providence. He is not only the Creator of the Universe but also sustains, nourishes and leads it stage by stage towards perfection. It is with that connotation that He is designated “Lord of all the worlds” (1:2). There is also the clear affirmation, “Verily, We have sent there with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and as a Warner, and there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent” (35:25).

A Muslim is required to believe in the truth of previous revelations and in the righteousness of all Prophets.

“Say ye: We believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to us, and in that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob and his children, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to all other Prophets from their Lord.We make no difference between any of them, and to Him we submit ourselves;” (2:137).

“We gave him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob; each did We guide aright, and Noah did We guide aright aforetime, and of his progeny. David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward those who do good.
“And We guided Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias: each one of them was of the righteous.

“We also guided Ishmael and Isaiah and Jonah and Lot; and each one did We exalt above the people.

“We also exalted some of their fathers and their children and their brethren, and We chose them and guided them in the straight path.

“That is the guidance of Allah. He guides thereby those of His servants whom He pleases. If they had worshipped aught beside Him, surely all they did would have been of no avail to them.

“It is these to whom We gave the Book and dominion and prophethood … These it is whom Allah guided aright, so follow thou their guidance” (6:85-91).

This does not mean that the Quran makes obligatory upon the Muslims all the commandments and ordinances contained in today’s version of the previous revelations and Scriptures. Indeed, it emphasizes repeatedly that these versions have suffered grievously at the hands of some of those who profess to be their supporters (2:80). What the Quran affirms is the actual revelation vouchsafed to the previous Prophets. Thus: “Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein is guidance and light. By it did the Prophets, who were obedient to Us, judge for the Jews, as did the godly people and those learned in the Law” (5:45). And again: “And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, fulfilling that which was revealed before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel which contained guidance and light, fulfilling that which was revealed before that in the Torah as an admonition for the God-fearing” (5:47). The Gospel here means the revelation vouchsafed to Jesus, and not the books which are today commonly so described.

Not only are today’s versions of previous revelations open to serious question on the score of authenticity of the text and accuracy of translation and interpretation, many of the details concerning commandments and ordinances and even doctrine, which were of a temporary or local character, are now out of date or inapplicable. Today’s doctrine is also in many cases based on subsequent interpretation and formulation which appear to have little connection with what was contained in the revelation and even contradict it. Attention is drawn to all this in the Quran, and yet the Quran emphasizes the unity of the fundamental teaching contained in all previous Scriptures and insisted upon by the Prophets, namely belief in the Existence and Unity of God and in the Hereafter, and conformity to God’s will through righteous action.

Previous revelations were limited in their scope. Each was designed to meet the needs of the people to whom it was sent during the stage of development upon which that people was about to enter. Each contained fundamental truths, valid through the ages in respect of the whole of mankind, but it also contained guidance, directions, commandments and prohibitions which were of a local or temporary character. Moreover, in course of time, portions of those revelations were lost or forgotten. That which was of universal and permanent application in previous revelations is reaffirmed in the Quran. Such portions as had been lost or were overlooked or forgotten, but were still needed, are revived. That which was of purely local or temporary application and was no longer needed, is omitted. That which was not contained in previous revelations, the need for it not yet having arisen, but which would henceforth be needed by mankind, is added (2:107; 3:8).

Thus the Quran, while affirming the truth of all previous revelations, itself comprises all truth for the whole of mankind for all time. It is described as “pure Scriptures, comprising lasting commandments” (98:3-4).
The Quran is thus a universal possession and inheritance, its message is directed to the whole of mankind (7:159). It is sent down as guidance for mankind, with clear proofs of guidance and with discrimination between truth and falsehood (2:186).

It expounds and explains all that is or may be needed by mankind for the complete fulfilment of life (16:90). It seeks to create faith in God through rehearsal of God’s Signs: it makes provision for mankind’s welfare, material, moral and spiritual; it teaches all that is needed for beneficent regulation of human life and expounds the philosophy underlying it, so that reason being satisfied, wholehearted conformity to what is taught may be assured (62:2-3). It expounds the significance of establishing and maintaining communion with God. It draws attention to various Divine attributes, their operation and the manner in which mankind may derive benefit from the knowledge thereof. In short, all that is basic for the promotion of human welfare in all spheres, whether pertaining to principles or conduct, is set forth and expounded (16:90).

