Is it ye that cause it to grow, or are We the Cause?
Is it ye that cause it to grow, or are We the Cause? Were it Our Will, We could crumble it to dry powder, and ye would be left in wonderment.” [The Holy Qur’an, al-Waqi`ah 56:63-65] Notice how it is stressed that the people plant the seeds in the ground, but it is God who makes them grow. The Prophet said: لا يَقُولَنَّ أحَدُكُم "زَرَعْتُ" وَلْيَقُلْ "حَرَثْتُ،" فإنَّ الزَّارِعَ هُوَ اللهُ. “Do not say: I grew the plants. Say: I planted the seeds.
This is because it is God who makes them grow.” [^4] Thus, we are reminded that God is the Creator of all things. If He wills, He can destroy whatever we plant. In the next verse, we can see the stress on the creation and source of the water that we drink: أفَرَأَيْتُمُ الْمَاءَ الَّذِي تَشْرَبُونَ أَأَنْتُمْ أَنْزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنْزِلُونَ لَوْ نَشَاءُ جَعَلْنَاهُ أُجَاجًا فَلَوْلَا تَشْكُرُونَ “See ye the water which ye drink?
Do ye bring it down (in rain) from the cloud or do We? Were it Our Will, We could make it salt (and unpalatable): then why do ye not give thanks?” [The Holy Qur’an, al-Waqi’ah 56:68-70] Here we are called in to judge ourselves on who creates water and brings down the rain, makes the rivers flow, makes the plants grow, and produces our food. Hopefully we can realize the Majesty of God.
Psychological Effects of Food Scientists agree that food has both good and bad physical and psychological effects on us. Research laboratories are well-equipped to measure the chemical composition of foodstuff and how they affect our body. However, the psychological effects of what we eat have not yet been totally measured.
“The Almighty God only allowed some things for us to eat and drink due to their benefit and good effects on us, and only forbade us some things due to their harmfulness and ill effects.” [^5] The leaders of Islam have all been concerned about the good and bad physical and psychological effects of what we eat and drink.
Drinking Blood Makes One Ruthless Imam Sadiq expressed the reason why it is forbidden to drink blood: )شِربُ الدَّم) يُسِيءُ الخُلُقَ وُيُورِثُ القَسْوَةَ لِلقَلْبِ وَقِلَّةَ الرّأفَةِ وَالرَّحمَةِ وَلا يُؤمَنُ أنْ يُقْتَلَ وَلَدُهُ وَوالِدُهُ. “Drinking blood will make you bad-tempered and ruthless.