The Qur’an An Abiding Wonder
The Qur’an: The Book of God
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sustenance for man on the earth; that there would
be a constant favourable balance of sustenance and
human population; that there would be an adequate
provision of sustenance tomorrow just as there is
today.
Throughout the ages, Muslims have been endorsing
this claim as a matter of faith. They have left this
matter to God, the great Provider.
One thousand years after this claim made by the
Qur’an, the British economist, Robert Malthus
(1766–1834) published in 1798 his book,
An Essay on
the Principle of Population as it Affects the Future
Improvement of Society,
in which he set forth his
famous theory on the growth of population.
‘Population, when unchecked, increases in a
geometrical ratio. Subsistence only increases in an
arithmetical ratio.’
Simply stated, growth in population and growth in
sustenance are not naturally equal. Human
population grows geometrically, that is at a ratio of
1 - 2 - 4 - 8 - 1 6 - 32, while the growth of food
supplies maintains an arithmetical ratio: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
5 - 6 - 7 - 8. Sustenance, therefore, cannot keep up
