THE
HUMAN MIRACLE
O man! What has
deluded you in respect of your Noble Lord?
He Who created
you and formed you and proportioned
you and
assembled you in whatever way He willed.
(Surat
al-Infitar:6-8)
HARUN YAHYA
First
English Edition in February 2008
Translated
by Carl Nino Rossini
Edited
by Tam Mossman
Published
by:
GLOBAL
PUBLISHING
Talatpasa
Mah. Emirgazi Caddesi Ibrahim Elmas İş Merkezi
A
Blok Kat 4 Okmeydani - Istanbul / Turkey
Phone:
(+90 212) 222 00 88
Printed
and bound by Secil Ofset in Istanbul
100
Yil Mah. MAS-SIT Matbaacilar Sitesi 4. Cadde No: 77
Bagcilar-Istanbul/Turkey
Phone:
(+90 212) 629 06 15
All
translations from the Qur'an are from The
Noble Qur'an: a New Rendering of its Meaning in English by Hajj Abdalhaqq
and Aisha Bewley, published by Bookwork, Norwich, UK. 1420 CE/1999 AH.
www.harunyahya.com
- www.harunyahya.net
CONTENTS
Introduction:
A Short Voyage Through the Human Body
The Body’s Transport Network:
The Circulatory System
The Digestive System
The Body’s Purification PlAnt:
The Excretory System
Splendid Communication within the Body:
The Hormonal System
Your Internal Air-Conditioning:
The Respiratory System
A Resistant Structure:
The Skeletal System
Powerhouses in the Body:
The Muscles
Conclusion:
Man is Created by Allah
APPENDIX:
the deceptIon of evolutIon
About the Author
Now writing under the pen-name of HARUN
YAHYA, Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara in 1956. Having completed his primary and
secondary education in Ankara, he studied arts at Istanbul Mimar Sinan
University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has
published many books on political, scientific, and faith-related issues. Harun
Yahya is well-known as the author of important works disclosing the imposture
of evolutionists, their invalid claims, and the dark liaisons between Darwinism
and such bloody ideologies as fascism and communism.
Harun Yahya's works, translated into 57
different languages, constitute a collection for a total of more than 45,000
pages with 30,000 illustrations.
His pen-name is a composite of the names
Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John), in memory of the two esteemed prophets who
fought against their peoples' lack of faith. The Prophet's (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to
their contents. It represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and Prophet
Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), last of the prophets. Under
the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet), the
author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental tenet of irreligious
ideologies and to have the "last word," so as to completely silence
the objections raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who attained ultimate wisdom and
moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word.
All of Harun Yahya's works share one
single goal: to convey the Qur'an's message, encourage readers to consider
basic faith-related issues such as Allah's existence and unity and the Hereafter;
and to expose irreligious systems' feeble foundations and perverted ideologies.
Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in
many countries, from India to America, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia,
Spain to Brazil, Malaysia to Italy, France to Bulgaria and Russia. Some of his
books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese,
Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spoken in Mauritius),
Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Turkish, Indonesian,
Bengali, Danish and Swedish.
Greatly appreciated all around the
world, these works have been instrumental in many people recovering faith in
Allah and gaining deeper insights into their faith. His books' wisdom and
sincerity, together with a distinct style that's easy to understand, directly
affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously consider these books, can no
longer advocate atheism or any other perverted ideology or materialistic
philosophy, since these books are characterized by rapid effectiveness,
definite results, and irrefutability. Even if they continue to do so, it will
be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such ideologies from
their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial are now
ideologically defeated, thanks to the books written by Harun Yahya.
This is no doubt a result of the
Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author modestly intends to serve as a means
in humanity's search for Allah's right path. No material gain is sought in the
publication of these works.
Those who encourage others to read these
books, to open their minds and hearts and guide them to become more devoted
servants of Allah, render an invaluable service.
Meanwhile, it would only be a waste of
time and energy to propagate other books that create confusion in people's
minds, lead them into ideological chaos, and that clearly have no strong and
precise effects in removing the doubts in people's hearts, as also verified
from previous experience. It is impossible for books devised to emphasize the
author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving people from loss
of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this can readily see
that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome disbelief and to
disseminate the Qur'an's moral values. The success and impact of this service
are manifested in the readers' conviction.
One point should be kept in mind: The
main reason for the continuing cruelty, conflict, and other ordeals endured by
the vast majority of people is the ideological prevalence of disbelief. This
can be ended only with the ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the
wonders of creation and Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it.
Considering the state of the world today, leading into a downward spiral of
violence, corruption and conflict, clearly this service must be provided
speedily and effectively, or it may be too late.
In this effort,
the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. By the will of Allah, these
books will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century will
attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an.
To the Reader
A special chapter is assigned to the
collapse of the theory of evolution because this theory constitutes the basis of
all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since Darwinism rejects the fact of creation
–and therefore, Allah's existence– over the last 140 years it has caused many
people to abandon their faith or fall into doubt. It is therefore an imperative
service, a very important duty to show everyone that this theory is a
deception. Since some readers may find the opportunity to read only one of our
books, we think it appropriate to devote a chapter to summarize this subject.
All the author's books explain
faith-related issues in light of Qur'anic verses, and invite readers to learn
Allah's words and to live by them. All the subjects concerning Allah's verses
are explained so as to leave no doubt or room for questions in the reader's
mind. The books' sincere, plain, and fluent style ensures that everyone of
every age and from every social group can easily understand them. Thanks to
their effective, lucid narrative, they can be read at one sitting. Even those
who rigorously reject spirituality are influenced by the facts these books
document and cannot refute the truthfulness of their contents.
This and all the other books by the
author can be read individually, or discussed in a group. Readers eager to
profit from the books will find discussion very useful, letting them relate
their reflections and experiences to one another.
In addition, it will be a great service
to Islam to contribute to the publication and reading of these books, written
solely for the pleasure of Allah. The author's books are all extremely
convincing. For this reason, to communicate true religion to others, one of the
most effective methods is encouraging them to read these books.
We hope the reader will look through the
reviews of his other books at the back of this book. His rich source material
on faith-related issues is very useful, and a pleasure to read.
In these books, unlike some other books,
you will not find the author's personal views, explanations based on dubious
sources, styles that are unobservant of the respect and reverence due to sacred
subjects, nor hopeless, pessimistic arguments that create doubts in the mind
and deviations in the heart.
INTRODUCTION:
A
SHORT VOYAGE THROUGH
THE
HUMAN BODY
This book
describes how the human body’s various systems function, and gives examples of
their components. In contrast to many other books about human anatomy, however,
we also regularly emphasize a number of points. We examine information in
considerable detail, draw attention to the fine characteristic in every square
millimeter of the human body, and particularly emphasize the cells, tissues,
molecules and glands that perform such miraculous processes within that body’s
depths.
From
time to time, we also provide technical details, to ensure a better
understanding of the complex structure within your body, and also to give you a
new perspective on events occurring inside your body and to encourage you to
consider them more deeply.
In
order to achieve this, as you read this book, imagine yourself on a voyage
throughout your own body—a voyage on which unbelievable surprises await you.
You will discover that there is a generator in your heart, and when that
generator cuts out, a spare one steps in to take over the work. You’ll witness
how cells in your small intestine are able to recognize and trap iron atoms out
of the many hundreds of different substances they encounter. You will see how,
after a long journey, a molecule of hormone, produced in an endocrine gland
located in your head, reaches its far distant objective—your kidney, for example—and
how it instructs the cells there what to do.
During
the course of this journey you will witness miraculous events that have been
taking place throughout what you refer to as “My body” ever since the day you
were born, starting right beneath the surface of your skin.
Viewed
from that point of view, your body is a whole city, a whole other world, in
fact. Inside it are modes of transport, buildings, factories, infrastructure
systems, equipment more highly advanced than even the most sophisticated technology
in the outside world, specialized elements (such as cells, hormones, glands)
that seem to exhibit unexpected awareness, fully equipped defensive troops, and
many other marvels.
Moreover,
this miniaturized environment is not restricted to your own body alone.
Everyone you see around you—your parents, brothers, sisters, friends,
colleagues, people walking in the street, the actors you watch on television,
and all the billions currently living on this planet—possesses this same
miraculous world within the skin. Similarly, people who lived hundreds or even
thousands of years ago—indeed all the humans who have ever lived—have possessed
this same inner perfection. Just like those alive today, people in the past had
the same flawless systems in their bodies: trillions of conscious-seeming
cells, secretory glands with decision-making abilities, and organs equipped
with the most sophisticated biotechnology.
Considering
and evaluating the events taking place within this miniature environment is of
great importance, because anyone who does so has taken the first step towards
freedom from a great illusion. Those who realize the perfection of the systems
inside their own bodies—in the heart, for example—and who have grasped the
creation within that system, can no longer be taken in by evolutionary fables
that claim that the heart acquired all these features by chance. You will know
that cells formed by the coming together of unconscious molecules could never
do these things by themselves, and will seek to question of Whose intellect it
actually is that these cells exhibit.
Someone
who realizes that the stomach, a mere enclosure of muscle and tissue, possesses
a special system that prevents it digesting itself while it secretes the acid
strong enough to dissolve meat . . . those who know that when they cut their
finger, at least 20 different enzymes go into action in a very special sequence
in order for their blood to clot, with never any confusion or deficiency in the
various processes while this is carried out . . . will find, by thinking deeply
about the details of matter, that none of these systems could have developed in
stages, as evolutionists would have us all believe.
Those
who understand these details will realize that the tiny worlds of their bodies,
has a Creator, and will regard the information they read here as a guide to
becoming acquainted with that Creator. Everyone who sees the order in the
systems within the human body, its superior creation at every point, will also
clearly see that an Entity possessed of a superior power and a superior
intellect must have created that body. In the Qur’an it is revealed that:
Everything in the heavens and everything
in the earth belongs to Him. Allah is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy.
Do you not see that Allah has made everything on the earth subservient to you
and the ships running upon the sea by His command? He holds back the heaven,
preventing it from falling to the earth—except by His permission. Allah is
All-Compassionate to humanity, Most Merciful. It is He Who gave you life and
then will cause you to die and then will give you life again. Man is truly
ungrateful. (Surat al-Hajj: 64-66)
As
you will clearly see from the examples given throughout this book, it is
Almighty Allah Who created the 100 trillion or so cells, the glands, many
organs and tissues in your human body. Allah creates human beings as a whole,
together with all their physical components, and reveals evidence of this to
allow them to come to know Him. As our Lord has revealed in the Qur’an:
If you tried to number Allah’s
blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Surat an-Nahl:18)
That
being so, those who are aware of all this must also realize the many blessings
imparted by Allah. Such people will arrange their lives in such a way as to
please only Him, know that their own bodies, and every new day bestowed on them
when they rise in the morning are blessings from Allah, and will give due
thanks to Him.
Why indeed should I not worship Him Who
brought me into being, Him to Whom you will be returned? Am I to take as
deities instead of Him those whose intercession, if the All-Merciful desires
harm for me, will not help me at all and cannot save me? (Surah Ya Sin:22-23)
INTELLIGENT
DESIGN—IN OTHER WORDS, CREATION
In order to create, Allah has no need to
design.
It’s
important to properly understand the word “design.” That Allah has created a
flawless design does not mean that He first made a plan, and then followed it.
Allah needs no “designs” in order to create. Allah, the Lord of the Earth and
the heavens, is exalted above all such deficiencies. His planning and creation
take place at the same instant.
Whenever
Allah wills a thing to come about, it is enough for Him just to say, “Be!” As
we are told in verses of the Qur’an:
His command when He desires a thing is
just to say to it, “Be!” and it is. (Surah Ya Sin:82)
[Allah is] the Originator of the heavens
and Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, “Be!” and it is.
(Surat al-Baqara: 117)
THE
BODY’S TRANSPORT NETWORK:
THE
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
A
large part of the processes that take place within your body are linked to the
circulatory system, thanks to an exceedingly complex structure. A network of
arteries and veins nourish the 100 trillion or so cells in your body, visiting
every one individually. In this chapter, we shall be closely considering this
complex system composed of the heart, veins, blood and a great many more
components.
BLOOD:
THE RIVER OF LIFE THAT FLOWS
THROUGH YOUR BODY
Many
needs in all living things—such as carrying nourishment and gasses like oxygen
to the cells, and eliminating waste products from the body—are met by
substances carried by the circulatory system. In human beings, the liquid that
performs all these functions is the blood. Every single cell in your body, from
a skin cell on your fingertip to the specialized retinal cells in your eyes,
depends on what blood provides.
Blood
flows through the arteries and veins that interpenetrate the body like a
transport network or river delta, visiting every single corner of the body.
During its travels through the arteries, that river carries numerous substances
that the cells require. We can think of these as cargo packages carried by the
river, containing food, water and various chemical substances. The most urgent
package to be delivered is oxygen, because if deprived of oxygen, cells will
soon die. Thanks to the specially constructed system in your body, however, the
packages are delivered to every cell in time and to the correct “addresses.”
You
seldom feel the flowing of this river during the course of your day-to-day
life. However, the human body has been created with such a consummate artistry
that though everywhere is interpenetrated by blood vessels, they are invisible
from the outside. That is because the 2-mm (0.07-inch) layer of skin that
covers your body conceals the capillaries in a masterly fashion.1
That
epidermal layer is actually so thin that the slightest scratch will cause some
blood to leak through it. Were the vessels not covered by a very fine and
attractive skin, there is no doubt that even the most attractive people in the
world would appear hideously repellent.
Blood
performs a great number of vital functions inside the body, such as carrying
waste and toxic substances to the liver, supporting the immune system,
regulating body temperature rather like an air-conditioning unit, and carrying
nutriments to the relevant regions. Communication via hormones within the body
is also performed almost entirely by the blood.
Blood’s
Vital and Inimitable Features
1.
Responsibility for Transportation
Substances
of all kinds that the body requires are carried to the relevant organs by the
blood. Nutrients such as glucose, amino acids and minerals—and most
importantly, oxygen—are just a few of these. In addition, the blood works like
a waste disposal system, collecting unwanted substances from every cell. And
each of the 100 trillion or so cells in the body produces waste products as a
result of its daily functions. These waste products, including such potentially
toxic compounds as carbon dioxide and urea, are removed from the cells by means
of the bloodstream. The blood carries the non-gaseous wastes to the kidneys,
where they are distilled. The carbon dioxide produced in the cells is carried
to the lungs, from where it is expelled from the body.
It is
unconscious blood cells that do all this. However, these cells can, in a very
conscious manner, distinguish between waste and useful substances carried in
the blood, and know which are to be deposited where. For example, they never
carry toxic gasses to the kidneys, nor metabolic by-products to the lungs.
