A020
Surah: 029 - Ayah: 020
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29:20
Siru (Travel)
In verse (29:20) it is mentioned: "Say: Travel in the earth and see how He originated creation; and then Allah brings forth another creation." That is, through true knowledge and special cibadat, enter the personal world and travel in its earth, so that you may have the recognition of creation and the Creator. Otherwise the purpose of recognition cannot be attained by simply travelling on the external earth.
You can see in this luminous teaching that this is the description of the creation of the personal world, which is a perpetual succession and which here is called creation within creation. The Prophets and the Imams are examples of such creation. Thus when God creates one Perfect Man after another then He makes creation within creation. This means that God continues to create personal worlds one after another and in each one of them happen the same things mentioned in the above Hadith. This is why the Wise Qur’an invites all people to travel within themselves (i.e. in their personal worlds), for as it is said; "Say (O Muhammad): Travel in the earth (sir ul fi’l-ard) and see how He started creation; and then God will bring forth another creation." (29:20). If we restrict the meaning of this wisdom-filled command to travel in the external and material world, certain questions such as these arise:
1. If we accept that here by the "earth" is meant "planet earth" and that by "creation" is meant the external world, how will we by travelling discover the secret of how God started creation?
2. If it is said that this command relates to the physical aspect of the world of humanity, how will the secret of the creation of Adam be disclosed? And how is it possible to ascertain that God will bring forth another creation again?
It is clear from this explanation that "travel in the earth" means travel within ones own self (personal world). Traveling in the earth is mentioned in the Qur’an 14 times,
(7in the imperative form ( siru) and 7 in narrative form (yasirun), in addition to some other forms from the same root. There is no doubt that the recognition of the universe
and the existents is obtained by the recognition of the human self and through which is obtained the recognition of God, the Lord of Honour.
This verse has been referred 2 times.