26. The word ayah here signifies a tangible miracle. The purpose of the verse is to point out that the reason for not showing a miraculous sign is not God's powerlessness. The true reason is something else which those people in their immaturity, have failed to comprehend.
27. If they are concerned with miraculous signs in order to determine whether or not the message of the Prophet (peace be on him) is indeed true, then, let them look around with open and attentive eyes. If they actually do so they will find the world full of such signs. Let them take any species of animal or bird they like. They can reflect upon the superbness of its organic structure. They will notice how its instinctive urges are in complete conformity with its natural requirements. They will also observe how wonderfully adequate are the arrangements for providing it with nourishment; how marvellously well-determined are the limits within which -it lives; how tremendously efficient is the system under which each living creature is protected, provided for, looked after and directed towards self-fulfilment; how strictly each one is fitted into the framework of the discipline devised for it, and how very smooth is the operation of the whole system of birth, procreation and death. Were one to reflect on this alone from among the innumerable signs of God, one would perceive fully how true the teaching of the Prophet (peace he on him) is concerning the unity and other attributes of God and how necessary it is to live a righteous life in conformity with the concept of God propounded by him. But their eyes were neither open to perceive the Truth nor their ears open to heed admonition. Instead, they remained ignorant, preferring to be entertained by the performance of wondrous feats.
28. God's act of misguiding a man consists in not enabling one who cherishes
his ignorance to observe the signs of God. The fact is that if a biased person
- one who has no real love of the Truth - were to observe the signs of God,
he might still fail to perceive it. Indeed, all those things which cause misconception
and confusion would probably continue to alienate him from it. God's act of
true guidance consists in enabling a seeker after the Truth to benefit from
the sources of true knowledge, so that he constantly discovers sign after sign,
leading him ultimately to the Truth.
A myriad of cases are encountered daily to illustrate this. We notice that a
great many people pass inattentively over the countless signs of God that are
scattered all over the world, and ignore even those signs which are manifest
in human beings as well as in animals. It is little wonder, then, that they
derive no lesson from all these signs. There are many who study zoology, botany,
biology, geology, astronomy, physiology, anatomy and other branches of natural
science. Others study history, archaeology and sociology. During the course
of such studies they come across many signs of God which, if they cared to look
at them in the correct perspective, might fill their hearts with faith. But
since they commence their study with a bias, and are actuated only by the desire
to acquire earthly advantages, they fail to discover the signs which could lead
them to the Truth. On the contrary, each of those very signs of God contributes
to pushing them towards atheism, materialism and naturalism. At the same time,
the world is not empty of those truly wise ones who view the universe with open
eyes. For them even the most ordinary phenomenon of the universe directs them
to God.