Neither do they send waste products to any organ in need of nutrients— an error
that would lead to the death of the entire body. The blood cells perform their
functions with no confusion, error, misunderstanding or deficiency, in a most
conscious manner, indicating the existence of a Mind and Consciousness that
controls, regulates and organizes them. That cannot be the human being in
question, because people live their entire lives quite unaware of these
processes. Yet the circulation system continues to function, and flawlessly.
To
claim that the blood cells acquired their ability to distinguish, select and
decide by chance, and that they do these things of their own will, would be
totally illogical and irrational. It is Allah, the Almighty, Who gave the blood
these features and created this flawless system.
2.
Troop Carrying
Another
of the blood’s duties is to carry the cells of the immune system that fight
disease. Any foreign bodies like viruses and bacteria that enter the body are
neutralized by the antibodies and leucocytes in the blood. In addition, immune
system cells patrol the bloodstream and so monitor the entire body. (For more
details, see The Miracle of the Immune
System by Harun Yahya.)
3.
Communications
The
blood also constitutes one of the body’s main avenues of communication. There
is a magnificent communications system among the cells in the human body. They
exchange information with one another, just as if each one were truly
conscious. The cells send to one another chemical messages in the form of
hormones, carried by the blood. (For details, see the chapter on “Splendid
Communication within the Body: The Hormonal System.”)
4.
Wound Healing
One
of the blood’s most miraculous features is its clotting mechanism. Thanks to
this clotting, or coagulation, blood loss from a damaged vessel is reduced to
the minimum possible. During the clotting process, dozens of proteins, enzymes
and vitamins serve in regimented order. Because of this feature, scientists
have shown the clotting mechanism as an example of flawless planning. (For
details, see pp. 41-47)
5.
The Regulation of Balances Within the Body
One
of the vital cargo packages carried by the blood is heat. Arteries filled with
blood spread heat through the body, just like the piping that carries hot water
throughout a building. But unlike the pipes in a building, the body’s heat
source is not a single boiler, but all the many cells in the body. Thanks to
the blood, heat produced by each cell is distributed equally to all the others.
Were
there no heat distribution system in your body, you would experience grave
problems. As the result of any muscular activity you perform—running for
instance, or carrying a heavy load—your legs or arms would overheat, and other
regions of your body would remain close to room temperature—an imbalance that
would inflict serious damage on your metabolism. For that reason, the equal
distribution of heat is of the greatest importance.
In
the same way, the blood again goes into action along with the sweat glands in
order to reduce excessive heat. Blood vessels under the skin dilate, making it
easier for heat carried in the blood to be released to the air. When we engage
in strenuous physical activity, therefore, your face grows flushed because of
blood vessel dilation. Blood also plays an important role in keeping your body
temperature from cooling off. When you feel cold, your skin turns paler,
because blood vessels under the skin contract according to the chill in the
air. The quantity of blood in those regions close to the air is therefore
reduced, and heat loss from within the body is reduced to a minimum.
A
Tissue Consisting of Floating Cells
Structurally,
the blood is very different to the other fluids in the body. In one sense,
blood is actually a tissue, just like bone or muscle. However, while the cells
that comprise these other tissues are bound tightly together, cells composing
the blood are not attached to one another. Individual blood cells—known as
erythrocytes, leucocytes and thrombocytes—move freely distributed within the
blood plasma.
Blood
consists of 55% plasma and 45% blood cells. Water comprises from 90 to 92% of
the plasma, the rest consisting of plasma proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates,
fats, hormones, urea, uric acid, lactic acid, enzymes, alcohol, antibodies, and
elements such as sodium, potassium, iodine, iron and bicarbonate. The blood
cells float in this complex fluid.
The
Components of Blood
Erythrocytes:
Small Red Cells
The
25 trillion or so small red cells in the human body never cease carrying their
loads. These cells, known as erythrocytes, travel all through the body inside the
veins and arteries, carrying oxygen or carbon dioxide. However, these cells
need a special structure in order to be able to carry a substance. For example,
for a cell to carry oxygen, the most ideal shape for it is to be flat. This
increases the cell’s surface area and facilitates contact with the oxygen
molecules.
Indeed,
the shape of the erythrocyte is reminiscent of a round, flat cushion, whose
shape permits the greatest possible surface contact with the oxygen atom.
Under
normal circumstances, some 2.5 million erythrocytes are produced in the body
every second.2 It’s vitally important
that the number of erythrocytes be regulated. A rise in their number for
whatever reason—a reduction in body temperature, for instance—can lead to
serious problems. When there is an excessive drop in body temperature the
number of erythrocytes remains the same, although the blood fluid decreases.
The viscosity of the blood is reduced, as the number of erythrocytes increases
in terms of units per volume. This can lead to congestion in the veins,
obliging the heart to work harder. It’s therefore of vital importance for the
number of erythrocytes to be regulated.
It is
not enough for the body’s transportation system for red blood cells to be flat.
Erythrocytes that carry oxygen would be pointless if they could not offer it to
the cells in a usable manner. The cells
of the body require molecules to bind oxygen to them—molecules that must
combine with the oxygen in the ideal manner, in a three-dimensional form, and
carry the oxygen safely. However, they must not bind too tightly to the oxygen,
and when they arrive at the cell to which they will release the oxygen, they
must separate from it with no difficulty. In short, in order for the oxygen to
be transported and used where necessary, a very special molecule with a most
particular creation is needed. That molecule is hemoglobin, which gives the
erythrocyte—and thus, the blood itself—its red color.
Since
hemoglobin performs two entirely separate functions, it has been described as
an extraordinary molecule.
As
hemoglobin deposits carbon dioxide in the lungs, it takes up oxygen and moves
from there to the muscles, which oxidize nutrients and produce carbon dioxide.
When the hemoglobin reaches the muscles, it carries out a reverse procedure,
depositing oxygen and taking up carbon dioxide—all in a seemingly conscious and
disciplined manner.
In
1996, scientists discovered that in addition to carrying oxygen, the hemoglobin
molecules in the erythrocyte structure also carried another molecule of vital
importance: nitrogen monoxide (NO). There is a very important reason why
hemoglobin carries this gas. With the assistance of NO, hemoglobin monitors how
much oxygen is to be provided to the tissues.3
Therefore, hemoglobin’s transportation of nitrogen monoxide is of the very
greatest importance to human health.
The
flawless molecular structure and functions of hemoglobin attracted the interest
of scientists. In his book The Great
Evolution Mystery, the evolutionist Gordon Rattray Taylor writes the
following:
The formation of blood, for instance, is
a saga in itself. ... [It contains] at least eighty components, many of them
still insufficiently understood. A component of central importance, of course,
is the haemoglobin which picks up oxygen in the lungs, while giving up carbon
dioxide; and then having travelled to the muscles, gives up oxygen and accepts
carbon dioxide, which the muscles produce as a result of burning fuel, much as
a car produces carbon monoxide. It is a remarkable molecule indeed which at one
moment has an affinity for oxygen and a few seconds later loses that affinity;
that it simultaneously changes its preferences with respect to carbon dioxide
makes it even more remarkable. There could be no more amazing example of
adaptation to a task.4
As
summarized by Taylor, the hemoglobin molecule is able to make decisions when
and where required, just like a conscious entity. Hemoglobin does not only
carry oxygen; when it passes by a muscle in urgent need of oxygen, it also immediately
realizes that it must deliver that oxygen, and acts in the knowledge that it
needs to collect the carbon dioxide being released, and heads directly for the
lungs to deposit its new load. The hemoglobin never confuses oxygen and carbon
dioxide, and always moves to the correct destination.
It is
most thought-provoking that a molecule should behave in a way that requires
thought, decision-making, selection and preference.
Thanks
to the extraordinary consciousness exhibited by this molecule, human beings are
easily able to survive. An average of 900 million erythrocytes are produced in
the human body every hour, and each erythrocyte cell contains some 300 million
hemoglobin molecules. These molecules possess the ability to perform all of
these processes without the slightest confusion. Bearing in mind the number of
hemoglobin molecules in the human body and the way that all of them, without
exception, possess the same abilities, you can see even more clearly the
importance of this subject.
It is
obvious to every rational person that such selectivity could never come about
by chance, and that random events could never provide these features to all the
billions of hemoglobin molecules in the human body. It is Allah Who created the
hemoglobin molecule and placed it, with all its characteristics, inside the
human body.
That is Allah, your Lord. There is no
deity but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for
everything. (Surat al-An‘am: 102)
The
Wisdom in the Erythrocyte’s Shape
As
already stated, the erythrocyte cell is shaped like a flat, round cushion. That
ideal shape increases the cell’s surface area and facilitates contact with
oxygen. In the event that this shape is deformed, exceedingly serious diseases
result. In sickle cell anemia, the erythrocytes contain an abnormal form of
hemoglobin known as hemoglobin S. When deprived of oxygen, this hemoglobin
breaks down into elongated crystals within the erythrocyte, which crystals
lengthen the cell, giving it a sickle-like shape. Since the erythrocytes have
assumed a crescent-like form, the passage of oxygen from the blood to the
tissues is made more difficult. This leads to an oxygen deficiency and
increased production of sickle-shaped red cells. The condition can reach fatal
proportions within a few hours.5
Apart
from such diseases, the shape of the erythrocyte is the same in everyone.
Thanks to that shape, they can easily carry oxygen to wherever it’s needed. The
fact that the erythrocytes are round and flat in everyone who has ever lived,
or will live in future, can never be explained in terms of coincidences. Allah
has perfect knowledge of all, and sets out and arranges everything down to the
very finest detail. Great is the glory of Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
Erythrocytes’
Ability to Change Shape
Erythrocytes
are so small that a single drop of blood can contain 250 million of them. This
gives them an advantage in being able to move with ease in the veins. However,
the human body contains blood vessels with a diameter even smaller than the
erythrocytes’. At first glance, this might seem to represent a problem, because
the erythrocyte must squeeze through blood vessels that are even narrower than
itself. How does this difficult process take place?
At
this point, the erythrocytes’ flexible structure goes into operation. Thanks to
their flat, exceedingly flexible structure, they are able to travel through
even the narrowest blood vessels. This flexibility is another example of these
cells’ creation. If erythrocytes lose just a little of that flexibility,
serious consequences arise. In some diabetes patients, for example, sensitive
tissues in the eyes become congested by erythrocytes that have lost their
flexibility, which can lead to blindness in extreme cases.6
As just one example shows, every part of the human body is created with an
exceedingly sensitive, flawless equilibrium.
The
Economy Provided by the Body’s
Recycling
System
The
recycling system in the human body has a flawless structure. In your body, a
great many processes are carried out every single moment. Harmful wastes, dead
cells, and foreign bodies that enter the body are destroyed by the immune
system. A great many other unnecessary substances are constantly moving about,
yet none of these inflict any harm, because there are systems in the body to
expel these substances or to reuse them in the processes within the body.
Take
constantly renewed erythrocyte cells, for example. These cells’ lifespan is
approximately 120 to 130 days. Old cells die in the liver, the spleen and the
bone marrow, and new erythrocytes are constantly produced to replace them. Ten
million erythrocytes die every second, and 200 billion new ones are produced
every day to replace those, so that all the erythrocytes in the human body are
replaced every four months or so.7 The iron molecule
inside dying erythrocytes is stored with the recycling system for use in the
production of new ones. This is an example of magnificent industrial planning.8
Clearly, such planning could not have come about by itself. It is Allah Who
created the erythrocyte together with these features.
Leucocytes:
Micro-Troopers
In a
single drop of blood, there are some 400,000 miniature soldiers known as
leucocytes. Under normal conditions, the number of leucocytes in a cubic inch
of blood is between 7 and 10 million, although if a powerful defense is
required, this figure can suddenly leap to as high as 30,000.9 The duty of these troops is to defend the
body from micro-enemies. The leucocytes are programmed to destroy everything,
living or inanimate that does not belong in the body. They therefore seek out,
locate, follow and, at the right moment, destroy bacteria, viruses and harmful
substances of all kinds that enter the body.
In
structural terms, leucocytes are different from the other cells in the blood.
For example, erythrocytes have no nucleus, but leucocytes do possess a nucleus
as well as all the organelles. But leucocytes live for only a few days, or in
the event of an infection, only a few hours. Contrary to what you might assume,
such a brief life span is very important from the point of view of protecting
the body. Because leucocytes engaged in defense, that is the worn-out ones die.
But at that very moment, new healthy ones with a far greater defensive capacity
are produced.10 In fact, leucocytes do
not consist of only one type of cell, but rather of different kinds of troops,
and “leucocyte” is a general term for cells that fight on the body’s behalf.
These
are classified under two main groups. The first consists of granulocytes that
initially encounter and combat the enemy. The second group is made up of
lymphocytes that produce special weapons to wield against the enemy, in the
form of antibodies.
Lymphocytes
have different properties from those of the other cells in the blood. A much
larger number of lymphocytes live in tissues than in the blood. These cells in
the tissues, in the body’s depths, construct the equivalent of military bases
and defend the tissues from germs. That being so, therefore, what is the reason
for the presence of lymphocytes in the blood?
In
fact, lymphocytes use the bloodstream as their transportation system. Just like
a police patrol, they travel around the body by means of the blood and quickly
reinforce tissues containing old and weak leucocytes. It is impossible for such
a rational, rapid system to have come about by chance, as evolutionists would
have us believe. Clearly, cells consisting of unconscious atoms could not have
acquired their selective ability and responsiveness, or the features that allow
them to protect the body, all by themselves. The way that this minute entity
fights to protect other cells is therefore a very important clue. The way that
a cell too small for you to see with your naked eye sacrifices itself on your behalf,
and the fact that in your body there are billions of cells possessed of just
the same self-sacrificing properties, are just some of the millions of miracles
before your eyes.
The
perfection in the structure of the leucocytes, their self-sacrifice, martial
knowledge and abilities are not the result of their own preferences, but of
their creation by Allah. So far, those who seek to prove otherwise have been
unable to do so, nor will they have any more success in the future. In Surat
an-Nur, Allah has compared those who deny Him to mirage:
But the actions of those who disbelieve
are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty man thinks it is water but when he
reaches it, he finds it to be nothing at all, but he finds Allah there. He will
pay him his account in full. Allah is swift at reckoning. (Surat an-Nur:39)
Evolutionists’
Distorted Logic
on
This Subject
A
huge number of germs enter the human body every day. The immune system seeks to
neutralize them in the first stage. However, some germs and foreign bodies
manage to enter the circulatory system and represent a threat to life. Such
bodies are known as antigens. The
body seeks to destroy antigens, or to prevent them multiplying, by producing
the substances known as antibodies. Antibodies neutralize antigens by locking
onto their three-dimensional structure, just like keys fitting a lock. To help
understand this system, lock-and-key analogy between antibodies and antigens
requires careful consideration.
