It is true that God Almighty does not do anything in an unnatural manner. The fact of the matter is that God is the Creator of means. Whether we are informed of those means or not, there are always some means. The miracles of the splitting of the moon or (O fire, be thou cold and a means of safety) did not occur without appropriate means. In fact, they too were the result of certain unknown and hidden means and are supported by objective and impartial science. Those who are short-sighted and inclined to the dark hollows of philosophy cannot understand this fact. I am astonished that when it is an established fact that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, why then do foolish philosophers so boldly deny miracles on the basis of their deficient knowledge of the means that cause miracles. I do believe that if Allah the Exalted so wills, He can disclose these hidden means to His servants, but this is not necessary. When a person constructs a house for themselves, where they take into consideration the provision of all other amenities, the foremost thing that they ensure is the construction of a door to enter and exit the house. If a person owns substantial furnishings, elephants, horses and carts, they will naturally construct a gate that can proportionally accommodate the inward and outward movement of their possessions, not a small opening like the one which leads into a snake’s hole.
Similarly, we find by reflecting deeply and carefully on the action of God Almighty, i.e. the law of nature, that aft er giving birth to His creation, God has never desired for it to defy the bounds of servitude (ubudiyyat) and detach itself from God’s providence (rububiyyat). For divine providence has never sought to divorce itself from the phenomenon known as ‘servitude.’ The true philosophy is that those who consider ‘servitude’ to be an agency that possesses any independent power in its own right are mistaken; for God Almighty has not given birth to it as such. The differing levels between us in our knowledge, thoughts and intellects, and our inability to shed ample light on all matters, is manifest evidence of the fact that without the grace of divine providence, “servitude” cannot exist. Every particle and shred of our body by nature may be likened to the angels (who are obedient to God). If this were not the case, the very foundation of medicine and even more so, of prayer, would prove meaningless and ineffectual. Observe the heaven and earth, and all that is within them, and reflect: is all of this creation, in its being and essence, independent for its own life and existence? The whole of creation from the heavenly bodies to the things of this world all inherently possess a nature of servitude to God. Every leaf reveals and every branch proclaims that God’s divinity is in full operation. The deep and profound powers of God which we cannot expound with our own thoughts and strengths – rather which we cannot even fully comprehend – are engaged in their work. Therefore, Allah the Exalted states:
“Allah – there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining.”
This means, Allah Almighty is the only Being that is the compendium of all perfect attributes and who is free from each and every deficiency; it is He alone who is worthy of worship; it is His Being alone that is manifestly evident, for He is Living as an Independent Being and He is Self-Subsisting. Nothing besides him may be characterised as living or existing independently in its own right. What does this mean exactly? It means that with the exception of Allah Almighty, there is no one else that exists or lives independently without an initial cause, nor can there be any other prime cause – except for God of course – which brought about the creation of this universe with all its wise and balanced order. Hence, this discloses to us that besides God Almighty, there is no other being that can change or alter the creations of this universe or which can be described as having been the source or cause of the life and existence of all things.
(Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 109-111)