It is this comprehensiveness of the Quran, the need to make provision for guidance in every respect for all peoples for all time, that made it necessary that the guidance should be conveyed in verbal revelation. The Quran is literally the Word of God, and possesses the quality of being alive, as the universe is alive. It is not possible to set forth at any time the whole meaning and interpretation of the Quran or, indeed, of any portion of it with finality. It yields new truths and fresh guidance in every age and at every level. It is a standing and perpetual miracle (18:110).

The world is dynamic and so is the Quran. Indeed, so dynamic is the Quran that it has always been found to keep ahead of the world and never to lag behind it. However fast the pace at which the pattern of human life may change, the Quran always yields, and will go on yielding, the needed guidance in advance. This has now been demonstrated through more than thirteen centuries, and that is a guarantee that it will continue to be demonstrated through the ages.

The Quran has proclaimed that falsehood will never overtake it. All research into the past and every discovery and invention of the future will affirm its truth (41:43). The Quran speaks at every level; it seeks to reach every type of understanding, through parables, similitudes, arguments, reasoning, the observation and study of the phenomena of nature, and the natural, moral and spiritual laws (18:55; 39:28; 59:22).

It reasons from the physical and tangible to the spiritual and intangible. For instance: “Among His Signs is this; that thou seest the earth lying withered, but when We send down water on it, it stirs and quickens with verdure. Surely He Who quickens the earth can quicken the dead. Verily, He has power over all things” (41:40). Here by quickening of the dead is meant the revival and rebirth of a people. As the dead earth is quickened by life-giving rain from heaven, a people that appears to be dead in all respects is revived and regenerated through spiritual water from the heavens, that is to say, through Divine revelation. This idea is expressed in the Quran in several places. Both resurrection and renaissance are explained with reference to the phenomenon of the dead earth being revived through life-giving rain (22:6-8).

The Quran repeatedly urges observation and reflection, the exercise of reason, and understanding (22:270). For instance: “In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding, 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 without 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 understand 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 whatever 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 understanding (12:109). “This is a Book that We have revealed to thee, full of blessings, that they may reflect over its verses, and that those gifted with understanding may take heed” (38:30). There is complete freedom to believe or to reject. “Say to them: It is the Truth from your Lord; therefore let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve” (18:30). But of course, though the choice is free, the consequences of the choice follow in accordance with Divine law. No one is forced. Everyone must choose and seek the purpose of his life on the basis of faith or turn his back upon the Truth and destroy his soul, according to his choice.

The Quran has been described as a Light and as a clear Book, whereby “does Allah guide those who seek His pleasure along the paths of peace, and lead them out of every kind of darkness into the light by His will, and guide them along the right path” (5:16-17).

On the other hand, the Quran itself discourages the tendency to seek regulation of everything by Divine command, pointing out that such regulation would become restrictive and burdensome (5:102).

The Quran contains Divine assurance that the guidance embodied therein will be guarded under Divine protection (15:10). This comprises several aspects:

First, the text of the revelation should be preserved in its purity and entirety for all time. Considering that the revelation contained in the Quran was vouchsafed to the Prophet over a period of twenty-two years, first in Mecca and then in Medina, that this period was marked by persecution, disturbance and fighting, that the Prophet himself was not literate, and that there was no sure method of preserving a record of the revelation except through human memory, it is a truly miraculous fact that the text of the Quran has been preserved absolutely pure and entire, down to the last vowel point. Even non-Muslim scholars, who do not accept the Quran as Divine revelation, affirm that the Quran is word for word that which Muhammad gave out to the world as Divine revelation.

Second, the language in which the revelation was sent should continue in use as a living language. Classical Arabic is today understood and used as a means of communication over much vaster areas of the earth and by many hundred times more people than was the case in the time of the Prophet.

These factors, so essential for the safeguarding of the guidance contained in the revelation, could not have been assured by the Prophet in advance. Yet they are not enough. For life is dynamic, and the pattern of human life is subject to constant change. The process of evolution is at work all the time. Besides, history testifies that the passage of time brings about a decline in spiritual and moral values in a civilisation. It is inevitable, therefore, that over the centuries there should occur a falling-off in the true appreciation of Divine guidance set forth in Divine revelation as applicable to current conditions and situations. The complete safeguarding of Divine revelation thus necessitates a constant process of spiritual revival and rebirth. In the nature of things this must also come about through revelation. It was announced by the Prophet that to meet this need God would continue to raise from among the Muslims, at the beginning of each century, someone who would be inspired to revive the faith by drawing attention to the guidance contained in the Quran apposite to existing conditions.1 History has confirmed the truth of this assurance conveyed by the Prophet.