Immune
cells are capable of producing antibodies for each of the hundreds of thousands
of different antigens that occur in nature. That enables the body’s cells to
instantly produce keys adapted to these hundreds of thousands of locks.
But
what’s really interesting is that the human body can produce antibodies even
against artificial antigens manufactured in the laboratory. In the same way
that the cells can produce suitable keys for locks in nature, they can also
produce keys for locks that do not exist in nature.
How
can a mechanism within the body possess such astonishing information about the
outside world? Of course, that cannot be explained in terms of random
coincidences. How does a cell come to acquire knowledge of hundreds of
thousands of foreign bodies, even of a very different antigen produced in the
laboratory? Even if you accept that defensive cells in some way recognize
antigens in the body, it’s still quite astonishing that they can recognize one
they’ve never encountered before. Moreover, in the same way that the defensive
cells immediately identify this foreign substance entering the body, they also
possess the ability necessary to immediately identify and produce the weapons
(or antibodies) effective against it. To say that these cells, equipped with
abilities like identification, and taking appropriate measures that require
intellect and consciousness, came into being by chance is illogical. In the
same way that evolutionists cannot explain, in terms of their own theory, the
way these cells identify all forms of foreign bodies, so they seek to gloss
over the issue with exceedingly illogical, unscientific explanations.
Ali
Demirsoy, a Turkish evolutionist and scientist, says the following about the
defense cells’ recognition of artificial antigens: “However, a cell that has
previously developed a mechanism for producing antibodies against a chemical
substance artificially synthesized in the 20th century is clairvoyant.”11
In
the same book, Professor Demirsoy admits that there has so far been no
explanation of this: “How and in what form do plasma cells acquire this
knowledge, and how do they produce specially formed antibodies accordingly? No
definitive explanation has so far been forthcoming.”12
In
these words, Demirsoy is admitting that the cell possesses a number of
extraordinary properties. That is because the word “clairvoyant” is used to
describe someone who possesses certain information before the fact. Possession
of knowledge by a cell—especially about entities far from its own
environment—is something extraordinary. One cannot, of course, expect a cell
that comes into being by means of a combination of inanimate atoms to possess
powerful instincts or advanced knowledge by chance. Such a claim would exceed
the bounds of reason and logic.
However,
since evolutionists are in a hopeless state, they must accept the miraculous
properties possessed by living things since their creation. Yet they try to
account for the source of this perfection in other terms, in order to deny that
these characteristics were specially created—in other words, to deny the
existence of Allah. After passing that point, evolutionists offer explanations
that have nothing whatsoever to do with science, merely engaging in propaganda
that seeks to gloss over their despairing state. They attempt to hypnotize
listeners by saying “This is a miracle of evolution” or “this cell is
apparently clairvoyant,” as if they were an evolutionary talisman.
The
fact is, however, that cells too small to be seen with the naked eye and
constantly being renewed, possess the extraordinary ability and equipment to
identify and destroy all enemies that threaten the human body before they have
even seen them. To ascribe such a situation to chance underscores the
intellectual weakness of those who aim to deny the existence of Allah.
Evolutionists
suggest that mutations have given the cells such perfect functioning and
characteristics. In his book Inheritance
and Evolution, Demirsoy goes on to say that, “It is maintained that this
mechanism [the antibody’s recognition of antigens] came about in the form of
mutations that developed by chance.”
Detailed
examination of the above quotation helps understand the stratagems that
evolutionist scientists resort to. The author states that some circles maintain
that this mechanism came into being as the result of mutations. A reader
lacking a detailed knowledge of biology might well think that this sentence
represented a scientific explanation and a proven truth. The fact is, however,
that the claim that the antibody’s recognition of antigens came about by chance
mutations is completely hollow, of no scientific value, and has been written
with the sole aim of distracting and influencing the reader.
This
method of deceiving people resembles hoodwinking by means of word games those
ignorant of the outside world, or who has completely lost his memory. If such
people are shown a skyscraper equipped with the most advanced technology and
told that that building “formed as the result of an earthquake,” even if they
believed that such a thing was logically impossible, they would have no means
of disproving it. Nonetheless, someone who uses his reason and conscience will
still appreciate that such an event could never have taken place.
To
say that a complex cell came into existence through mutations is hardly
different. First of all, any tiny cell possesses a technology far superior to
that of any huge skyscraper. Indeed, many scientists say that the cell is the
most superior and complex structure they have yet encountered. Secondly, the
effect on the cell of mutation—which is claimed to have endowed the cell with
its characteristics—is generally even more destructive than the effects of an
earthquake on a skyscraper.
It is
absolutely impossible for such a destructive factor to produce, by chance, a
cell able to produce individual antibodies for hundreds of thousands of
antigens, and displays a memory and intelligence far greater than those of
human beings.
According
to the theory of evolution, the cell acquired these features as the result of
many consecutive mutations. That’s analogous to a city’s being erected as the
result of many consecutive earthquakes!
Let
us accept for a moment, albeit in defiance of scientific facts and no matter
how impossible such a thing may be—that each mutation did give the cell some
beneficial feature. Yet even that is not sufficient, because the immune cell
could not have waited for millions of years to acquire all its characteristics.
If the cell is unable to fulfill its function, that spells death for the
organism in question. Defensive cells, together with all their properties, must
therefore have been present in the living thing right from the very first
moment.
In
addition, immune cells do not just possess a very superior reproductive
capacity. There are many classes of cells in the immune system, each with very
different properties and functions. Bearing in mind the properties of such
cells, and their varying abilities, it can once again be seen how the theory of
evolution’s “chance” account collapses in the face of the facts.
Immune
cells’ ability to estimate the physical structures of other living cells and
their ability to produce tactics in accordance with this, right down to the
finest detail, were created by Allah, the Almighty.
Your deity is Allah alone, there is no
deity but Him. He encompasses all things in His knowledge. (Surah Ta Ha: 98)
Plasma:
The
Vital Component of Blood
The
fluid in which the blood cells (erythrocytes, lymphocytes) swim is known as
plasma. This is no simple liquid, but a special compound containing a great
many special substances. Plasma consists of 92% water, 6% to 8% protein, and
quantities of dissolved salts, glucose, fat and amino acids, carbon dioxide,
nitrogenous wastes and hormones.
Plasma
distributes the nutrients you obtain from the food you eat throughout your
body. It also carries waste products that cells produce to the relevant organs
in order to expel them from the body. . . If plasma did not have this
responsibility of transport and delivery, then the food you eat would serve no
purpose, nutrients would not reach your tissues, and your body would swiftly
become poisoned because the waste products it produces could not be expelled.
Among
the plasma’s other tasks include:
Ensuring
blood pressure is kept at a specific level,
Assisting
in the equal distribution of heat in the body,
Maintaining
the acidity of the blood and other tissues at a specific level.
Plasma
proteins each have very different functions. They come in three main forms:
albumin, fibrinogen and globulins.
Albumin is the most numerous
plasma protein. It performs a sort of carrying service in the body. Albumin’s
most important function is to prevent excessive liquid passing from the
capillaries to the surrounding structures.13
In order to understand the importance of this, look at the path traced by
nutrients in the body. In order for them to reach the requisite tissues from
the arteries, nutrients must cross the tissue wall, which possesses very small
pores.
Nevertheless,
no substance can cross that wall by itself. What matters here is blood
pressure. Just as in a sieve, the liquid plasma component of the blood and the
smallest molecules cross the wall under pressure. If there were no such barrier
and these substances were able to reach the tissues in excessive quantities,
then edema would form in the tissues. Albumin absorbs the water just like a
sponge, and due to its high density in the blood, it thus forestalls that
danger.
Water
and most dissolved substances are able to cross the capillary wall with ease.
But this is not possible for proteins. For that reason, such proteins as
albumin remain inside the vessel at the point of transition and prevent liquid
from seeping out. Albumin binds to itself fats such as cholesterol, hormones
and yellow bilirubin, a poisonous bile-duct product. In addition, it binds onto penicillin and
some other drugs, refusing to let them to pass. It deposits toxins in the
liver, and carries nutrients and hormones to the places in the body where they
are needed.14
Fibrinogen,
another protein in plasma, plays an important role in blood clotting. Yet
another protein in blood, the gamma globulins, transmit protective substances
such as antibodies that form in response to the body’s being stimulated by a
particular infection.
These
are just a few of the proteins in the blood. In addition, gasses such as
oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide are also present in dissolved form in
plasma. Glucose, one of the solid substances in the blood, is also very
important, being used as fuel for the brain and muscles. For that reason, its
level in the blood is regulated by hormones. If the glucose falls below a
specific level, trembling and fainting ensue, followed shortly afterwards by
coma, and often death.
Each
of these substances, of such exceeding importance to human life, is the product
of a very special creation, as becomes clear when one considers their functions
and characteristics.
As
you have seen, there are close interrelations between the substances in the
blood. The absence of just one of these substances of vital importance to all
human beings, or its presence in the wrong amount or with different properties,
leads to serious problems in the body. This shows that all the properties of
blood were created together by Allah.
Blood
Clotting
Every
part of the body is equipped with a system consisting of millions of vessels,
through which blood constantly flows. As the result of the small scratches or
cuts that the body is occasionally subject to, the liquid flowing through these
tubes leaks to the surface. Under normal conditions, one might expect all the
blood in the body to flow through this hole, so that even the tiniest cut leads
to the death of the individual. Yet that
is not what happens. The blood begins to clot around the wound, and the
coagulated blood then blocks the gap, just like hardened putty.This situation
resembles a hole in the bottom of a bucket being repaired by being blocked up
in order to prevent water leaking out of it.
This,
there can be no doubt, is a great miracle. This property of blood saves the
life of every human on Earth. Were it not for that coagulating ability, then
even the tiniest scratch would end in death. However, people never think about
this miracle that lies right before their very eyes and so preserves their
lives.
So,
how does this miracle come about? How does blood coagulate? As the answer to
this question is pursued, a very clear miracle of creation emerges.
Coagulation
is reminiscent of the first aid provided by ambulances called to the scene
after an auto accident.
When
bleeding takes place anywhere in the body, blood platelets known as
thrombocytes hasten to the site. Thrombocytes are distributed throughout the
bloodstream, so wherever bleeding occurs there will inevitably be thrombocytes
somewhere near.
A
substance known as the von Willebrand protein acts rather like the traffic
police, indicating the site of the accident and requesting first aid. It halts
the thrombocytes when it detects them and causes them to halt at the scene.
The
first thrombocyte to arrive on the scene emits a special substance, just as if
it were calling for back-up, and calls other teams to the site. A
microscopically small cell realizes that there is a problem and is able to
communicate with others, which understand the message being sent out and do
what is requested of them. Tiny entities invisible to the naked eye thus
communicate with one another and organize themselves.
At
this point, some 20 enzymes in the body combine and together, begin producing a
protein called thrombin over the wound. The absence of just one of these
enzymes would mean that the system would not function, and death would be the
result. However, everything has been planned, and the system has been
constructed in a flawless manner.
Thrombin
is produced only at the site of an open wound. This resembles the first-aid
team providing the necessary medicine for the patient at the scene. In
addition, that production of this protein must be in just the right quantity,
and moreover, it must start and end at exactly the right time. The enzymes
responsible for manufacturing the protein issue among themselves the commands
to start and stop.
Once
a sufficient quantity of this protein has been produced, tiny fibers known as
fibrinogen form, serving a very important purpose: They form a web over the
wound, to which arriving thrombocytes adhere and accumulate. As more and more
thrombocytes accumulate, the bleeding slows. Afterward, once the wound is
completely healed, the scab dissolves by means of similar processes.15
Consider
that these enzymes and proteins consist of strings of inanimate, blind,
unconscious atoms. Yet each one of these assumes a function right from the
outset once an injury has occurred. They swiftly hasten to the scene, organize
themselves to halt the bleeding, produce the requisite proteins as if filling
an order, communicate with others to call for assistance, understand the
messages received from one another, and fulfill their functions.
The
system functions flawlessly, right down to the finest detail. Now, consider
what would happen were there to be any flaw in this vital system: If blood
began to coagulate in the absence of any wound, or if the scab that formed over
the wound peeled away from it, or if the proteins that play a role in
coagulation had trouble communicating—if any one of these occurred, then we
would face clotting in the vessels leading to such vital organs as the heart,
lungs or brain, and death would ensue due to loss of blood.
Your
body does not need coagulation to take place only around visible wounds. We
also need a clotting system to repair the breaks in capillaries, which happen
very frequently but of which, of course, you are generally unaware. When you
bang your knee against a table or chair, a large number of these capillary
vessels rupture, leading to internal bleeding. But thanks to the clotting
system, the bleeding immediately stops, to be followed by the healing process
begins.
If no
clotting occurred, the result would be the disorder known as hemophilia.
Hemophiliacs need to be protected from even the slightest blow, because
particularly in the advanced stages of the disease in even the smallest
bleeding cannot be stopped, and that leads to the patient’s death from blood
loss.
It is
essential that the clotting property in our blood exist, but it also needs to
be subject to strict supervision. As you can clearly see from the information
provided, such a system can definitely not form in the living body by chance.
This system, whose every detail is the product of planning and calculation, is
an indication of the Allah’s infinite knowledge, intellect and power. To
maintain that this system came about by chance in fact expresses the logical
collapse of Darwinism.
Is He Who creates like him who does not
create? So will you not pay heed? (Surat an-Nahl:17)
THE BODY’S ENGINE:
THE HEART
As
you have seen from this account so far, blood is a miraculous solution that
could not have come into being by chance, and is one of the manifest proofs of
creation. Here it will be useful to recall that though blood is a miracle, its
existence by itself is of little significance, because in order for it to
provide any benefits to a living organism, it also needs a transport system.
That is provided by the circulatory network in the human body.
Blood
also needs to be propelled through the veins and arteries to reach every cell
of the body. The engine that provides that service is, of course, the heart.
The
Most Perfect Pump
The
world’s most perfect pump is at this very moment right in your chest. With its
unbelievable creation and incessant beating, the heart sends all your blood
around your body some 1,000 times during the course of a single day.
The
human heart is approximately the size of a fist, and is a pump made of muscle.
