Balance in divine design
By Haider Zaman

 The Quran says: "And of His sign is the creation of heavens and the earth and the differences in your languages and colours. Lo! Herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge" (30:22). It says again: "He subjected to you all that is in the heavens and in the earth, all from Himself. There are many signs in this for those who reflect" (45:13).

Through the above verses, the Quran tells us that the creation of heavens and the earth is among the signs of Allah and in these very creations there are many other signs for those who can understand and make use thereof. If one ponders a little bit over the set-up and functioning of countless celestial bodies, the first thing that will strike his mind could be the exceptional degree of harmony in their existence and functioning in relation to each other which could obviously be the result of order and the norms of balance observed in their creation and placement.

This is clearly spelled out by the Quran when it says "He raised the heavens high and set the balance" (55:7). The verse, among other things, implies that after their creation, all the stars, planets and heavenly bodies were placed in proper order with a view to maintain necessary equilibrium and balance. Explaining it the Quran further says: "The sun must not catch up the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is travelling in an orbit with its own motion" (36:40). "Who created the seven heavens in harmony. You will not find any fault (disproportion) in the creation of Merciful" (67:3,4). And "Such is the artistry of Allah Who arranges all things in perfect order" (27:88).

What is most common and conspicuous in all these creations and their movements and functioning is the maintenance of requisite degree of balance and the resultant harmony. The lesson that one should learn could, therefore, be that order and balance are the pre-requisites of harmony and harmony is the pre-requisite of survival. It is because of such harmony that the system has survived for billions of years. If, human beings abide by the same principle in their private lives, in inter-personal relations, in national affairs and in international relations, there is no reason as to why they should not overcome most of the problems of this age and lead a happy and peaceful life.

Take the simplest example of human body the existence of which in a healthy state mainly depends on the harmonious functioning of the entire system. Slight increase in the rate of blood circulation can disturb the balance and cause damage to such vital parts of the body as heart and kidney.

Only a balanced diet can ensure the fitness of human body. An aircraft can fly smoothly in the air only when both of its wings are balanced. The loss of one feather in either wing of a bird can affect its ability to fly. A motor car can run smoothly only when all its wheels are balanced. A business organisation can function and survive for long only when its assets and liabilities are balanced.

A good judgment or decision in a dispute between two parties can be possible only through a balanced approach i.e. when the decision maker gives equal opportunities to the parties to plead and defend their viewpoints and gives due consideration to the pleas set-up and contentions raised by them.

Many a beings and things which vanish are replaced in order to restore the balance. In this connection the Quran says: "It is He Who originates the creation and repeats it" (10:34). Likewise, many things are so linked with each other that their existence depends on their ability to co-exist which in turn depends on the maintenance of requisite degree of balance in their interaction or relationship. Any thing that loses its capability to maintain requisite degree of balance in the system loses the ability to co-exist, and cannot exist in the same form or situation for long. Inter-dependence and co-existence are only a few manifestations of balance.

Imbalance in the sphere of human activities results, among other things, from the commission of excesses. That's why the Quran explicitly advises the human beings not to commit excesses (5:87).

The Quran also advises us to be moderate (31:19). Moderation inter alia implies avoidance of excesses. The Quran further says: "and did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, the earth indeed would be full of mischief" (2:251). It means that Allah not only restores the balance when it is disturbed but has also devised ways for checking the commission of excesses, like one set of people checking the other, in order to avoid the disturbance of balance. But whenever the balance is disturbed, the Divine law sets in motion to restore it.

The Quran also tells us about many nations that were wiped out from the earth because they had disturbed the balance to such an extent that their wiping out was the only way to restore the balance. The examples of the people of Hazrat Lut and that of Pharaoh and Madyan are most glaring. The people of Madyan were commercial people whose very way of life was affected by corruption, fraud and malpractices. In fact, they had disturbed the balance to such an extent that their total elimination could be the only way to restore it (11:84-94).The Quran further says "you will not find any change in the Way of Allah, nor will you see that a power can turn the Way of Allah from its appointed course" (35:43). Since maintenance of balance is one of the Ways of Allah, it gets restored one way or the other, sooner or later, as and when it is disturbed.

The importance of balance is manifest from the fact that the Quran has not only highlighted it but has also emphasised its maintenance. It says "He raised the heavens high and set the balance" (55:7). It says again "It is Allah Who sent the Book in truth and the balance" (42:17). And again "We sent our messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the balance" (57:25). It specifically advises the human beings not to disturb the balance (55:8).

A little bit pondering over these four verses taken together would reveal that Allah first made use of the rule of balance in setting the universe in proper order and then sent it down to the earth through Prophets and the Books so that it is followed and made use of by the human beings in their own spheres of influence and activities.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2003/01/24/op.htm#1