The phenomenon called rainbow is a natural feature that has continued to attract the interest of both scientists and religionists. Historically, the Germans believed that a rainbow was a bridge for gods to take a trip around the world. Similar idea was available with the Japanese. On the part of the Babylonians, the rainbow is a necklace of love of goddess Ashtar. The Chinese used rainbow to predict the future while the Greek have no inkling of what rainbow is constituted of or its use.
The Director General of Centre for Research on Islamic Education and the Director of Studies for Dawah Educational Academy, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, Sheikh Sulayman Lateef Bolanle, opines that the different colours of the rainbow represents the different beautiful racial nature of human beings, that is, we human beings are of different races and are beautiful, despite our different colours .
The Quran in Surah Fatir, Chapter 35:27 makes a reference to the rainbow, stating, “Do you not see that Allah sent down water from the sky with which we brought forth fruits of diverse hues? In the mountains, there are white and red, of diverse hues, and pitchy black; (35:28) and human beings too, and beasts, and cattle, diverse are their hues. From among His servants, it is only those who know, that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Most Mighty, Most Forgiving.”
This is meant to impress that in the universe created by Allah, nowhere is there homogeneous and uniform; there is variety everywhere. From the same earth and by the same water, different kinds of trees are appearing. Even the two pieces of the fruit of the same tree are not uniform in colour and size and taste.
In the same mountain, one will see a variety of colours and a great difference in the material composition of its different parts.
Even among human beings and animals, one will not see two offspring of the same parents exactly alike. If a person seeks uniformity of the temperaments and dispositions and mentalities in this universe and is bewildered at the differences which have been alluded to in verses 19-22 above, it will be his own perception and understanding to blame.
This same variety and difference, in fact, point to the reality that this universe has been created by a Wise Being with great wisdom; its Maker is a Unique Creator and a Matchless Fashioner, Who does not have the same model of everything before Him, but has a variety of countless and limitless designs of everything. Then if one ponders over the differences in human temperaments and minds, in particular, one will see that it is not a mere accident, but in fact, the masterpiece of the wisdom of creation.
If all human beings had been created with the uniform temperaments and desires and feelings and inclinations and ways of thinking, and no room had been left for any difference, it would have been absolutely useless to bring about a new creation like man in the world.