The last half-century has, however, witnessd the onset of a tremendous revolution in human values in all spheres of life. Standards that had been accepted and subscribed to through centuries are undergoing rapid revision and modification. The very dimensions of human life are being reshaped, so that scholars and thinkers are beginning to stress the need of a new revelation. Yet the Quran is quite clear that the guidance contained therein will be found adequate during all stages at all times.

What provision, it may be asked, is there in the Quran to meet the contingency with which mankind is faced today, and which is likely to grow ever more insistent during all the tomorrows that lie ahead? To meet this contingency the Quran announced that the Prophet not only had been raised up in the generation among whom he lived, but would also be raised up among others “who have not yet joined them” (62:3-4). This means a spiritual second advent of the Prophet for the purpose of setting forth from the Quran guidance that may be needed in the New Age, and for illustrating the values demanded by the exigencies with which man may be faced. This promise has been fulfilled in the advent of Ahmad, of Qadian (1835-1908), who warned that mankind stood at the threshold of an era which would bear the same relationship to his age—that is, the beginning of the twentieth century—as the beginning of that century bore to the days of Adam, and who proceeded to set forth from the Quran, in the light of revelation vouchsafed to him, the guidance that mankind now desperately needs.

The most striking characteristic of Islam is its universality and the place that it assigns to man as the centre of the universe. Islam teaches and insists upon the acceptance and comprehension of the Unity of the Creator, which results in the unity and co-ordination of creation and the unity and equality of man.

Once this fundamental is accepted and grasped the rest becomes easily comprehensible and the necessary co-ordination and adjustment will follow as a matter of course. Indeed these must become compulsive if confusion, chaos and destruction are to be avoided and peace, prosperity and human welfare in all spheres of life are to be promoted and strengthened.

The object of Islam is to establish a balance and to bring about accord in the relationship of man to his Maker, to the Universe and to his fellow men through beneficent adjustment (55:8-10).

The primary object of all revelation is to emphasize the concept of God and to explain the relationship between God and the Universe and the place of man in that juxtaposition.

The Quran is clear and emphatic on the Unity of God and utterly condemns any doctrine, idea or concept which might directly or indirectly tend to associate any other thing or being with God as a partner or equal. Proclaim: “He is Allah, the One, Allah, the Independent and Besought of All. He begets not, nor is He begotten! There is none like unto Him” (112:2-5).

This concept is reinforced by various arguments. For instance: “Allah has not taken unto Himself any son, nor is there any other god along with Him; in that case, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some of them would surely have dominated over others. Glorify, then, Allah above all that which they attribute to Him. Knower of the unseen and of the seen; exalted is He, there fore, above all that which they associate with Him” (23:92-93). Mythology furnishes ample illustration of the confusion and chaos that would prevail if there were a plurality of gods. There would be an end to all certainty and order and consequently to all beneficence. Man and the universe, instead of being manifestations of Divine beneficence, would present a spectacle of capricious and cruel sport, and instead of progressing constantly towards perfection, would be speedily destroyed. “If there had been in the heavens and the earth other gods besides Allah, then surely the twain would have come to ruin. Glorified then be Allah, the Lord of Power, above what they attribute” (21:23).

It follows that all adoration, glorification, worship and obedience are due to God alone. He is the object of the heart’s deepest love and devotion. To seek nearness to Him, to do His will in all things, to win His pleasure, in short to become the manifestation of His attributes, that is to say, His image, is the purpose of man’s creation (51-57). He is the Source of all beneficence, everything proceeds from Him and is dependent upon Him, He is Independent and stands in no need of help or assistance from any other source. All sources and means proceed from Him, and nothing exists or subsists outside His control or authority. “Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and so do the angels and those possessed of knowledge; Maintainer of Justice, there is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise” (3:19).

The Quran teaches that God has throughout affirmed and borne witness to His Existence, His Unity and His various attributes, and revealed these to mankind for the complete fulfilment of life in all spheres.
The discovery of all this was not left to man. In other words, the Quran repudiates the notion that man, through the use of his intellect, progressively perfected his own concept of the Divine.

