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It is not possible to quote in their entirety all the numerous passages in the Quran in which divine Beneficence is referred
to concerning the salutary effect of the rain which makes vegetation grow and the animals which are created subservient to
our, use and enjoyment. Here are some examples on this subject:
"And cattle He Has created for you (men) from them ye get warmth, and numerous benefits of their meat ye eat. And
ye have a sense of pride and beauty in them as ye drive them (home in the evening), and as ye lead them forth to pasture (in
the morning) And they carry your heavy loads to land that
Ye could not (otherwise) reach except with souls distressed: for your Lord is indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful. And (He
has created) horses, Muses, and donkeys, for you to tide and use for show, and He has created (other) things of which ye have
no knowledge. And unto God leads straight the Way, but there are ways that turn aside if God had willed, He could have guided
all of you. It is He Who sends down rain from the sky from it ye drink and out of it grows the vegetation on which ye feed
your cattle. With it He produces for you corn, olives, date-palms, grapes, and every kind of fruit. Verily in this is a sign
for those who give thought"
(16: 5-11)
It is clear that the least thought and study of nature will show you God's wise and benign Providence in making the processes
of nature subserve man's use and refined life. It is very interesting that the Quran points to cattle and animals as means
of inter-communication between lands, but the expression "And He has created (other) things of which ye have no knowledge"
hints at all new things that God creates through the mind of man (such as modern means of communications) ; and in the reference
to the "wavs that turn aside", God draws our attention to the serious, aggressive and fatal nature of some of these
inventions (such as bombers).
Besides the general verses, that describe animals and plants the Quran includes others that refer to more specialized
subjects in this kingdom such as
1. Balance in creation
"And the Earth We have spread out..., We caused all kinds of things to grow therein in due balance"
(15:19)
2. The different Qualities of various foods:
"On the earth are adjacent parts: vineyards, sown fields, palm-trees, similar and not similar, watered with the same
water. We make some of them more excellent than others to eat and verily in this are signs for wise people!
(13: 4)
3. Reproduction in the vegetable kingdom
Sexual reproduction in the vegetable kingdom is carried out by the coupling of the male and female parts of the generic
formations united on a same plant or located on separate plants. This form of reproduction in plants is mentioned in the Quran
"(God is the One Who) sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants each separate from
the other"
(20: 53)
"One of a pair" is the translation of Zauj (plural azwaj) whose original meaning is: that which, in the Company
of another, forms a pair; the word is used just as readily for a married couple as for any other pair. The fruit for example
is the end-product of the reproduction process in the flower which has male and female organs (stamens and ovules). The latter,
once pollen has been carried to them, bear fruit which in turn mature and frees its seeds. All fruits therefore implies the
existence of male and females organs. This is the meaning of the following verse.
"Of all fruits (God) placed (on the earth) two of a puir"
(13:3)
And
"We caused to grow (on the earth) every noble pair (of plants)"'
(31: 10)
The Quran often restates the existence of these components of a pair in the vegetable kingdom and brings the notion of
a couple into a more general context, without set limits as mentioned clearly in the following two Quranic verses
"And of everything We have created pairs that ye may receive instruction"
(51: 49)
"Glory to God, who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other)
things of which they have no knowledge"
(36: 36)
4. ALL THINGS IN PAIRS:
The above two Quranic signs are extremely astonishing.
One could form many hypotheses concerning the meaning of the pairs which are from things men did not know in Muhammad's
day! This may for example, hint at the existence of antimatter recently discovered! Antimatter does indeed exist. For every
particle there must be an antiparticle. Since protons exist, antiprotons must also exist. It is now well known that whenever
a nuclear physicist discovers a new particle in his experiments, everyone realizes that a new antiparticle also must exist!
But antimatter does not last for very long. Whenever an antiparticle meets a real particle, they annihilate each other. Both
pairs disappear and produce high energy radiation! Thus today we can distinguish structures of pairs going. From the infinitesimally
small to the infinitely large in the living as well as the non-living world! The point is to remember that the Quran is in
perfect agreement with modern science
5. Reference to the Existence of Animal Communities.
God Most High says in the Quran:
"There is no animal on earth, no bird which files on wings that (does not belong to) communities like you. We have
not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord they will be gathered"
(6: 38)
"Animal on earth" includes those living in the water, fishes, reptiles, insects ... as well as four-footed beasts.