Considered in terms of capacity, however, it is the most powerful, longest
lived and most productive machine in the world. First off, its strength is
quite magnificent: The heart can squirt
blood to a distance of up to 3 meters (10 feet), and in the space of one hour,
can expend enough force to raise a medium-sized car three feet off the ground.16
However,
the heart’s most important feature is being able to work without stopping,
contracting some 70 times a minute, and 37 million times a year. It beats some
2.5 billion times during the average human lifespan and pumps approximately 300
million liters (or 80 million gallons) of blood.17 That is the equivalent of the amount of
liquid it would take to fill 10,000 oil tankers. Even while you sleep, your
heart pumps some 340 liters (90 gallons) of blood. To put it another way, your
heart could fill a car’s gas tank 9 times over every hour. During physical
activity—while running, for example—its work rate increases and it pumps some
2,273 liters (0.6 gallons) of blood.18
Every
time it beats, the heart sends blood into the depths of the body with great
force. To get a better idea of this muscle’s strength, see how often you can
fully clench your fist at a rate of once every a second. You will soon become
tired and be unable to continue. After a few minutes, the muscles that move
your fingers and hand will begin to ache. Yet your heart continues to expand
and contract for your entire lifetime, and never rests for even a minute.
Another
feature of the heart is how it pumps the required amount of blood according to
prevailing conditions. Under normal circumstances—at rest—it beats some 70
times a minute. During exercise, however, the muscles need increased quantities
of oxygen. The heart then increases the amount of blood it pumps, by beating up
to 180 times a minute. It can increase the volume of blood it pumps by up to 5
times. A machine that works non-stop at that rate will soon break down, but the
heart continues working this way for decades, never losing its rhythm.
Flawless
Creation
To
better understand the work performed by the heart, compare it to an artificial
pump.
But
the heart is not a simple pump that sends one liquid from one site to another.
Its very special creation allows it to pump two different liquids in two
different directions. Unlike most normal pumps, it has more than one speed and
by itself, regulates the speed at which it needs to work in the light of
prevailing conditions. Bearing these features in mind, we can compare the heart
to a specially created pump controlled by a highly advanced computer.
A
pump consists of an engine that provides power and the mechanical parts that
the engine causes to function. The heart, on the other hand, is both a motor
and a pump.
Man-made
pumps last no longer than 10 to 15 years. During that span of time, the pump
does work constantly, but only at specific intervals. Pumps that work all the
time wear out after very short periods. In either case, the pumps sometimes
develop faults and need maintenance or to have parts replaced. In contrast, the
heart works 24 hours a day for as much as 70 or 80 years, or even longer. A
healthy heart never requires any maintenance during that entire time. Unlike
man-made pumps, it never needs to be repaired nor to have parts replaced.
The
heart starts beating while a human is still a fetus in the womb, and continues
beating for a whole lifetime. The heart pumps blood at every moment of your
life, without our being constantly aware of it and quite beyond your control.
This pump was working while you were still a baby, and while you were at
school, and continues working while you sleep. It is even working now, pumping
blood even as you read these words.
When
the general structure of the heart is examined in greater detail, you can
immediately see its exceptional creation.
The
Heart’s Original Pumps
The
heart is actually a combination consisting of two separate pumps. The one on
the left pumps oxygenated blood to the organs and tissues in the body, while
the one on the right pumps CO2-laden blood to the lungs.
Each
pump also consist of two separate upper and lower pumps. The smaller is known
as the atrium, and the larger as the ventricle. When clean blood reaches the
left part of the heart, for example, it flows into the upper small atrium. From
there, it is expelled in to the larger ventricle below. The ventricle, or large
pump, then sends the blood to the organs. The same process is also performed by
the pumps on the right side of the heart, in sending blood to the lungs.
One-Way
Safety Valves
Between
these pumps are valves that open only in the direction of the flow of the
blood. When the atria contract, these valves are opened and the blood fills the
large ventricles. When the large ventricles contract, the valves between close
and the blood is prevented from flowing back to the atria from whence it came.
There
are similar valves in the discharge part of the large pump. When the large pump
contracts, these valves open, and the blood is allowed to flow out to the body.
When the beat is finished, however, the valves close to prevent the pumped
blood from flowing back to the heart. This is a simple but most reliable
precaution, and modern artificial pumps use similar systems.
The
existence of just one of these valves is proof that the heart has been
specially, consciously created. Leaving aside the heart’s hundreds of
miraculous features, and considering only how its valves came into existence
reveals to us Allah’s flawless creation. No series of random events could ever
create one of the valves in the chambers of the heart, let alone the flawless
structure of the heart itself. Every detail of this perfect engine in the human
body is proof of the might, power and existence of Allah.
They do not measure Allah with His true
measure. Allah is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj:74)
Oiling
the Pump
Consider
the machines you are familiar with. Any machine, even a very simple mechanism,
produces friction caused by the rubbing together of its components. Unless that
friction is eliminated, the parts will soon wear out and the machine will be
damaged enough to become inoperable. That means that its working parts need to
be lubricated regularly.
The
heart, which expands and contracts constantly for your whole lifetime, faces
exactly the same risk. It needs a lubrication system in order to maintain its
ceaseless functioning. On the outer layer of the heart lies a layer consisting
of a two-layered membrane known as the pericardium. The space between these two
membranes is filled with a special lubricating fluid— just one of the heart’s
perfectly created details.
The
Heart’s Armor
The
body’s vitally important organs are protected in very different ways. The heart
is one of the organs most in need of protection, since any blow to it could
lead to lethal consequences. For that reason, your heart is located in the
safest place—in your chest, inside the ribcage. The ribs protect the heart from
blows from outside, just like the ribs of a ship’s hull.
How
Is the Heart Nourished?
The
tissues of the heart muscle are too thick and tight for nutrients and oxygen to
pass through them, and are therefore unable to benefit from the blood pumping
through it. However, like all other organs, the heart’s cells need blood. In
fact, since it is a constantly functioning muscle, the heart needs even more
oxygen than any other organ.
This
need has, once again, been resolved thanks to a most incomparable creation. The
blood arriving from the lungs to the left part of the heart is the cleanest,
most oxygen-rich in the body. Two specialized arteries, known as the coronary
arteries, emerge from the aortic arteries by which the blood is pumped out to
the body. These arteries do not lead to the body, as do all the other arteries,
but return to the heart. In this way, the most oxygen-rich blood is thus forwarded
directly to the heart, without going anywhere else first.
Another
feature can be perceived in the way the coronary arteries are laid out. As
these arteries head towards the heart they make intermediate connections with
one another, which connections serve as insurance against any one of the
arteries becoming blocked. If one of the arteries does suffer an occlusion, the
blood courses on through the other artery, by-passes the blocked area and
reaches the heart muscle. This same feature is employed by urban planners when
laying out networks of water distribution. In order that the city should not be
left without water in the event of a fault in one of the existing pipes, this
age-old network system of the human heart is copied on a far wider scale.
Even
these connections made between the arteries nourishing the heart exhibit such
reason and planning as to leave chance as no explanation.
Before
moving on to other structural features of the heart, it will be useful to issue
a reminder. Just bearing in mind the features described so far, you can see
that the heart’s features could never have formed one by one, as evolutionists
would have us believe—and furthermore, that all these stages could never have
come into existence by chance.
In
all regards, the heart exhibits a flawless and complete creation. It is
impossible for this organ, or even any one of its components, to have come into
existence by itself. In addition, even if we were to assume that such a perfect
organ did emerge by itself—no matter how impossible that might be—it would
still serve no purpose. Whatever ideal properties a heart might possess, in the
absence of a circulatory system and blood to pump, it would have no bodily
function. Again according to evolutionist logic, an organ with no function is
doomed to become “vestigial” and disappear. But as you have seen, just one
single example reveals the major contradictions in evolutionists’ claims.
Your
Heart’s Electrical System
If
you extract a living heart from the body, it will continue working
independently until it has consumed the last of its energy. If provided with
the necessary oxygenated blood, the heart will still beat for hours, even if
all its nerve connections are severed.
In
order to examine this interesting situation, let us briefly review how the
muscles work: For a muscle to contract, it first needs a command from the brain
or the spinal cord. That command is in reality an electrical signal forwarded
by means of the nervous system. Since the heart’s structure is composed entirely
of muscle tissue, then a heart that beats some 70 times a minute needs to be
electrically stimulated that many times.
Then
how can a heart still continue to beat for a while even if all its nerve
connections are severed and it is removed from the body? This leads us to ask
where these commands to contract come from?
When
scientists investigated this question, they encountered something most
surprising. In the heart, there is a generator that produces its own
electricity—a generator made of flesh, itself one of the components of the very
heart it supplies.
An
artificial generator goes into action in the event of a cut in the external
electrical supply, and continues producing electrical current to prevent
machinery from shutting down or being damaged. The heart, one of the most
crucial organs in the body, is also similarly protected in order to ensure it
is never harmed in the event of any interruption to its energy supply. For the
heart to stop even for a moment could lead to grave damage to the brain and the
rest of the body, and could even have fatal consequences. The electrical system
operating the heart must therefore work without ceasing.
Scientists
investigating this electrical system made even more astonishing findings. The
heart functions not only with a micro-generator, but also thanks to an assembly
of interconnected, programmed and systematic electronic circuits. This
electrical management system works together with a number of elements, from the
kidneys to the brain, and from the arteries to the hormonal glands.
Of
course, this flawless creation in the heart, discovered only very recently by
scientists, has been working non-stop for millions of years. Without exception,
this system has been present in all the many billions of people who have ever
lived, and in all those who will ever live in the future. This is Allah’s
flawless creation.
The
Heart’s Electronic System
When
examined closely, the upper wall of the heart’s right atrium can be seen to
contain this generator that supplies electricity to the heart. In an adult at
rest, this generator, a knot of tissue known as the sinoatrial (SA) node, emits
72 low-frequency electrical impulses a minute.19 Each of these impulses causes the most
perfect pump in the world to contract once.
To
better witness the creation in this mechanism, let us now examine one
heartbeat, which takes place in less than one second.
The
energy wave emitted by the SA node spreads over the tissues that make up the
heart’s small pumps (valves). Blood passes from the smaller atria to the large
ventricles at the bottom of the heart.
Under
normal conditions, however, one would expect the situation to be very
different. The energy given off by the SA node, or generator will first
stimulate the large pumps. Yet since the electrical wave moves very fast, both
pumps will contract at almost the same moment and the heart’s working mechanism
should be impaired. Yet such an electrical circuit must be constructed that the
electrical energy must first stimulate the small atria, after which it must
pause for an instant before stimulating the large ventricles. After the
electrical signal has been emitted, it must pause until the small atria have
performed their function. The necessary circuit needs to be a marvel of
engineering.
In
fact, after stimulating the atria, the electrical wave emitted by the generator
moves to another tissue mass known as the atrioventricular (AV) node. This
tissue holds onto the electrical signal for a very finely regulated interval of
time, as short as 1/14th of a second. At the end of that period, the small
atrium has finished its task. The electrical signal then continues on its way
and stimulates all the ventricle cells in as little as 1/16th of a second. The
larger pump, whose turn it now is, thus contracts and blood is pumped out to
the body. All these processes take place in less than one second. 20
An
Important Security Precaution:
The
Heart’s Spare Generator
The
AV node, which halts the electrical waves emitted by the main generator for a
short while, has another very important function. In the event of a problem in
the main generator, this node steps in and works like a spare generator. It
cannot produce signals as strong as those from the main generator (it produces
only 40 to 50 signals a second), built they are still sufficient to let the
heart keep working. If the main generator is damaged for any reason, the spare
AV node undertakes an absolutely vital task. People have been observed to live
for up to 20 years, even though their main generator has failed to function for
various reasons. 21
To
grasp what we have described so far, the reader needs a certain consciousness
and understanding—which you, reading this book, do indeed possess. On close
inspection, however, the components constituting the heart must also exhibit
consciousness in order to function. For example, the reserve generator needs to
be aware of everything that goes on in the human body in order to know when to
assume its function, and needs to set the necessary system in motion in the
event of any emergency.
Yet
how do these components in the various parts of the heart carry out these
processes, which we need to have awareness in order to understand? Can the
nerve nodes in the heart be considered to have consciousness? Can it be claimed
that these nodes calculate the seconds, and perform these calculations non-stop
and always totally accurately? On their own, of course, these structures in the
heart clearly cannot perform the complex processes necessary for the heart to
function. These nodes are merely collections of cells that cannot be regarded
as having decision-making mechanisms, will, or calculating ability.
Any
cell being able to produce electricity is by itself a great miracle, because
such production takes place as a result of thousands of very complex chemical
processes. At this point, there are even more questions to be considered:
Why
should a cell seek to assume the task of producing electricity? What force
obliges it to do this? How does the cell know that the heart needs electrical
signals in order to contract, and that the cells that bring about those
contractions cannot function without electricity?
In
addition, it is not sufficient for just one cell to produce electricity. It
needs other cells producing electricity too, and these cells need to combine in
the correct order. It is not enough for them to be present together. They must
produce electricity together, as if they had signed an agreement to do so.
Furthermore, that production needs to take place within a particular rhythm:
Each cell has to possess a chronometer, and these cells need to accurately
function once every 0.83 of a second. Additionally, the cells must be able to
continue with this production tirelessly, for an entire lifetime. They must
also know the level of electrical current that causes the heart to function,
and must produce just the right amount of electricity—neither too much nor too
little.
The
untiring muscle cells in the heart must also possess a characteristic allowing
them to function when the electrical current arrives. They must respond to
every signal reaching them and respond to each one of the signals produced, 72
times every minute.
Since
a specific understanding is required in order to grasp the functioning of this
miraculous system, it would be irrational and unscientific to claim that it
came into being through blind chance. Such a flawless system cannot be
explained in terms of coincidences. The fact that such an electrical circuit
has been placed inside the human heart is yet another proof that we have been
created by Allah.
We created you, so why do you not
confirm the truth? Have you thought about the sperm that you ejaculate? Is it
you who create it or are We the Creator? We have decreed death for you and We
will not be forestalled. (Surat al-Waqi‘a:57-60)
The
Heart’s Accelerator and Brake System
This
section shall examine a very special system that regulates the working of the
heart. We shall see how a piece of flesh immediately beneath the rib cage
receives information, analyzes it and automatically carries out measures that
need to be taken.
As a
reminder, in examining the structures in the human body or in other living
things, the most important thing is to ask whether they could have come into
existence by chance. It’s of course impossible to pose this question with every
description provided herein. But with this or any other book about the body,
you should constantly ask yourself this vital question, because the answer will
let you better appreciate the infinite might of your Creator.
Now,
let’s examine the heart’s rhythm-controlling system, while keeping the above
question.