Had that been so, countless generations would have perished in ignorance before a concept of God even remotely approaching the reality could have been evolved. Thus the Quran does not countenance the thesis that man’s concept of God has evolved progressively from the worship of natural objects to the recognition and acceptance of a Universal Almighty Creator. This would have meant that man created God through a process of intellectual exercise. God has ever revealed Himself. “He sends down the angels with revelation by His command on whomsoever of His servants He pleases, directing: Warn that there is no god but I, so take Me alone for your Protector” (16:3).

God is not merely the First Cause. He is the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner, and He exercises control over the universe at all times. “Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian over all things. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth” (39:63-64). All His attributes are eternal. None of them ever falls into disuse. His attribute of Creation is equally in operation all the time. “Allah originates Creation; then He repeats it; then to Him shall you be brought back” (30:12). “To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. All are obedient to Him. He it is Who originates the Creation, then repeats it, for it is most easy for Him. His is the most exalted state in the heavens and the earth. He is the Mighty, the Wise” (30:27-28).

He creates and perfects; He designs and guides (87:3-4). He has bestowed upon everything its appropriate form, which would enable each thing to perform its functions properly, and has then guided everything to its proper function (21:51). He bestows life and He causes death (53:45), and to Him do all things ultimately return (53:43).

“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and He has mastery over everything” (3:190). Having created the universe and all that is in it, He did not sit back and, as it were, abdicate His control over it. Nothing can continue in existence except with His constant support. “In His hand is the dominion over all things and He grants protection to everything, but against Him there is no protection” (23:89).

Nature and all its phenomena, life and all its exigencies, including its termination here below, have all been created in God’s wisdom, obey His laws, and are under His control (21:34; 36:38-41; 67:2-5).

God regulates it all and clearly explains His Signs that men may have firm belief in communion with Him and in their accountability to Him (13:3).

The attributes of God have been set out in the Quran in different contexts. He forgives faults and shortcomings, He accepts repentance, He judges and imposes penalties, He is the Lord of Bounty. Towards Him is the final return (40:4).
It follows that, according to the Quran, the Universe did not just happen or grow of itself. It was created, and was created with a purpose. The Quran teaches that it would be inconsistent with the very concept of the Divine that He should bring something into being merely by way of sport or pastime. “We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between the two in sport. If We had wished to find a pastime We would surely have found it in what is with Us, if at all We were to do such a thing” (21:17-18). Indeed, to imagine that God would do anything without purpose would amount in effect to a denial of God. ”We have not created the heaven and the earth and all that is between them in vain. That is the view of those who deny Us” (38:28).

All God’s attributes operate in accordance with the requirements of wisdom (71:14). The creation of the heavens and the earth was also in accord with the requirements of wisdom (15:86; 39:6). The whole of God’s creation is in harmony. There is no discord, disorder or incongruity.

Everything is adjusted and co-ordinated so as to carry out the purpose for which it was created (67:2-5). Such disorder or maladjustment as may be observed, or may occur, results from misuse or contravention of the laws governing the universe.

The purpose of the creation of the universe is to aid man in achieving the object for which he was created. This is part of God’s unlimited bounty to man. The universe and the laws that govern it constantly work out, under Divine direction, the consequences beneficent or otherwise, of man’s use of God’s bounties (14:8; 16:11-19; 56:69-75). The creation of man has passed through many stages (71:15-18). Having been originated from water and clay, over millennia, man began to be created from the sperm, was endowed with sense and understanding, and having thus been perfected, began to be guided through revelation (23:13-15; 32:7-10; 35:12).

The Quran stresses the unity of mankind, that man has been created of one kind (4:2; 16:73). Like the universe, man has not been created without purpose, to live aimlessly (57:37). His life has a purpose and he is responsible and accountable in respect of it. In the Quran, the principle of accountability is expressed in terms of man having to be “ brought back” to God (23:16). The purpose of man’s creation is that he should receive the impress of God’s attributes and should, within the limits of his capacities, become a manifestation of them. In other words men, high and low, have been created so that they should become God’s image (51:57). To aid man in the achievement of this purpose he has been endowed with appropriate faculties and capacities. “Surely We have created man in the best mould” (95:5). In addition, God has constrained the whole of the universe to the service of man, which means that the universe is governed by laws and that the operation of these laws has as its object the beneficent service of man. These laws are ascertainable and through their knowledge man can progressively increase his mastery over the forces of nature and extract greater and greater beneficence from them.

