It is He who sends water from the skies; from it you drink and so do the plants which your cattle eat.

With it He causes crops to grow and olives and dates and grapes and all the fruits. Surely, in this there is a message for people who think.

And He has made the night and the day and the sun and the moon subservient to you; and the stars are subservient by His command. Surely, in this, there are messages for people who use their reason.

And what He created on the earth has many shades of colors. Surely, in this, there is a message for people who reflect.

And He it is who has made the sea subservient, so that you can eat fresh meat from it, and take from it ornaments which you wear.

And on the sea you see ships going through the waves, so that you may seek to enrich yourself of His abundance, and thus may be grateful.

And he has placed firm mountains on earth, lest it sway with you, and rivers and roads, so that you can find your way, as well as many landmarks: and by the stars people find their way.

Is, then, he who creates like one that cannot create? Do you not consider this?

For, should you attempt to count God’s favors, you could never exhaust them!

Sura16: Aya 10-18

How we relate to nature and interpret its forces is of interest to everyone. A popular view is that nature is a source of danger and hardship for us. The Quran present a different view. It says that objects in nature: rain, the sun, the moon, the stars etc, are a source of benefit to mankind. Moreover, God says that He has made these forces subservient to us: we can derive benefits from them if we use the faculties of thinking and reasoning we have. The Quran’s point of view conveys a spiritual reality: the human being’s perspective is creative; the reality we experience is made by how we think.