The
heart beats constantly to a regular rhythm. You can compare this to a car on a
fixed-speed highway. Under certain conditions, however, the heart’s tempo needs
to speed up or slow down. This is analogous pressure being applied to a car’s
throttle or the brake pedal. The brake that decelerates the heart’s rhythm is
the vagus nerve, and the accelerator that speeds it up is the sympathetic
nerves. 22 The hormone acetylcholine sets the
brake (or vagus nerve) into action.
The
sympathetic nerves are components of the autonomous nervous system that work
outside your free will and regulate the working of your internal organs. They
raise blood pressure by narrowing the arteries and help form the hormones
epinephrine and norepinephrine by stimulating the medulla region above the
kidney. These hormones increase the heart’s work rate. The hormone thyroxin,
secreted by the thyroid, also affects the working of the heart by raising the
metabolism.23
So
how do these accelerators work? How is the decision to speed up or decelerate
taken? Such a regulatory and information exchange system has been constructed
within the human body that no artificial information- processing network is
nearly as perfect.
That
this system functions within your body without your being aware of it, even at
this very moment, is evidence that you were created.
Let’s now examine how the controls in question
are depressed, and how the decision to accelerate or decelerate is taken—while
still asking the necessary questions.
When
you perform a movement requiring force, the muscles around the veins accelerate
the flow of de-oxygenated blood. This means that more blood goes to the heart
and the right atrium. The atrium muscles then contract, and nerve signals
formed as a result of that contraction are transmitted via the central nervous
system to medulla in the spinal cord, which analyzes these data and immediately
sends a command to the heart. The heart’s rhythm is accelerated. This allows
more fresh blood to reach the muscles.
A key
question: Is it rational and logical that this system could have come into
being by chance? People who make such a claim are definitely unable to answer
the following questions:
How
are those receptors aware that de-oxygenated blood has increased and of the
contraction created have been sited in the correct region of the heart, the
right atrium where the dirty blood is found?
How
did the network that carries the information from these receptors to the spinal
cord and the medulla come into being?
How
did the spinal cord and medulla—the data-processing center that analyses this
data and is able to take the correct decisions—come into existence?
How
does the medulla realize that the message reaching it signifies that oxygenated
blood has decreased? With what consciousness does the spinal cord decide that
the heart must beat faster in order to send more blood through the lungs?
How
did the elements comprising this system come together as one and at the same
time, exactly?
Such
precise order cannot of course have come into being by chance. Not even a
single component of this system—let alone the system itself—could have come
into existence by happenstance. In addition to proving the invalidity of the
theory of evolution, the above questions also clearly demonstrate Allah’s
creation.
Let’s
now examine another safety system created by Allah, and witness another proof
of His creative artistry.
In
addition, the heart needs a special safety mechanism to keep it from beating
too fast and damaging itself. Inside the aortic artery emerging from the
left-hand part of the heart are receptors that
measure blood pressure. As the heartbeat rises, so does the pressure of
blood reaching the aortic wall. When this pressure exceeds a certain level, the
safety mechanism goes into operation. The receptors that detect the increasing
pressure send warnings via the spinal cord to the medulla. This analyses the
situation and sends a new command to the heart. This slows down the heart rate,
and blood pressure is lowered. Let us now reconsider the pressure gauges inside
the aorta and the heart’s braking mechanism.
Is it
an unconscious coincidence that the heart is aware that too rapid a heartbeat
will damage the body and that it should take measures to counteract this?
Did
the receptors that measure blood pressure come into being by chance? And were
these then located in the right place—in the aortic wall membrane—by also
chance?
Did
the nerve link between the receptors and the spinal cord come into existence by
chance?
How
do the receptor cells recognize that blood pressure has risen, and with what
consciousness do they transmit news of this rise to the spinal column?
By
what criteria does the medulla analyze the data reaching it? With what
consciousness does it realize the importance of the situation?
How
did some of the spinal cord’s cells come to assume the role of regulating the
heartbeat? Why did they assume that responsibility?
How
does a spinal cord cell decide to send a command to the heart? How does it know
what form the command it sends must take, so that the heart cells can
understand it?
Why
do the heart cells obey signals from the spinal cord?
These
questions are very important for lifting the curtain of familiarity that forms
over the course of time and keeps people perceiving the miracles right before
their very eyes.
Most
people realize that some situations make their hearts beat faster. When you
climb quickly up a staircase, run, or becomes excited, you can feel that your
heartbeat has increased, and that later, it returns to normal. No one, however,
realizes what a great miracle this truly is. They never understand that the
rate of their heartbeat is regulated by a computer-like system inside the
heart. Even if they are aware of the existence of a system, still they spend
little time thinking about how their bodies’ miraculous systems came into
existence, and even strongly avoid doing so. Some even believe that thinking
too much about such matters is psychologically unhealthy.
The
fact is, however, that Allah wishes us to think deeply. He commands people to
ponder what He has created and thus, to better understand His might and power
and to fear Him more. In one verse of the Qur’an Allah has revealed how
believers should behave, how they should think about the entities created by
Him—and how their fear of Him should increase as a result:
Those who remember Allah, standing,
sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens
and the Earth: “Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to
You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Surah Al ‘Imran: 191)
Preparation
for Fight or Flight
At
certain times, the human body needs to be stronger and more resistant, and
exhibiting higher performance than normal. When danger is encountered, for
instance, an individual must immediately fight or flee.
Under
such exceptional circumstances, it’s of course essential that the heart beat
faster and pump more blood for the necessary adjustments to be made within the
body.
The
requisite measures have indeed been taken for such circumstances. In
extraordinary situations, the adrenal glands secrete a hormone called
adrenalin. This hormone molecule makes a very long journey, in comparison to
the length of its own molecule, to reach the heart cells, commanding them to
contract faster. (See the Chapter 4 on the hormonal system.) The glands located
atop the kidneys which produce this hormone are acquainted with the heart cells
and know what chemical language they will understand. At the same time, they
possess the knowledge that the body must become more resistant and that
therefore, the heart needs to beat faster. The heart cells obey this command
and begin beating more quickly, providing the extra oxygen the body requires in
urgent situations.
Indispensable
Elements in
the
Functioning of the Heart
This
electronic system located in the heart also needs electrical signals if it is
to function properly. In order for electrical signals to be produced, the
sodium, potassium and calcium ions need to be present in specific quantities in
the blood. Since the blood levels of these substances are regulated by such
organs as the kidney, intestines, stomach and lungs, it becomes even more
apparent the impossibility of this system having come into being through such a
fictitious mechanism as evolution.
Now,
bearing in mind the features of the heart examined so far, imagine that someone
has succeeded in developing a device resembling the heart—a flawless pump
capable of working for 70 years without stopping for even a second, one that
creates its own electricity, needs no maintenance or parts replaced, and that
automatically adjusts its working speed and power thanks to a built-in
electrical system. Such success could be achieved, of course, only as the
result of technology, technical experience and long study. Nobody can imagine
that such a device could come into being by chance. That would be totally
irrational.
Nonetheless,
to imagine that the heart came about by chance is even more illogical and
irrational than thinking that any other product of technology—a television, for
example—could come into existence by chance.
First
of all, in the heart there is technology a far superior to any man-made device.
Most important of all, however, the chance development of the heart is by
itself of no significance. In addition to the heart, thousands of kilometers of
blood vessels—as well as the blood inside them, the kidneys that filter that
blood, the lungs that provide the blood with oxygen and remove the carbon
dioxide it carries, the digestive system that provides nutrients for the blood,
the liver that refines these nutrients, the nervous system that regulates the
functioning of the heart, the brain that manages the body as a whole, the bone
system that keeps the body together, the hormonal system that assists the
functioning of the heart, and thousands of similar elements—would have to have
come into being in a single moment, and again by a single random event. Yet
each of these possesses a special creation that leaves absolutely no room for
chance. It’s therefore as impossible for the heart to come into being by chance
as for any product of technology to do so.
We
are looking at a most evident truth here. The heart was created by Allah,
together with all the systems and elements that function along with it.
The
Blood Vessels
The
body is interpenetrated by millions of tubes, both large and small. If this
venous network in a single human were spread out in a straight line, it would
stretch more than 60,000 miles. 24 The venous
system is so perfected that the required connections have been established to
everywhere in the body. The tubes never become knotted, never open onto any
unnecessary places, possess no dead ends. They extend all over the body and
return to their starting point.
For a
piping system to be installed in any building, a plan is necessary beforehand.
The circulatory system in the human body is of a far greater perfection that
any man-made plan.
In
addition, the length of the blood vessels in the human body is around 100,000
kilometers (or 60,000 miles), whereas that in an average-size building will be
only a few kilometers long. This plumbing, made of special metallic or vinyl
compounds, give rise to problems within a few decades. Joints leak, some pipes
gradually corrode, and others give rise to leaks inside the walls. All these
problems arise even though the building is an immobile structure, and the
plumbing never moves.
On
the other hand, the capillary network inside a healthy body fulfils its
function for an entire lifetime, never requiring maintenance or spare parts.
But in addition, the human body is not immobile, but moves, walks, runs, sits
and stands. The veins constantly stretch and compress under these actions, but
so perfectly created are the veins that no problem ever arises, unless
individuals make movements that damage their own health.
The
Incomparable Creation
in
the Human Body
Now
consider a human body with no veins, and ask an engineer to draw up plans for
placing veins inside that body. That plan must provide all the necessary
connections for every cell, from the depths of the liver to the bone marrow,
from the eyelids to the kidneys. In addition, depending on the function of
every organ, the thickness and properties of every vein must be planned out.
Clearly, one engineer could never draft such a blueprint. Even if everyone in
the world were to work on it together, the result would still be the same.
Neither their life spans nor their intellects would be sufficient to produce
the circulatory network. It’s impossible to maintain that a blueprint that
billions of people together could not manage to draw up emerged as the result
of blind chance. This system leaves no room for chance in even a single stage,
clearly revealing that human beings were created by Allah.
The
Journey Begins. . .
The
chief purpose of the heart-vein system is to transport necessary substances
that allow the body’s cells to function, and to carry away waste materials. An
adult’s heart pumps 9,000 liters (or 2,380 gallons) of blood a day through a
network that is 100,000 kilometers (60,000 miles) in length.25
Now,
imagine that you are the size of a cell and set out on a journey through the
circulatory system.
Your
starting point is the heart’s upper left pump—in other words the left atrium.
The area you are in is full of clean, oxygen-rich blood. Around you are
millions of oxygen- bearing red blood cells (erythrocytes). Immediately beneath
you is a valve leading to the heart’s right atrium. It can open in only one
direction—down.
With
the sudden contraction of the atrium, the valve cover opens. The blood with you
in it begins filling the heart’s lower left ventricle. You are now in the left
ventricle, a very powerful pump. The valve now closes behind you to prevent
your returning to the atrium where you came from.
The
left ventricle is a powerful pump, capable of sending blood to the furthest
point in the body. At the exit of this pump is another one-way valve leading to
the aortic artery, and its function is similar: to prevent the blood you are in
from returning to the heart.
The
left ventricle now contracts strongly. This valve opens outwards. The blood
carrying you is sent quickly toward the aorta, the largest artery.
As
you approach the aortic artery wall, you encounter a most interesting
structure. As if the artery’s inner wall has been polished, and its smooth and
oiled surface reduces friction and allows the blood to flow more easily.
Take
a short break in your journey to examine the aorta and the arteries in greater
detail.
The
Strongest Vein
As
you’ve seen, the vessels that carry the blood from the heart are called arteries, and those that carry blood
from the tissues to the heart are known as veins. Arteries are generally buried
deep within the tissues. In some places, however—for example, in your wrists,
temples, neck and ankles—they run much closer to the surface. In these regions,
you can feel the passage of arterial blood with every beat of your heart
putting pressure on the artery walls.
The
artery’s internal surface resembles large numbers of different-shaped paving
stones laid out to form a regular surface. However, the “stones” here are
cells.
Let
us now concentrate. Cells are living things. One group of living cells have
been laid out next to one another, exactly as paving slabs are, to create a
smooth, regular surface. This surface, curving a full 360 degrees, forms a
pipe. The venous system is formed by millions of similar pipes joining together
in order.
How
did this come about?
First
of all the cells, must be flat and of such shapes as to fit tightly against one
another. What force, then, created so many billions of cells in this
interlocking form?
While
the body was still in its mother’s womb, these cells must have been laid out
just like paving stones, side by side. Who set out these billions of cells, so
smoothly and regularly?
If
just one cell is missing from the arterial wall, then blood will leak out from
that spot. Who is it, then, who builds this wall so accurately?
“Chance”
cannot be the answer to these questions.
Furthermore,
it’s not a metal tube from a factory template, that we’re considering here, but
rather a living vessel formed by the coming-together of living cells. Why do
these tiny living units spend their lives lining a tube? Who set them out in
this way and gave them such a responsibility?
Again,
the answer to these questions cannot be “Chance”! But evolutionists never think
about details of this sort. Rather, they ignore these facts, and are unwilling
even to consider them. Evolutionists make speeches and write books about
circulatory tissues that include large quantities of Latin terms. Yet they
never answer the question of how these cells came together in such supreme
order—because the only answer they can supply is “Chance.”
Since
they know how demeaning such an invalid response will be, they gloss over the
issue with illogical statements like, “These cells came together and formed the
veins during the evolutionary process.”
If a
scientist offers such an explanation, then people with no great knowledge of
scientific literature may think that he must have some scientific facts behind
it—though since the scientist has rather glossed over the subject, people won’t
be able to understand it.
Nevertheless,
evolutionists give no answer as to how the arteries and veins came into
existence. There are many thousands of other questions to which they also give
no answer. They avoid entering into such discussions and gloss over the subject
with unspecific words.
In
short, no evolutionist can account for the presence of the circulatory network
in the human body, as you can very easily prove for yourself. Tell any
evolutionist about the perfection of the veins and arteries, and how the cells
are all set out in precise order. Then ask how this structure first came about.
The only reply you will receive is, “By chance.”
In
fact, however, there is only one true answer to this question; it is Allah, the
Lord of the Worlds, Who created the veins, the blood in the veins, the heart
that pumps this blood, and all the other countless of systems within the human
body.
Flexibility
in the Veins
The
special creation in the structure of the arteries is not seen only in the
flawless sequence of the cells. Immediately outside the layer formed by these
cells is another layer of muscular cells that are exceedingly flexible. This is
another example of creation. Elastic fibers increase the veins’ resistance to
the blood pressure that rises when the heart beats. In addition, the elasticity
imparted to the veins allows extra blood to travel through them.
If
the heart pumped blood at high pressure through a venous system that was
inelastic, then an extra great burden would be placed on the heart, and blood
pressure inside the arteries would be very high. All these details are another
indication of the incomparable nature of Allah’s creation.
