1:2
(Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds)
All creation proclaims the Glory of Allah
Islamic theological discussions describe creation as possessing a form of awareness through which all beings respond to divine command. Shanavas argues that the Qur’an presents both living and nonliving realities as having identity and perceptive capacity, although human beings cannot fully comprehend how such awareness functions (Shanavas, pp. 181–182). Qur’an 17:44 portrays the heavens, earth, and everything within them as glorifying God in ways beyond human perception, while Qur’an 41:11 depicts the heavens and earth responding willingly to divine instruction. Some contemporary reflections interpret the Qur’anic reference to “smoke” as symbolizing an early gaseous or energetic stage of the universe, drawing parallels with modern cosmological descriptions of the primordial expansion (Shanavas, pp. 181–182).
Classical commentary similarly emphasizes that all creation proclaims divine praise. Yusuf Ali explains that animate beings glorify God consciously, whereas inanimate realities testify through the signs of divine unity manifested in nature; mystical traditions even describe a spiritual dimension present within nonliving entities (Ali, p. 706). Shanavas further suggests that Qur’anic narratives attribute a form of subjectivity to natural phenomena such as thunder, fire, and wind, as seen in verses describing fire obeying divine command and the wind being subdued for Solomon (Shanavas, p. 182). These themes influenced later spiritual writers, including Jalaluddin Rumi, who portrayed the elements as living servants of God.
The Qur’anic term Rabb, often translated as “Sustainer,” conveys a broader meaning related to nurturing and gradual development. Drawing on early Arabic lexicographers, Abul Kalam Azad and al-Raghib al-Isfahani interpret rubūbiyyah as a process through which creation unfolds step by step toward completion, guided by divine wisdom (Shanavas, n.d., pp. 131–132). Within this framework, divine lordship implies an ongoing process of growth governed by natural laws established by God.
Traditional exegesis also interprets the phrase “Lord of the worlds” (rabb al-ʿālamīn) as encompassing all forms of existence. Maʿāriful Qur’an explains that ʿālamīn includes visible and unseen realms—celestial bodies, natural elements, angels, jinn, humans, and potentially other worlds beyond human observation (Usmani, n.d., pp. 64–65). Commentators such as Fakhr al-Dīn al-Razi speculated about multiple universes, arguing that divine omnipotence allows for countless realms. Ibn Kathir likewise notes that creation is called ʿālam because it serves as a sign pointing to the existence and unity of its Creator (Ibn Kathir, n.d., pp. 43–44).
Islamic metaphysical traditions further emphasize that all existence reflects divine reality. Some theological perspectives describe the universe as governed by fixed laws that maintain harmony, while all created things are understood to submit to God’s will; humans alone possess free will and must consciously align themselves with divine guidance (The Concept of God, the Origin of the World, and the Image of the Human in the World Religions.). Sufi interpretations, including those associated with Ibn Arabi and later thinkers, describe the cosmos as a multiplicity reflecting an underlying unity, symbolized by the metaphor of divine light illuminating creation and humanity reflecting that light (p. 109).