Life on the wing is separately mentioned including anything that flies even mammals like bats. They all live a life, social
and individual, like us! Animals behaviour has been recently investigated with the result that genuine animal communities
have been shown to exist. The most studied and best known example of such communities is undoubtedly that of bees, to whose
behavior the name Von Frisch is linked. Von Frisch, Lorenz and TinBergen received the 1973 Nobel Prize for their work in this
field.
In the Quran, bees are the subject of the longest commentary in the animal kingdom.
"And Thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations. Then to eat of all
fruits and follow the ways of its Lord in humility. From within their bodies comes a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing
for men Verily in this is a sign for those who give thought"
(16 : 68-69)
Here the Bee's instinct is referred to God's teaching and planning.
There is a remarkable nervous organization supporting its behaviour. Von Frisch has shown by modern experiment that the
pattern of a bee's dance is a means of communication to other bees; in this way, bees are able to convey to their own species
the direction and distance of flowers from which nectar is to be gathered! Moreover the Quranic verse hints at the possibility
of using honey as a remedy for man. Honey can indeed be useful for certain diseases. Bees are actually one of the marvels
of nature i.e., of God's working in His, creation!
Ants also live in communities. God Most High described the speech of the ant in Solomon's story in the Quran:
"At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, One of the ants said:
"0 ye ants, get into your habitations lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it"
(27: 18)
6. DIVINE ORDERS TO BIRDS;
Quranic verses also highlight the bird's strict submission to God's power for example:
"Do they not look at the birds subjected in the atmosphere of the sky? None can hold them up (in His power) except
God."
(16: 79)
"Have they not looked at the birds above them spreading their wings out and folding them? None can hold them up(
in his power) except God the Beneficient." (67: 19)
The modern scientific data have shown the degree of perfection attained by certain species of birds with regard to the
programming of their movements. It is only the existence of a migratory programme in the genetic code of birds that can account
for the extremely long and complicated journeys which very young birds without any prior experience and without any guide
are able to accomplish. This in addition to their ability to return to their departure point on a prescribed date. Professor
Hamburger in his book, "Power and Fragility," gives as an example the well known case of the "mutton-bird"
that lives in the Pacific, with its journey of over 15,5OO miles in the shape of the figure 8. It makes this journey over
a period of six months, and comes back to its departure point with a maximum delay of one week !!
It must be acknowledged that the highly complicated instructions for a journey of this kind simply have to be contained
in the birds nervous cells. They are most definitely programmed, but who is the programmer ?
7. The Source of the Constituents of Animal Milk:
Dr. Maurice Bucaille has discussed this point and stated that the Quran defined the constituents of animal milk in
strict accordance with the data of modern knowledge. He gave his own translation to the Quranic verse dealing with this
subject, a translation close to the interpretation given in the Muntakhab, God Most High Says:
"Verily, in cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of what is inside their bodies, coming from a
conjunction between the contents of the intestine and-the blood, milk pure and pleasant for those who drink it."
(16: 66)
Referring to modern scientific notions in physiology Dr Bucaille explained the verse as follows
The substances that ensure the general nutrition of the body come horn chemical transformations which occur along the
length of the digestive tract. These substances come from the contents of the intestine. On arrival in the intestine at the
appropriate stage of chemical transformation they pass through its wall and towards the systemic circulation.
This passage is affected in two ways: either directly, by what are called the "lymphatic vessels", or indirectly,
by the portal circulation. This conducts them first to the liver, where they undergo alterations, and from here they then
emerge to join the systemic circulation, in this way everything passes through the bloodstream.
The constituents of milk are secreted by the mammary glands. These are nourished, as it were, by the product of food
digestion brought to them via the bloodstream. Blood therefore plays the role of the collector and conductor of what has been
extracted from food , and it brings nutrition to the mammary glands, the producer of milk , as it does to any other organ.
Here the initial process which sets everything else in motion is the bringing together of the contents of the Intestine and
blood at the level of the intestinal wall itself. This very precise concept is the result of the discoveries made in the chemistry
and physiology of the digestive system. It was totally unknown at the time of Prophet Muhammad and has been understood only
in recent times. The discovery of the circulation of blood, was made by Harvey roughly ten centuries after the Quranic Revelation
!
Actually the Quran is the Book of God. The spiritual sustenance which God gives is typified by the wonderful ways of Sustenance
in the physical world, which figure forth God's providence and loving care for is creation. And the wonderful transformations
in the physical world, which all tend to the benefit of man, are also Signs of His supreme wisdom. Such transformations are
extremely complicated and perhaps beyond our comprehension. For example you cannot imagine how the milk protein of molecular
structure
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Can be produced from a conjunction between the contents of intestine and blood!!
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