The
Journey Continues
As we
keep on with our journey, the aortic artery bifurcates and heads in two
different directions. The blood flowing upward meets the needs of the brain and
arms, and that blood heading downwards fulfills the needs of the rest of the
body. Imagine that your journey is proceeding toward the lower part of the
body.
On
this route, there are a large number of detours leading to the liver, stomach,
upper and lower intestines, the kidneys and the legs. As you proceed, you see
that the artery enclosing you splits into many separate branches that become
increasingly narrow. These countless bifurcations carry blood to the furthest
reaches of the body. As you enter one of them, you see the vessel you are in
becomes ever narrower. You are now no longer in an artery, but in a capillary
vessel, with a diameter of 0.0002 inch.
Soon
the vessel becomes so narrow that there is room for only a single erythrocyte
to pass through—with difficulty. In this portion of your journey, you realize
that there is a rapid exchange in the cells around you. The erythrocyte cells
begin delivering the valuable cargoes of oxygen molecules they have carried on
their long journeys, releasing them to cells in need of oxygen and taking up
the carbon dioxide these cells have produced. In the same way, nutrient
molecules carried in the blood are taken up by cells that need them.
The
time has now come to head back.
When
the erythrocytes give up their oxygen, their bright red color changes to a dark
red. As your journey goes on, the veins become increasingly wide again. Other
erythrocytes loaded with carbon dioxide from other blood vessels join in, and
the blood volume increases. You shall now leave the capillary vessels and
proceed on our way in the veins.
Another
Marvel of Creation in the Body:
The
Veins
Blood
flows in the arteries thanks to the heart’s pumping pressure. The effect of
this pressure decreases in the blood vessels, however, and by the time it
reaches the veins, the distant heart’s pumping power has declined considerably.
So
how will the blood complete its return journey?
Imagine
that you are in one of these veins, with a long journey back to the heart lying
before you. You have to pass the regions of the legs, stomach and chest and
climb upward for a long distance, overcoming the force of gravity all the same
while. There is a need for a system such that every day, thousands of liters of
fluid are able to travel back up from the toes to the heart.
The
veins have been located with special planning, and surrounded by skeletal
muscles. Every time you take a step, for example, the leg muscles that contract
force blood upward at the same time. Thanks to this planning, the veins have
their very own pumping system.
Toward
the end of the 1.5-meter (4.92-foot) journey between the feet and the heart,
another problem is encountered. When the main veins reach the body’s central
region, they are no longer surrounded by skeletal muscles. Here, the
respiratory muscles support the veins. The main vein immediately beneath the
lung contracts every time you take a breath. The negative pressure that forms
in the expanding chest therefore, helps blood to return to the heart.
One
feature in the veins represents one of the finest examples of the flawless
features in the body. Within the veins are located a number of valves that open
solely in the direction of the heart. In this way, blood never flows back under
the effect of gravity, but keeps on toward the heart.
A
great many valves have been located within the veins, each of them possessing a
very special creation. Each one has hinges, again composed of tissue, so
created as to permit the valve to open in one direction only. We are looking at
an engineering miracle here when we consider how this perfect system came
about. The workers on the world’s longest pipeline have assumed three major
duties, serving as engineers, as workers, and also the actual construction
material.
The
blueprints and projects for this construction are found in the data banks in
the cell nuclei. Each cell “reads” and interprets the plans for the project
just like an engineer—by itself without doubt a great miracle. People feel
great admiration and respect for a professor who devotes many years to academic
studies, but are unaware that their own cells are able to read, understand and
put into operation projects far more complex—or else they simply ignore this
fact.
Depending
on the plan they interpret, cells know where they have to serve in the
pipeline’s construction. They also know which of the millions of cells working
on this construction project they must combine with. When they find the place
where they belong, they start working like laborers to construct their
individual part of the pipeline. Yet for construction material, they use
themselves. Every cell working on this project devotes itself to being a tiny
part of the pipeline for the rest of its life.
In
the walls of the veins so constructed, no protrusions or cavities are to be
found. Their inner surfaces are just as smooth as if they had been polished by
a marble craftsman—with one small difference, however; these surfaces consist
of living cells.
As
the construction work proceeds, some cells make a different decision according
to the plan they have read and decide to form a valve inside the vein.
Thousands of cells combine and cling to the inner wall. Other cells constitute
the hinges of these valves—again, by identifying just where they need to be
according to the project’s requirements. The way that the hinge opens only in
one direction is, again, the result of cells being able to interpret the
overall plan and of their construction ability. These cells act in the
knowledge that a liquid will flow through the vessel they are in, in which
direction it needs to flow, and what measures they need to take to ensure that
the flow is constant.
A few
millimeters on from this valve, the same miracle takes place. Here, other cells
with a similar consciousness form another valve. As if in agreement with the
cells that constructed the former valve, theirs too opens in the same
direction. If the cells which constructed a few of these valves were to make
them in such a way as to open in the opposite direction, then blood could not
flow through the veins, and life would immediately come to an end. The
thousands of valves that exist right throughout the venous system are all
constructed to work in harmony with one another.
This
system is indisputably the work of a most superior Creator, and the cells can
exhibit such consciousness, reason, and self-sacrifice thanks only to the
Superior Force that creates them. It is Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Who
locates the projects for the world’s longest pipeline and thousands of other
systems in the human body within the cell nuclei, and Who gives the cells the
ability to read, interpret and act upon these instructions.
O man! What has deluded you in respect
of your Noble Lord? He Who created you and formed you and proportioned you and
assembled you in whatever way He willed. (Surat al-Infitar: 6-8)
The
Return to the Heart
Now
let’s return to our journey through the human veins. Thanks to the small
one-way valves in the arteries which we have just examined in some detail, we
can now head directly towards the heart—returning there some 40 seconds after
we set out.
The
first part of our journey began in the heart’s upper left chamber, and ends in
the upper right chamber. As that journey began, we set out in bright red blood,
and the first part of the sojourn ends in blood that is darker red. It is now
time to set out on another journey, for the blood needs to be cleansed of its
carbon dioxide and replenished with carbon dioxide.
You
shall be remaining in the right ventricle, but for only a very short time. As
the right ventricle contracts, another valve opens and blood is expelled toward
the lungs. The valve behind you is the last safety precaution preventing deoxygenated
blood from returning back to the heart. You now speed rapidly towards the lungs
inside blood loaded with carbon dioxide.
The
journey from the heart to the lungs is another brief one, for which reason it
is known as the “small circulation.” On arriving in the lung, the red blood
cells around you release the carbon dioxide they carry—whose transportation
comes about through a great many complex chemical processes—and begin to take
up oxygen. This exchange occurs at a breathtaking speed.
Every
minute 56,000,000,000,000,000,000,000—that is, 56 x 1021 (56
septillion) oxygen atoms reach the cells in the lung.26
A great many micro-systems work together to enable just one oxygen atom to pass
to the erythrocytes. Each unit works in total harmony with the one before it,
allowing the oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange to take place without halting for
even an instant.
At
the end of this breathtakingly rapid exchange, the erythrocytes around you
become loaded with oxygen. Now, together with these cells, inside the veins of
the lung, you set out for the heart. Eventually your journey ends back where it
started from. The oxygen-rich clean blood is ready for another circuit around
the body.
The
Computer that Controls the Flow
There
is another very interesting and significant feature of the circulatory system.
It does not simply forward the blood like an ordinary pipeline system, but also
regulates how much blood needs to go to which organ when necessary.
This
is most astonishing, for a piping system to determine how much of the liquid it
carries needs to go to which organ, and by itself to make the requisite
adjustments. Arteries are able to alter the flow of blood by contracting and
expanding.
Take
the brain’s needs as an example. The brain is an organ that requires a steady,
dependable supply of abundant blood, since it controls all the functions inside
the body. Blood flow to the brain must continue at any cost. Even if blood flow
to all other organs is cut off as the result of hemorrhage, a great many nerves
act together so that blood can be keep being sent to the brain, and the
diameters of the arteries are adjusted accordingly. Some veins leading to other
organs are temporarily short-circuited, and the flow of blood is directed to
the veins leading to the brain.
In
her book The Incredible Machine, the
evolutionist Susan Schiefbein compares the venous system to a computer:
The heart and blood vessels do more than
speed or slow our blood flow to meet the body’s needs. They carry the scarlet
stream to different tissues under differing pressures to fuel different
actions. Blood rushes to the stomach when we eat, to the lungs and muscles when
we swim, to the brain when we read. To satisfy these changing metabolic needs,
the cardiovascular system integrates information as well as any computer, then
responds as no computer can.27
This
system, comparable to computer circuitry, without doubt came into being as the
result of Allah’s creation, rather than by chance, as evolutionists would have
us believe.
Inter-Related
Miracles
Allah
has created humans with such great artistry that every system in your body is
connected to others. Any flaw in the functioning of one system causes a fault
in the working of another. To understand this more clearly, examine the
relationship between the circulatory and other systems.
Nutrients
assimilated through digestion are carried to the cells of the body by the
circulatory system. Therefore, the digestive and circulatory systems must have
been created at the same time.
Chemical
signals produced by the hormonal glands are carried to the relevant organs by
the circulatory system. Therefore, the circulatory and hormonal systems must
have been created at the same time.
Carbon
dioxide in the blood is eliminated by the respiratory system. Therefore, the
circulatory and respiratory systems must have been created at the same time.
Blood
must constantly be cleansed in the kidneys, so the circulatory and excretory
systems must have been created at the same time.
Blood
cannot move through the veins unless the skeletal muscles contract, and so the
circulatory and skeletal systems must have been created at the same time.
Blood
cells are created in the bone marrow, so the circulatory and skeletal systems
must have been created at the same time.
These
examples refer only to the effects of other systems on circulation. A great
number of similar examples could be cited. And another point not to be
forgotten is that the circulatory system nourishes the organs in all the other
systems. The tongue, saliva glands, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver and
other organs, which are all part of the digestive system—all are nourished by
blood vessels. To give some further examples:
The
hormone glands in the endocrine system.
Organs
of the excretory system, the kidneys for example.
Components
of the respiratory system, such as the lungs.
The
muscles that constitute the smooth and voluntary muscular systems, and the
bones constituting the skeletal system.
None
of the organs in the body could survive in the absence of the circulatory
system. All these connections and inter-connected systems, taken together, are
some of the strongest proofs invalidating the theory of evolution. There is
flawless harmony and cooperation among the systems within the human body. In
order for them to serve any purpose at all, they all must have been present at
the exact same time.
This leads us back to the same truth.
All the features of the human body were created by Allah in a single moment.
THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
We ourselves
provide the substances necessary for the vital functions in our bodies to
continue—in other words, for the functioning of our organs and for the renewal
of our cells—from what we eat and drink. However, the meat, bread, fruit or
vegetables we consume all has to undergo radical changes, in other words to be
digested, in order to be broken down into substances in a form that our bodies
can use.
It is
the digestion of food that allows a newborn baby weighing between 2 and 3
kilograms (4.5 to 6.5 pounds) to grow into a 1.80-meter (5.9-foot) , 75 to -80
kilogram (165-to 175-pound) adult 20 to 25 years later. The source of this
impressive difference in volume is the way in which substances in the food
eaten by the child gradually become assimilated by the body. Some of these nutrients
provide the necessary energy for living, and others are added to the body and
in the form of flesh and bone. Those parts that serve no purpose are expelled
from the body.
The
digestive system contains the best refinery in the world. The substances taken
in by this refining system are first broken down into their raw materials, then
sent to be used by the necessary regions of the body. Since the materials, once
broken down, are very different from one another, the new substances that
emerge are also entirely different.
One
can compare the workings of the digestive system to that of an oil refinery.
The crude oil that enters a refinery as a raw material is subjected to a number
of processes and gradually broken down, as a result of which quite different
products are obtained. As the outcome of these complex processes in the
refinery is produced, the gasoline that fuels your car, the basic material of
the asphalt you walk on and the plastic containers you use. Similarly, very
different substances emerge as a result of digestion. However, the biochemical
events that take place in your stomach and intestines are far more complex than
those in an oil refinery, and come about thanks to a far superior working
system. In addition, these events take place not in an industrial refinery
equipped with all the latest technology, but in your own body. The food you eat
at breakfast is subjected to thousands of chemical processes, without you ever
being aware of them while you go about your daily life, attend class in school
or walk along the street.
For
these chemical processes to take place, a long “conveyor belt” is needed.
Special refinery systems need to be located at every point in this channel so
that the materials in it can be subjected to change. The channel in question
needs to be at least 8 to 10 meters (26 to 33 feet) long.
However,
the human body is only an average of 1.70 to 1.80 meters (5.5 to 6 feet) in
height. That means that a canal 10 meters (32.8 feet) long needs to be squeezed
into a body that is five times shorter than it. This requires a very inventive
industrial design. Indeed, the human body has been created with just such a
characteristic. The alimentary canal in question (mouth, esophagus, stomach,
small and large intestines) has been situated within the human body in line
with a very special arrangement, under which a 10 meter (32.8 feet) canal has
been carefully packaged into a body only 1.70 meters (5.5 feet) long.
After
entering the body, consumed foodstuffs embark on a 10- meter journey through
the digestive system, during which these foods are subjected to a series of
mechanical and chemical processes. As they pass through the five-part, 10-meter
(32.8-foot) canal, they are broken down by means of mechanical processes such
as grinding, kneading and rinsing, and to chemical effects performed by liquids
secreted into the canal by various glands.
Digestion
has begun in the mouth and continues in the stomach and small intestine. In the
small intestine, the useful substances in foods are dissolved for
transportation in the blood vessels.
The
Refinery’s Entrance
As
soon as you place food in your mouth, the digestive system goes into action.
The food is broken down and ground up by the teeth, which have been specially
created with this process in mind. They are covered in the hardest known
natural material—enamel—and are also very resistant to corrosive chemicals.
Every
tooth has a shape appropriate to its function. The front teeth are sharp and
can break loose pieces of food. Canine teeth are pointed, and slice up the
food. The molars have been created to grind the food down. If the teeth in our
mouths were all of the same sort—if we had 32 canine teeth or 32 incisors—we
would find it almost impossible to eat.
Another
example of the creation in the teeth can be seen in their arrangement. Every
tooth is in exactly the right place. Incisors are at the front, where they need
to be, and the molars are in the back—again in just the right position. If they
were to change places, they would become effectively useless.
There
is also complete harmony between the independent upper and lower teeth. The
teeth in both regions have been so created as to sit comfortably against one
another when your jaw is closed. For example, if just one of your molars were
longer than the others or had an excess protrusions, you would be unable to
close your mouth. You would then be unable to fulfill such basic actions as
eating or speaking.
