THE Rabb
The second stage after the creation is the stage of giving sustenance and fostering the created objects during the process of evolution. As mentioned before, a created object gradually passes through many stages of evolution before completion. For a seed to become a fruit-bearing tree, the seed has to pass through many stages. The process of evolution starts at the lowest level and slowly reaches the ultimate destination. The nurturer, who looks after all these stages in the process of evolution and provides all nourishments required for the development, in every stage, from the beginning to the end, is known as the Rabb in the Quran, and the system of sustenance is called Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat.
Allah provides all the means which are essential for the created objects to exist and develop. This program starts with the birth of a baby. All the babies are very fragile at the time of birth, with a delicate system of digestion. Allah’s system of sustenance provides fountains of milk in the body of mother to feed the baby. This is an amazing example of the sustenance program, without adding any extra machinery to the existing system; a human being produces milk, with the exact proportion of water and food contents suitable to a child’s digestive system. Moreover, the content of water decreases as a baby’s digestive system acquires the capacity to digest more solid food. After two or two and half years, the fountains of milk are dry; there is the same mother with the same child, but no milk. At this junction of life the child is in the custody of humans for sustenance. Could such a wonderful and accurate program be the result of a blind nature? No, it is done by a mighty, wise Allah.
The other essential elements for the existence and growth of life are water, air, light and food. Air and light are everywhere in the earth; we breath day and night, even sleeping, without being conscious of it. The sun and moon arise and set at their fixed time without being affected by human feelings, prayers, and difficulties. The last essential element for the existence of life and growth is water. The water supply system of Allah is astonishing. The water of seas is salty and undrinkable. When the rays of the sun fall on the ocean water it changes into vapor and forms clouds. Within a cloud, water droplets condense into one another, causing the droplets to grow. The wind scatters these clouds throughout the skies and sweet drinkable water reaches the needy earth; in the clouds, condensed droplets become too heavy to stay suspended in the sky and they fall to earth as rain.
Rain is the major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the earth. The rainwater is used for all the agricultural needs, some water soaks into the earth which is later used for many purposes, and some water changes form and is saved in the form of snow glaciers on the mountains—that water flows back, in summer, to the plains in rivers. These glaciers work as reservoirs for maintaining the water supply. The remaining water goes back to sea.
Such an intricate and sophisticated program is working in the
universe for sustenance and development of humanity. That is why the
phrase Rabb-el-alameen (Sustainer of Universe) is repeated 40 times
in the Quran. This repetition serves to lay stress on the importance of
basic necessities of life without which humans cannot exist. All is
received by humans without any fee, effort, or tax.
These arrangements are meant to make human life easy and
comfortable; but the moment humans take charge, things become
difficult and full of afflictions, because they distribute the resources
according to their own selfish plans. The result is that a sparrow and a
humble ant can get their nourishment without any trouble, whereas
human beings, who think they are superior to other creations, have to
undergo towering difficulties to get the required food.
The Quran introduces God as Rabb and not as “lord”. In the very
beginning of the Quran it says, 1:1 “All hamd belongs to Allah who is
sustainer of the universe (Rabb-el-Alameen)”.
