Animals and Birds: Submitting Creatures*
[6:38] All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book.** To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.
*6:38 Animals were among the creatures who took advantage of God’s offer to repent after committing the original sin (see the Introduction).
**6:38 All information relevant to our eternal life of the Hereafter is contained in the Quran. The true believers accept, without hesitation, God’s assertion: “We did not leave anything out of this book.” The importance of this statement, and similar statements, is reflected in the fact that each of them consists of 19 Arabic letters (Appendix 19).
How are the birds and animals communities like us?
We can learn from their behavior and therefore better understand our own behaviors.
Chimpanzee Communities (by dr. Robert Sapolsky)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4UMyTnlaMY
Pigeon Superstition – B.F. Skinner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGcEy_W48Kc
Are animals held responsible for their deeds in this world?
Introduction of Quran – Rashad Khalifa:
(2) The Animals
Although the angels suggested that the rebels and their leader should be exiled from God’s kingdom (2:30), the Most Merciful willed to give the rebels a chance to denounce their crime, repent, and submit to His absolute authority (33:72). As represented in the diagram above, the vast majority of the rebels took advantage of God’s gracious offer to re-enter His kingdom. They agreed to kill their egos, come to this world to perform a submissive role, as an expiation for their blasphemy. In return for their submissive role in this world, these creatures are redeemed back to God’s eternal kingdom (6:38). The horse, the dog, the tree, the sun, the moon, the stars, as well as deformed and retarded children are among the intelligent creatures who denounced their crime and repented:
| Do you not realize that to God prostrates everything in the heavens and the earth; the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the animals, as well as many people? Many people, however, are destined for retribution. (22:18) |
| The stars and the trees prostrate. (55:6) |
The horse has no ego. The horse’s owner can be rich or poor, tall or short, fat or thin, young or old, and the horse will serve them all. The dog has no ego; it will wag its tail to its owner, no matter how rich or poor the owner might be. The sun rises and sets every day at precisely the times prescribed by God. The moon follows its synchronized orbit around the earth, without the slightest deviation. The human body – a temporary garment – belongs to the Earth; as such, it is a submitter. The heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs, perform their functions without our control.
[27:20] He inspected the birds, and noted: “Why do I not see the hoopoe? Why is he missing?
[27:21] “I will punish him severely or sacrifice him, unless he gives me a good excuse.”
[27:22] He did not wait for long. (The hoopoe) said, “I have news that you do not have. I brought to you from Sheba, some important information.
Freedom of Choice
[33:72] We have offered the responsibility (freedom of choice) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were afraid of it. But the human being accepted it; he was transgressing, ignorant.*
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