Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Discover God
Modern technology has produced a mechanical ‘man’–the robot–which performs the prodigious feats of walking, talking and working. But, at the end of it all, it functions in a purely mechanical way, just like any other man-made machine. In no way does it evince the subtlety of behaviour controlled by human intelligence which we find in homo sapiens.
It is reported that on one notable occasion on June 21, 1981, a robot was hired by an office in London to perform the services of an office boy. As soon as it was installed, the lady secretary, Miss Jennie Seff, decided to give it a trial run. She was testing the battery, when, the robot sprang to life and began to stalk along behind her. Miss Seff walked faster and faster as it bore down on her, then started to run to escape its relentless pursuit, but the robot followed on her heels with equal rapidity. In the process, a new typewriter was knocked over and damaged. Finally, with great difficulty the robot was brought under control. (Hindustan Times, 30 June 1981)
In the world of today, those who do not believe in God claim that the universe is nothing but a vast machine, and that it moves like a robot, in a mindless mechanical fashion. But for millions and millions of years, the perfect and harmonious movement of the universe has contradicted such a supposition. Had the universe been a mere robot-like mechanism, there would certainly have been several unaccountable clashes–like the one in the London office.
According to the Quran, “The sun, too, follows its determined course laid down for it by the Almighty, the All Knowing. We have ordained phases for the moon until finally it becomes like an old date-stalk. The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day: each floats in [its own] orbit” (36: 38-40).
This statement of the Quran has been borne out in the present world by human observations, and this is enough to prove that the universe is governed by some conscious being. Without this, the universe could never have been disciplined and harmonious to such a degree of perfection as it is.