Newborn
babies have no teeth in their mouths. But they have no need of them in their
early days since their first food consists of their mother’s milk. Gradually,
however, as the time comes for them to eat solid foods, various changes take
place in babies’ soft palates. Some cells here suddenly begin storing calcium,
as if they had received a signal. Later, these millions of cells combine
together in complete order and set themselves out, one on top of and side by
side each other, as if they know what they must do. Cells that have stored
excess calcium later die, and these dead cells constitute the body of the
teeth.
After
the millions of cells have stored their calcium, they clump together, side by
side, to form a large block. Again, the cells constituting this block determine
its shape. At this point, another great miracle of creation can be perceived.
For example, the cells in the bottom jawbone know what kind of shape the cells
far away from them in the upper palate will construct. Both groups of cells
construct their overall blocks in such a manner that they will fit together in
the most ideal way. Thus when the jaw is closed, the molars on top sit squarely
against those on the bottom.
Any
disharmony in this form would cause you great discomfort. However, thanks to
the unbelievable consciousness exhibited by the cells in the palate, the 32
calcium blocks are constructed in the most ideal forms for one another.
Details
such as the resistant structure of teeth, the way they are set out, and how
their shapes and functions complement one another shows the evident creation in
them. There is only one reason for the conscious actions of these cells. Like
all the cells in the body, it is Almighty Allah Who gives to the cells that
comprise the teeth their properties.
Special
Digestive Fluid
As
food is ground up by the teeth, it also undergoes a special chemical attack,
carried out by the saliva.
People
are seldom much aware of this fluid in their daily lives, and people do not
generally consider whether or not it is secreted, nor in what quantities.
Saliva is believed to be a very simple fluid, when in fact it is a most special
compound, containing specific levels of various chemicals.
First
of all, saliva permits you to taste your food. The flavor-giving molecules in
food dissolve in saliva and combine with the taste-receptor nerve endings on
your tongue. Only in this way can you actually taste what you are eating.
That’s also the reason why you cannot taste food when your mouth is dry.
Saliva
is secreted by three different glands, and makes it easier to swallow food by
moistening it, as well as containing chemical substances that dissolve what we
eat into particles of benefit to the body.
In the saliva itself are two different fluids with very different
properties. One thoroughly breaks down carbohydrates and turns them partially
into sugar. For example, if you place a piece of bread—a carbohydrate—in your
mouth and wait for a minute, you will taste the sugar of the broken-down
carbohydrate. The other saliva fluid is very dense. Thanks to this liquid’s
stickiness, the particles of food that spread around the mouth as we chew are
brought together in a kind of paste.
If
saliva were not secreted, our food would be too dry for us to swallow, and we
could neither swallow it, nor speak properly. We would be unable to consume any
solids, and would have to feed ourselves solely on liquids—which would make
life rather difficult.
Our
mouths work just like chemical laboratories in breaking down the starch in what
we eat. The enzyme known as ptyalin in saliva is especially produced for this
purpose, to break down the starch and turn it into sugar.
The
digestion taking place in the mouth is not only chemical. Mechanical digestion
is also performed by the teeth. These two forms of digestion complement each
other.
The
Role of the Tongue in Digestion
In mechanical
digestion, the tongue plays an important role. It possesses a very sensitive
sense of taste, and also directs food in the mouth, enabling it to be chewed
and swallowed easily.
On
the surface and sides of the tongue are some 10,000 or so taste buds, which are
sensitive to four different tastes: hot, sweet, salty and bitter. 28
These taste buds allow you to distinguish the flavors of the dozens of
different foods you consume every day. They work so well that the tongue can
also distinguish the tastes of foods it has never encountered before. That is
why a watermelon never tastes bitter to us in the way a grapefruit does, and
why a piece of cake never tastes salty. In addition, the taste buds in billions
of different people perceive the flavors of food in exactly the same way. The
concepts of sweet, salty and bitter are the same for everyone. Scientists
describe the tongue’s ability as “extraordinary chemical technology.”
But
what would happen if there were fewer taste buds on your tongue?
For
one thing, you would be unable to taste what you were eating. You would be
oblivious to the taste of puddings, roast meats or bread. Whatever you ate
would all taste the same. Dining would cease being a pleasurable blessing and
would instead become a chore you had to perform several times every day. Yet
that does not happen, and thanks to your taste buds, you can distinguish the
flavors of everything you eat, which allows you to enjoy your food.
The
Esophagus
In
the second stage of the digestive process, food passes through the throat to
the stomach, where major digestion will begin. No digestive process takes place
during food’s passage down the esophagus. After you swallow, the flat muscles
behind the neck push the food into the esophagus. Food is passed down by
gravity, as well as of the rhythmic contraction of the esophagus, known as
peristalsis. These muscular contractions are so powerful that they enable food
to be propelled sideways even if you are lying down. 29 It takes a mere 12 seconds for food to pass through
the 25-centimeter (10-inch) long esophagus.
People
can use their mouths both for eating and for breathing, because immediately
next to the esophagus, down which the food passes, is another tube through
which the lungs inhale air. One vital point to be borne in mind here is that if
chewed food entered the windpipe instead of the esophagus, you would choke to
death. If a piece of food were mistakenly to enter the windpipe, swift death or
serious infection would be the consequence. Nor is it any solution for the
windpipe to be constantly kept closed. The most rational and practical solution
is for the windpipe to feature a valve that can open and close. And so, even
when not eating, however, people actually swallow hundreds of times every
day—when they swallow saliva, for example.
As
already stated, the human body’s creation is perfect, and the windpipe
possesses a most reliable security system. A valve consisting of a small piece
of tissue at the top of the windpipe automatically closes as you swallow,
preventing any food or drink from entering the windpipe. After an act of
swallowing has taken place, the valve opens in its former position, and air can
once again be inhaled through the windpipe.
As
people eat in their daily lives, nobody is aware of this potential danger. No
one ever thinks, “What if what I swallow goes down the wrong way? I wish I had
a valve in my windpipe so my food would never get stuck in it.” Neither do
people often wonder, “Is that valve working and able to stop me from choking?”
In all probability, you were unaware of the importance of the valve in your
throat until you read these very lines! However, that valve’s existence keeps
you alive at all times, even as you swallowed unconsciously, just a few seconds
ago.
This
valve’s evident feature contains a great many details. For example, were a
normal adult’s valve the same as a baby’s, that baby would be in serious
danger. For that reason, babies’ valves function in a very different way. Their
little valve is located higher up in the throat than it is in adults, allowing
babies to breathe as they drink their mothers’ milk. That is also why babies do
not cry and choke as they nurse. If the valve system in babies were the same as
that in adults, then babies might choke unless they held their breath.
However,
this same need has existed in every baby who ever lived, and exists in every
baby alive today—and is met in the most ideal manner. Apart from those
suffering from a specific disorder, everyone was endowed with just the kind of
valve they required in infancy. In the same way, when these people become
youngsters, the structure of that valve again changes to respond to their
different nutritional needs.
THE DETAILED CREATION
IN THE STOMACH
Every
phase of the stomach’s very detailed creation is directed towards a particular
end. Food enters the stomach through a narrow entrance known as the cardia. The
muscles in this gap joining the esophagus to the stomach function as a kind of
valve, preventing half-digested food from returning to the esophagus. Food then
moves to the spherically-shaped top of the stomach and mixes with the stomach
acid there, before taking a sudden turn to enter the stomach’s widest part,
known as the body.
In
this area, which is shorter than the upright part above it, the stomach narrows
once again and opens onto the 12 finger intestine through a passage known as
the pylorus, or stomach gatekeeper. This passage at the bottom of the stomach
also serves as a kind of valve, ensuring that semi-digested food leaves the
stomach and moves on to the intestines. The rhythmic wave motion of the
powerful stomach muscles, sited in three layers, ensures that food moves
correctly from the mouth of the stomach to the pylorus. At the same time, this
wave motion helps rinse the food, grinds it into smaller particles and
eventually turns it into the semi-liquid mixture known as chyme. The necessity
of these detailed processes will become clear in the later stages of the
digestive process.
Powerful
Stomach Acids Can Digest Even Razor Blades—
How
Are They Neutralized?
The
digestive system in the stomach is very different from that in the mouth. As
soon as food descends from the esophagus, cells on the stomach’s inner surface
begin secreting a powerful substance known as gastric acid. Together with this
substance, fluids known as pepsin and hydrochloric acid (or HCl) are also
secreted, powerful enough to be able to dissolve a razor blade. But their
presence is essential if such hard-to-digest substances as protein are to be
assimilated. But the stomach itself consists of proteins. How is it that this
powerful acid does not damage the stomach itself?
This
is one of the countless examples of the creation in the human body. The stomach
does not actually digest itself, because there are cells within the deep
troughs in the stomach’s rough wall that possess very different properties.
Maintaining a very delicate balance, some cells in the stomach secrete HCl
acid, while others next to them give off a sticky fluid known as mucus, which
lines the stomach wall and shields it from the acid, preventing acids and
enzymes from harming the stomach’s cells. Mucus also prevents ingested viruses
and other micro-organisms—which cause infections—from entering the cells, and
also lubricates the passage of food through the alimentary canal.
But
how do all these processes take place? How does this protective environment
form within the stomach? Could the stomach cells decide on their own to produce
these substances, or discovered or learned the formula for this protective
mucus coating?
For
cells to be able to do such a thing and for the production of the necessary
substances for digestion, a number of cells must first become aware that food
needs to be digested. Those same cells must also know that a substance like
acid is needed for digestion to occur. Then those cells must discover the
formula for HCl, the most suitable acid, and begin producing it. At the same
time, for the production of the protective coating, various other cells need to
establish that this acid—so powerful that one drop of it can burn a hole in a
carpet—could harm them and then analyze the acid and develop a formula to
neutralize it. Any error in that formula would doom the stomach to being
dissolved by its own acid.
Of
course, the emergence of mutually complementary substances in the stomach is by
no means as simple as this summary may suggest. The determination of the
formulae alone is a major phenomenon, and it’s quite impossible for any cell to
arrive at a chemical formula and then use it to generate a substance. A cell
consisting of unconscious atoms does not possess the necessary intellectual
capability.
Even
if we transgressed the bounds of logic and assumed that human stomach acid did
actually come into existence this way, still we could not expect the
complementary protective substance to emerge over the course of time. It is out
of the question for acids strong enough to dissolve razor to remain for as long
as the 2 to 3 days they would take to destroy the stomach itself, let alone for
millions of years.
Bearing
all this in mind, we are confronted by one evident truth. The co-existence of
hydrochloric acid, together with the mucus that protects the stomach from it,
is one of the countless instances of the order in Allah’s creation. Allah has
created the human body as a whole, using a flawless creation.
The
Fluid That Turns into
Acid
through Digestion
This
is by no means the only example of planning in the way the stomach works. As
you have seen, the system in the human body is so perfect that precautions have
been taken, right from the outset, to meet every possible eventuality. For
example, the presence of digestive acids in an empty stomach, no matter how
much the mucus protects it, will shortly have a damaging effect. That is why no
digestive acid is secreted when the stomach is empty, thus removing any danger.
Present in the empty stomach is an enzyme called pepsinogen, which has no
digestive properties. When food arrives in the stomach, however, the stomach
cells begin secreting their HCl, which immediately alters the structure of the
pepsinogen in the empty stomach, turning it into the very powerful
fragmentation enzyme pepsin. This immediately breaks down the foods in the
stomach. 30
A
little thought will show that any liquid that is harmless as long as the
stomach is empty but turns into a powerful fragmenter when the stomach fills
could not have emerged by means of unconscious coincidences. It is absolutely
impossible for one substance to turn into another by chance, especially by
adopting the correct formula on each occasion—let alone for this process to
take place in human beings before every meal. This leaves the possibility of
chance entirely out of the question.
Clearly,
some force knows when the stomach cells are to secrete which substance, permits
the cells to act appropriately, and regulates the timing of HCl acid secretion.
This force that reigns in the human body is Allah, the Creator of the entire
universe, all the living things in the universe, and human beings.
Your
Stomach’s Special
Suspension
System
After
eating, you experience a feeling of fullness, even of heaviness. But apart from
that, you may well be unaware of the considerable activity that’s happening in
your stomach. Your stomach constantly twists from right to left and up and
down, in the effort to digest food better. Thanks to your stomach’s special
suspension system, however, you remain unaware of these movements.
The
stomach muscles are arranged in three separate directions. This allows the stomach
to move easily from right to left, up and down, and diagonally, permitting food
to make better contact with the stomach fluids. However, movements of this kind
always bring with them a drawback: friction.
The
stomach is located next to the intestines. Its constant movement means that it
rubs against the intestines, which could give rise to serious health problems.
A
precaution against this danger has been taken, of course. The stomach’s
outermost surface is covered with a membrane called the peritoneum, which
secretes a slippery liquid that lubricates the stomach and intestines
externally, thus preventing these organs from abrading each other and being
damaged by friction. 31
Blood
Formation and the Stomach
One
unexpected feature of the stomach mucus is that it contributes to the structure
of the blood. Stomach mucus does not itself produce blood, but it does,
however, contribute important assistance to bone marrow, which produces red
blood cells. It permits Vitamin B12, which is of great importance to the body,
to reach the bone marrow. When you examine the journey undertaken by Vitamin
B12 en route to the bone marrow, and the role of stomach mucus in that journey,
a great miracle appears on the microscopic level.
After
entering the human body, Vitamin B12 travels along the digestive system and
subsequently passes from the small intestine to the bloodstream, and finally
reaches the bone marrow.
The
assimilation of Vitamin B12 starts in the small intestine. However, no
digestive cell in the small intestine is capable of adhering to Vitamin B12.
However, in one small region of the small intestine is a group of cells whose
sole function is to do this.32 These cells
devote their whole lives, in a miraculous manner, to trapping Vitamin B12.
These cells are able to distinguish and seize Vitamin B12 from among trillions
of other molecules.
Consider
the miracle that is taking place: The cells that trap the Vitamin B12 must know
its importance for the human body. They have been specially located in a
specific part of the small intestine, in order to fulfill that function.
Although they devote their lives to catching Vitamin B12, the vitamin is
actually of no benefit to them. Having caught the vitamin, they release it back
into the bloodstream and send it somewhere else of which they are unaware.
The
motive displayed by these cells as they trap this vitamin cannot, of course,
have come into being by chance. Clearly this system has been specially created.
When you examine the system in a little more detail, still more astonishing
miracles appear.
The
cells in the small intestine are unable to recognize Vitamin B12 in its raw
state. In order for these cells to identify and trap Vitamin B12 molecules,
they need to be indicated by another special molecule. This requirement has of
course been considered, and a system has been installed allowing Vitamin B12 to
be “marked” before reaching the small intestine.
