Confluences
of
Indicators

Throughout the Qur'an

there are threaded occurrences of 'Signs',

sometimes in intriguing clusters.

But Signs for whom?

Signs of what?

Signs to what?

How do we even approach a sign?

What do the words say?

Well,

over and over again it makes clear

that these signs are meant to be followed by our minds.

When describing who the signs are for,

we are told they are for those who have minds.

The words say the signs are for those having reason,

who hear, who understand,

those who consider

and those who reflect,

who believe, who know,

and who remember.

But the mind does not have to be super-intelligent for the task,

as we are told that the signs are for all living beings,

those with mind enough to be Mindful of God,

those who recognise truth, and who are thankful.

But to go along with who the signs are for,

the reasons why they are for them are less frequently described,

and then usually alongside some instructions,

hoping that you will understand,

reflect and remember,

be guided and be thankful.

So if we use our minds about it, what do we find

when we call something a sign?

A pointer to something in our life experience.

Signs can be in the world outside us like road signs,

or inside us like a conscience,

and the Qur'an also mentions occasions of Clear Signs,

times such as those of Moses and Jesus,

with miraculous displays of God's power and control over what we see as real.

But even such signs are not enough for some,

and at the time they were considered no more than sorcery or magic tricks,

and now once again these miraculous events

are reduced to being seen as no more than fairy tales.

The Qur'an itself is also a Clear Sign,

but the miracle brought by Muhammad

was a different kind of miracle,

a miraculous drawn out moment of contact

in words from the Divine,

words grouped into small units of the greater miracle,

units known as ayat,

signs,

Signs of God in the Book of Muhammad's Reading.

So where to look to understand your relationship with it all?

And what are these pointers?

They are in the Creation of which we are a part,

all the heavens and the earth.

They are in the world outside us as far as the edges of our horizons,

and are inside us in our deepest thoughts and feelings.

As far as the stars, fixed to guide us in the darkest of nights,

and the sun and moon to time our night and day.

And the atmosphere, with its winds turning about,

moving clouds of moisture that fall on dead earth and give it life,

and from it all the plants, gardens and fruits,

grapes, olives, pomegranates, dates.

And the birds in the air,

and the insects on which they feed,

and the cattle on the ground

and all manner of crawling things,

including humankind.

Humankind,

we are our own sign.

We need to understand how we are created from dust,

and see our provision in the world as God's reward

for our efforts on land or sea searching it out.

And a sign is the variety of our languages and colours,

our growth in distinction from each other,

while still retaining our shared source,

our creation from a single soul,

the sign of our inner awareness of love and mercy, fear and hope.