The Quran describes man as God’s “vicegerent upon earth” (2:31). It affirms that man having been created by stages and his faculties having been perfected, he began to be guided through revelation. He then found that the universe was subjected to him for the enrichment and fulfilment of his life.

“Allah it is Who has subjected the sea to you that ships may sail thereon by His command, and that you may seek of His Bounty and that you may draw benefit therefrom. He has subjected to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; all of it. In that surely are Signs for a people who reflect” (45:13-14).

Again: “Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and caused water to come down from the clouds and brought forth therewith fruit for your sustenance; and He has subjected to you the ships that they may sail through the sea by His command, and the rivers too has He subjected to you. He has also subjected to you the sun and the moon, both pursuing their courses constantly. He has subjected to you the night as well as the day. He gave you all that you wanted of Him. If you try to count the favours of Allah, you will not be able to number them. Verily, man is apt to misuse and abuse the bounties of Allah” (14:33-35).

God’s favour in bestowing upon man all that was needed for the fulfilment of the purpose of life and in subjecting to his service the whole of the universe and all its phenomena is repeatedly stressed, and man is exhorted to reflect upon, and to draw lessons from, all these phenomena. “He it is Who sends down water for you from the clouds; from it you have your drink; and there grows by it vegetation on which you pasture your beasts.

“Therewith He also grows for you corn and the olive. and the date palm, and the grape, and all kinds of fruit. Surely in that is a Sign for a people who reflect.

“He has constrained into service the things He has created for you in the earth, of diverse hues. Surely, in that is a Sign for a people who take heed.

“He it is Who has subjected to you the sea, that you may take therefrom flesh to eat, and the ornaments that you wear. And thou seest the ships ploughing it, that you may journey thereby, and that you may seek of His bounty, and that you may be grateful” (16:11-15).

References to God’s Signs emphasize the need for study and research so that the proper use of each thing may be discovered by acquiring knowledge of its properties and the laws governing them.

These gifts and bounties are for the benefit of mankind as such; that is to say, of the whole of mankind without discrimination. They are not intended for, or confined to, any particular section.

Thus, equipped with his own inherent faculties and capacities appropriate to, and adequate for, the purpose of achieving his object in life; with Divine guidance available at all stages, adequate to his needs; and with the whole of the universe subjected to his service, man has, through Divine beneficence, been placed in the most favourable position for the complete fulfilment of his lif e and for the achievement of its goal and purpose.

We can now appreciate the position allotted to man in the Divine scheme of the universe, according to the Quran. Man in this context signifies mankind, all men without distinction or discrimination. The message of Islam is directed towards and comprehends the whole of mankind. “Say: O mankind, truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. He gives life and He causes death” (7:159).
The Quran teaches that man’s nature is pure, “the nature made by Allah; the nature in which He has created mankind” (30:31) and that evil enters from outside. The Prophet said: “Every child is born in accord with divine nature, it is his parents who make him a Jew a Zoroastrian or a Christian.”2 In other words a child is influenced by heredity and environment. It has no natural propensity towards evil.

Should man fall into evil by error or design, he can win back to purity and righteousness through prayer and repentance. “O My servants who have committed excesses against your own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives all sins, verily He is Most Forgiving, Merciful. Turn ye to your Lord and submit yourselves to Him before there comes unto you the chastisement” (39:54-55). And again: “Whoso believes in Allah and acts righteously, He will remove from them the evil consequences of their deeds” (64:10).

The double assurance that everything in the universe is governed by law, the knowledge of which can be pro gressively acquired by man, and that the universe is subjected to man’s service and thus is wholly beneficent, throws wide open to man all avenues of knowledge, which he is not only encouraged, but is repeatedly urged and exhorted, to explore unceasingly. The only limitation is imposed by God’s law that so long as man continues to make beneficent use of God’s bounties, He will continue to multiply them unto him without limit but that, on the other hand, if he misuses them, or abuses them he will be called to account in respect of them and these very bounties may become the instruments of his destruction (14:8). To this is added the assurance that Divine guidance will always be available to assist mankind in regulating human life along beneficent lines in all spheres.