How can we define Islam with respect to the universe?

Islam defined with respect to the universe

Islam, derived from silm (submission, salvation, and peace), is the expression of God’s Grace flowing in the universe’s arteries. Being the Divine system to which all creation, except humanity, has submitted willingly, the universe contains no disorder. Islam is the firm, unbreakable rope stretched from Heaven to which all creatures hold fast and by which humanity will ascend to Paradise, our original home. Islam connects all creatures in a single unity and thus is the religion of universal brotherhood, sisterhood, and solidarity.
Islam can be likened to a string of prayer beads. Each bead stands for a species. When the string breaks, they all scatter. This is how the world is today, for people are divided into various classes, races, nations, territories, and economies. They consider nature as “a prostitute to be used without any sense of obligation and responsibility toward her.”
Tawhid (monotheism) implies the necessity of humanity’s harmony with nature. The universe, which has submitted to God, displays a coherence and harmony of which our world is also a part. Although our world is subject to the general laws of nature as well as its own unique set of laws, it is in harmony with other laws governing those phenomena beyond it. Humanity, which alone does not tread the path of nature, has free will and the gift of freedom, as well as the obligation to harmonize its life with the rest of nature. This harmony, moreover, is also the path of human exaltation and progress, the path upon which God originated human nature:
So set your face to the religion, a man [woman] of pure faith—God’s original nature in which He originated humanity. There is no changing God’s creation. That is the right religion, but most people know it not. (30:30)
Islam seeks to unite us with the vast domain of being, and strives to create an absolute unity between us and the universe. We are the most essential partner in the Realm of Existence, and each Muslim is the co-religionist of all creatures:
What, do they desire another religion than God’s, while to Him has surrendered whosoever is in the heavens and Earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they shall be returned? (3:83)
Have you not seen how all who are in the heavens and in Earth, the sun, moon, stars and mountains, trees and beasts, and many of humanity prostrate to God? (22:18)
The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord. Each believer believes in God and His angels, His Books and His Messengers. We make no distinction between any of His Messengers. They say: “We hear and obey. Our Lord, grant us Your forgiveness. Unto You is the homecoming.” (2:285)
Islam is the consummation of all religions. By accepting the Prophets and Scriptures of all nations, Islam affirms God’s Unity and universal providence, as well as the universality of religious experience, and seeks to bring together all people in one all-embracing faith and community. Muslims are true followers of all Prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Tawhid, an expression of human existence, implies the equality and unity of all people in their relation with God, and thus indicates homogeneity, equality, and the unity of human origin. Humanness is the one element ingrained in the nature of all individuals. People of different social strata were not created by separate deities with varying levels of power, for this would violate tawhid by allowing possible disparity in their essential nature and erecting insuperable barriers between them. The same God created everyone, and so all people have the same fundamental essence: O humanity, be conscious of your Lord, Who created you of a single soul (4:1).
The Qur’an declares:
O humanity! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and formed into peoples and tribes to know one another (not to take pride in your color or race, or claim superiority based on your color, race, or socioeconomic status). (49:143)
In fact, the noblest person in God’s sight is the one who is most God-conscious. The Prophet is reported to have said: “Your God is One. You are from Adam and Adam is from dust. An Arab is not superior to a non-Arab, nor a white person over a black person, except for his or her piety and righteousness.”
This belief in human unity is the corollary of God’s Unity. The same God created and nourishes all people, regardless of race, color, creed, and culture. Hence all people are His servants, and those most dear to Him are His best servants. The Prophet is reported to have said:
God says to His servants on the Day of Reckoning: “You didn’t visit me when I was sick.” They reply: “How could I visit You, since You are the Lord of creation?” God says: “Don’t you remember that My servant so-and-so fell sick and you didn’t visit him (or her)? If you had, you would have found Me with him (or her). You didn’t give Me food when I asked you for it.” They respond: “How could we give You food, since You are the Lord of creation?” God says: “Don’t you remember My servant so-and-so who asked you for food but you refused. If you had done so, you would have found Me with him (or her).” God continues: “You didn’t give Me water when I asked you.” They respond: “How could we give You water, since You are the Lord of creation?” God retorts: “Don’t you remember My servant so-and-so who asked you for water but you refused? If you had done so, you would have found Me with him (or her).”
The Prophet informs us that a prostitute entered a road leading to Paradise and deserved it because she gave water to a thirsty dog out of compassion, whereas another woman entered a road leading to Hell because she let a cat die of hunger. This is Islam, with its arms wide open to all creatures, regions, and ages.