Affinities, Interactions, and Divine Equilibrium: A Scientific Reading of Qur’an 2:216

The Qur’anic verse “It may be that you dislike something while it is good for you, and it may be that you love something while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know” (Qur’an 2:216) reveals with remarkable clarity the limits of human knowledge when confronted with the structural complexity of reality. Human perception captures only fragments of the broader system, whereas the divine order encompasses every interaction, consequence, and hidden equilibrium.

The human body and the natural world function as synchronised and highly integrated systems. Even minor perturbations can generate cascades of effects across the entire organism, a principle reflected in the Qur’anic concept of universal balance (Mizan). This systemic logic extends to the inner dimension of the human being: returning to God through prayer, reflection, or reconnection with one’s spiritual core restores energetic coherence, much like a device that requires recharging to operate. Observing nature with scientific attention continually reveals patterns of interconnection that align with this Qur’anic worldview.

At this intersection of science and metaphysics, Goethe’s theory of elective affinities becomes unexpectedly relevant. Borrowed from 18th-century chemistry, the model proposes that elements interact according to intrinsic tendencies rather than human prediction. Substances that appear incompatible may combine into stable compounds, while seemingly harmonious ones may separate or react destructively under specific conditions. Goethe employs this chemical metaphor to illustrate that human relationships and life events follow deeper systemic laws: interactions possess their own internal logic, independent of moral judgement or intention. What appears favourable or harmful at the subjective level may, at the structural level, be fulfilling a necessary role within the system.

Contemporary physics reinforces this understanding. Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle demonstrates that certain properties cannot be known simultaneously with precision; quantum superposition reveals that multiple states coexist until observation; and entanglement shows that distant particles can influence each other instantaneously. These principles indicate that systemic properties emerge from relations, not isolated components. Invisible correlations—beyond immediate perception—can generate decisive outcomes. In chemistry, likewise, a seemingly stable molecule can become reactive under specific conditions, reshaping entire reaction pathways. So too can seemingly minor encounters or events profoundly alter the trajectory of a human life.

We often interpret reality through binary judgments—“beneficial” or “toxic,” “right” or “wrong.” Yet quantum mechanics encourages a more sophisticated epistemology. Before measurement, a quantum system exists as a spectrum of probabilities. Likewise, what we perceive as positive or negative is merely one interpretive frame among many. Our understanding is inherently partial: events that appear harmful may later reveal themselves to be constructive, while what seems beneficial may conceal necessary disruption.

If we restricted ourselves only to what appears “right,” avoiding uncertainty or risk, life would stagnate. Growth emerges from the coexistence of opposites—their superposition—not from the exclusion of difficulty. Even painful experiences contribute to systemic equilibrium, just as a seemingly random quantum measurement determines the final state of a system.

The verse “Allah knows, and you do not know” thus gestures toward a probabilistic architecture of reality. Human beings cannot perceive the full causal network in which events unfold. Yet every occurrence—favourable or unfavourable—plays a role in the system’s overall configuration, just as every amplitude in a wave function contributes to the quantum state upon collapse.

Life, like the subatomic world, is shaped by possibility, interaction, and emergent behaviour. What appears harmful may carry hidden benefit; what appears beneficial may conceal transformative challenges. The key is to embrace uncertainty, suspend premature judgment, and recognise that each choice alters the balance of the entire system.

The interpretation of this surah is therefore far more complex than it may initially appear. Life experiences continually reshape its meaning: if our bodies are recycled matter, our emotions recycled energy, and our thoughts recycled information, then every experience is a domino that sets another in motion, generating chains of significance no individual can fully predict.

In this light, the verse is not a rigid prohibition but an invitation to recognise that every event participates in a larger integrative process. Nothing is accidental; everything contributes to the continuity of equilibrium—just as Goethe’s elective affinities show that interactions adhere to laws deeper than desire, producing outcomes that only later reveal their necessity within the system.

The truth is this: we are not accidental spectators of life, nor victims of isolated events. We are components of a system in which every interaction—human, emotional, spiritual, or quantum—contributes to the overall equilibrium. Nothing that happens is ever a mistake; it is the precise configuration that allows the universe to continue its design. Allah knows, while we see only one of the infinite possibilities of the whole.

Author’s Note

This article integrates insights from Qur’anic exegesis, Goethean theory, systems chemistry, and quantum physics to highlight a unified principle: reality is fundamentally relational and governed by patterns that exceed human perception. The intention is not to merge scientific and theological frameworks artificially, but to illuminate how both point toward an interconnected universe where events derive meaning from the systems they shape.