While
the Vitamin B12 is still in the stomach, the cells produce a special molecule
for it in the form of an ID card that the Vitamin B12 molecule will need on the
following stages of its journey. This identity card sticks tightly to the
Vitamin B12 as it continues on its way, eventually arriving at the small
intestine.
As
you have seen, a small group of cells in the small intestine, responsible
solely for finding Vitamin B12, will allow it to travel through the
bloodstream. Yet these cells will be unable to recognize Vitamin B12 in its
natural state, which is when the identity card comes to the vitamin’s assistance.
Thanks to this ID card, the nerve cells recognize Vitamin B12 from among
trillions of molecules. Subsequently, they permit the Vitamin B12 to enter the
bloodstream. In this way the B12 reaches the bone marrow through the blood.
As
you see, the stomach cells know the importance of Vitamin B12 for the human
body. Moreover, these cells know that cells in the intestine will need a
special marker to recognize Vitamin B12, and duly produce that identifying
molecule. Then the intestine cells—devoid of eyes, hands or brain—recognize
this marker and trap the Vitamin B12.
Don’t
forget, the Vitamin B12 assimilated as a result of all these events is of no
use to cells in either the stomach or the intestine. This vitamin is used far
distant, in the bone marrow, thanks to which, red blood cells can be produced
in the body, and human life is able to continue.
Just
the details of journey undertaken by this vitamin are sufficient to demonstrate
the perfection of the systems within the human body.
No
doubt, the consciousness and flawless functioning exhibited during these
processes cannot be performed by the cells in question. When all is said and
done, cells are only structures formed by assemblages of unconscious molecules.
It is utterly meaningless to search in the cell for consciousness, free will or
power. The evident truth is that the stomach cells, together with the
mechanisms that give rise to blood production, were created by the same
creator—Allah—and that they fulfill their functions through His inspiration.
Allah, there is no deity but Him, the
Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep.
Everything in the heavens and the Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with
Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind
them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His
Footstool encompasses the heavens and the Earth and their preservation does not
tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent.
(Surat al-Baqara: 255)
Digestion
Continues
Food
in the stomach, now turned into a gelatinous paste, is forwarded from the
duodenum through a one-way valve to the small intestine, an organ only 3
centimeters (1.18 inches) in diameter but more than 7 meters (23 feet) long.
This 7-meter (23-foot) tube has been folded, squeezed and packaged into the
abdomen of every human being. The miracle is not limited to this packaging,
however. Vital phenomena take place inside this narrow enclosure.
Although
a large part of the food is broken down in the stomach, some of it remains in
the stomach, not broken down into its smallest components. These
still-undigested foods that leave the stomach also reach the small intestine
shortly afterwards. For example, fats are hard to digest, being very large
molecules and indissoluble in water. For that reason, fat digestion occurs not
in the stomach, but in the small intestine.
At
this point, the pancreas and the liver go into action. These two organs send a
special fluid into the small intestine, with the help of a channel or duct.
The
liver is apparently aware that the stomach cannot break down fats. At the same
time, it possesses the chemical formula for a special compound. As soon as
fatty foods reach the small intestine, the liver releases the liquid it has
prepared and stored, at exactly the right time and place.
The
function of this secretion, known as bile, is not limited to breaking down
fats. It also helps with the absorption of fats broken down by the small
intestine. In addition, it contains special chemical compounds that permit the
intestines to absorb vitamins, and is also an antiseptic that kills harmful
bacteria remaining in the intestine.
Gall
subjects the fats in foodstuffs reaching the small intestine to a preliminary
process that will increase the effect of the pancreatic secretion. The various
enzymes contained in pancreatic fluid assist not only in the digestion of fats,
but also of starch and proteins. There are also large numbers of glands in the
mucosa covering the wall of the small intestine that secrete various enzymes
that play an important role in the digestion of foods sufficiently broken down.
Most of the food in the small intestine gets broken down some 3 to 5 hours
after eating. In this way, carbohydrates are reduced to simple sugars, proteins
into amino acids, and fats into glycerol and fatty acids, ready for
assimilation. The cells in the small intestine absorb these molecules and then
release these nutrients into the bloodstream.
When
the foodstuff is ready to leave the small intestine, no nutrients remain apart
from water and certain vitamins.
THE LAST STAGE IN DIGESTION:
THE INTESTINES
Deadly
Acid Waiting in the Intestines
As
you have seen, digestion takes place by means of acids in the stomach. As a
result, rather powerful acids remain in the paste reaching the intestines from the stomach, and they
might represent a grave danger to the duodenum. Unlike the stomach, the
duodenum has no special mucus layer to protect it.
Why,
therefore, is the duodenum not damaged by this acid?
To
find the answer to this question, we encounter astonishing digestive processes
taking place within the body.
When
the acid reaching the duodenum from the stomach reaches a dangerous level,
cells on the duodenum’s wall start secreting a hormone called secretin. There are several aspects of
this process. First, secretin exists
in the intestinal walls in the form of pro-secretin.
Under the effect of the digested food, this hormone turns into secretin, a separate substance that
eliminates the harmful effects of the acidic secretions by stimulating the
pancreas. 33
Like
most other hormones, secretin reaches the pancreas by way of the bloodstream
and calls on the pancreas for help in secreting enzymes. Realizing that the
duodenum is endangered, the pancreas sends bicarbonate molecules to that
region, neutralizing the stomach acid and protecting the duodenum.
How
did these processes, so vital to human life, come about? Intestinal cells know
that the substance they need can be found in the pancreas. They know how to eliminate
the effects of stomach acid by disrupting its chemical formula. They know the
substance’s formula by stimulating the pancreas, and the pancreas understands
the message from the duodenum and starts enzyme secretion. All these are all
matters worth considering.
In
reference to the intestinal cells, such terms as “know” and “be aware” are used
here to emphasize the miraculous aspect of the processes taking place in the
body. Otherwise, as every rational person can realize, a cell can’t possibly
think, possess free will and take decisions, be aware of another organ’s
features, and to determine formulae.
The
way that cells, with no brain or consciousness labor in the dark innards of the
body is the result of Allah’s superior creation. It is Allah, with His
matchless knowledge, Who creates cells and the characteristics they possess.
Such features created by Allah in the human body reveal the limitless nature of
His might.
The
Final Stage in the Digestive Process
The
digestion of food is completed in the small intestine. But the final stage is
the absorption of digestion’s products so they can be sent to where they’re
needed in the body. Absorption in the mouth and stomach is minimal; absorption
occurs wholly in the intestines, to which the structure of the small intestine
is entirely suited.
The
interior surface of the small intestine is very rough and wrinkled, with
microscopic pumps on these wrinkles and protrusions. These pumps are actually
absorber cells that trap nutrients the body needs and pump them out to the
blood capillaries to which they are joined. These tiny pumps know exactly what
our bodies need: broken-down sugar to be used in our brain cells, and amino
acid to be used in our muscles. These minute pumps display reason in finding
and trapping the nutrients we need. Even as you read these words, millions of
these pumps are sending the necessary nutrients to the relevant locations that
enable you to do so.
Thanks
to the wrinkles and tiny pumps in the intestines, the small intestine in an
adult actually occupies a rather large surface area—around 300 square meters
(358 square yards), or the approximate equivalent of two tennis courts. 34
In
this wide area, the absorption of nutrients takes place. Food is first broken
down and turned into a paste, which is then spread out over the interior of the
intestine in a thin layer, so that the cells can easily absorb all the
nutrients in food.
One
of the small intestine’s special features is its ability to absorb just enough
of certain needed substances. For example, too much iron can harm the body.
Iron reaching the intestines above a particular level is excreted without being
digested. Were this not to happen, the result would be serious illnesses.
In
addition, as mentioned earlier, regions in a very special part of the small
intestine are composed of cells prepared to absorb Vitamin B12. People who have
this area of their intestines surgically removed must receive additional
vitamin supplements, or they will die.
The
selectivity of cells in the intestines needs consideration, to better
comprehend the greatness of Allah. The intestines are in lightless area of
human body, with neither the intelligence nor the information to distinguish
between substances. Even so, they can distinguish beneficial substances from
harmful ones, and expel unnecessary matter from the body.
It is
just about impossible for people to distinguish between chemical substances,
mineral salts or powder metals placed before them. Someone without the relevant
training cannot tell aluminum from zinc simply by their appearance. It is
impossible for that person to determine which substances will be beneficial or
harmful, or in what quantities they are currently present in the body. Although
a human cannot tell the difference between these substances, the cells in his
intestines have no difficulty in doing so.
As
you have seen, it is not enough to possess reason and consciousness to be able
to identify a particular substance. One also needs detailed information. So how
did the intestinal cells come by this knowledge? How do these cells know what
the trillions of cells in the body have too much and too little of? And how do
they rectify any problems along these lines?
Cells
consisting of combinations of atoms cannot possibly be imagined to have any
will of their own. Evidently, this information has been placed inside the
cells, and clearly, such a magnificent process cannot occur under the influence
of chance or any other such factor. This shows the existence of a mighty Entity
Who gives the cells what awareness they possess. That power belongs to Allah,
the Creator of all, Who gives all things their form.
He is the Originator of the heavens and
the Earth. How could He have a son when He has no wife? He created all things
and He has knowledge of all things. That is Allah, your Lord. There is no deity
but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for
everything. (Surat al-An‘am: 101-102)
Bacteria
that Work for You
Most
nutrients are absorbed in the small intestines before reaching the large
intestine. However, some special nutrients are absorbed in the large intestine.
One of the most interesting of them is Vitamin K, which plays an important role
in blood clotting, and whose deficiency can lead to serious consequences, and
even death. However, Vitamin K is not naturally found in the form that the
human body requires. Only if it is refined in a certain way can this vitamin
assume a form that the body can use.
But
human metabolism cannot perform such refining. So how is it that we do not die
from a lack of Vitamin K? What mechanism refines the vitamin into a form that
our bodies can use?
The
answer is quite astonishing. Special bacteria in the intestines subject Vitamin
K to a series of processes and turn it into a form capable of being used by
human beings. The Vitamin K, once synthesized by these bacteria, is absorbed by
the large intestine and then used in the blood-clotting process. 35
The
presence in the intestine of the bacteria that refine Vitamin K is an important
detail. Tiny bacteria are in exactly the right place and possess the genetic
code to perform the refinery process, yet people are unaware of the name, and
even of the existence, of bacteria so essential to their survival. No
coincidences can ever produce a bacterium, install it in the human intestines,
or enable this bacterium’s genetic code to perform beneficial processes for the
body as a whole.
This
information is most astonishing—and most important. No doubt, it leads us to a
Creator Who plans and regulates all. That creator is Allah, Who has planned
everything down to the finest detail. Like all living things on Earth, human
beings stand in need of Him; they were brought into being and exist by His
will. Allah Himself has no need of anything. In one verse it is revealed that:
Say: “Can any of your partner-deities
guide to the truth?” Say: “Allah guides to the truth. Who has more right to be
followed—He Who guides to the truth, or he who cannot guide unless he is
guided? What is the matter with you? How do you reach your judgment?” (Surah
Yunus: 35)
THE INDEPENDENT FACTORY
IN OUR BODIES: THE LIVER
In
recent years, computer engineers have begun using the liver as a model, mainly
because of the way the liver successfully performs many very complex functions
at the same time. The liver serves around 500 functions related to the general
running of the human body. 36
The
liver ensures that all the food you eat is brought into a form that your body can use. In doing so, it breaks
down the complex molecules arriving in the blood from the digestive system into
molecules that can be used or stored. It subsequently sends the useful ones on
to other cells, by way of the bloodstream. But harmful ones, those it subjects
to a number of processes and sends them to the kidneys, where they are filtered
and expelled from the body in the form of urine. The way that a 1.5- to
2-kilogram (3.3- to 4.5-pound) organ can take up all nutrients by way of the
blood, process and expose them to various chemical reactions, and turn them
into useful building blocks of benefit to other cells, is a miracle all by
itself.
Since
the liver’s fundamental duty is to process the nutrients it receives by way of
the blood, its structure must be appropriate to storing blood. Indeed, the
liver has a spongy structure. In the human body, a total of 800 to 900 grams
(1.7 to 2 pounds) of blood is in a state of absorption by the liver at all
times. The special location of such a heavy organ has been determined in such a
way as not to damage the other organs and for it to still perform all its
functions.
The
Control System in the Liver
The
liver’s operations may be compared to the workings of a port. In the same way
that cargoes from different regions are collected at one spot and then
forwarded on to other regions, substances necessary for the body are collected
in the liver, and forwarded from there according to the body’s requirements.
For
blood loaded with raw materials to reach the liver depends on the blood vessels
passing through the digestive tract and the heart. The veins connect organs
together for specific purposes. In other words, it is impossible to find in any
organ a vessel whose purpose is uncertain or which has no function. The veins
that reach the liver are responsible for carrying blood in the right quantities
and in the shortest time possible. Oxygenated blood from the heart’s left
ventricle reaches the liver through the kidney arteries. Every artery in the
body is directed towards the liver, as if they knew that blood had to reach it.
The
blood coursing through our bodies that meets the needs of all our cells must be
carefully inspected before reaching its destination, and any deficiencies have
to be identified and corrected. The liver cells now enter the equation. Blood
from the stomach, intestines and spleen is sent directly to the liver, where it
will be refined. It’s as if these organs, realizing the importance of the
liver, had taken a joint decision to carry out their share of the job, and
fulfill their responsibilities to it.
If
blood from the stomach, intestines or spleen went directly to the heart to be
spread to the body’s cells, that would mean that substances that were not yet
ready to use—or even harmful and poisonous—, would be distributed. That would
constitute a life-threatening danger.
Liver
cells do not produce blood, which reaches liver cells from the outside. Despite
blood being a foreign substance to them, the liver is well acquainted with its
structure. Each liver cell knows just what blood should contain. If any
substances are missing from the blood, it supplies them. If there are excess
quantities of any substances in the blood, it stores them. In short, the liver
cells possess an expertise that lets them fulfill their functions to the
letter.
In
contrast to other organs, the liver receives blood from two different sources.
The first is the connection that carries oxygen-rich blood from the arteries of
the heart. The second is the arteries carrying nutrients from the stomach and
intestines. These two sources reach the liver tissues separately and divide
into sinuses inside it. After processing by the liver cells, the blood comes
together and is released in a single vein.
With
all processes completed, the blood leaving the liver returns to the right-hand
chambers of the heart and is pumped to the lungs, for dissemination to the
body. As you’ve seen, the venous network among the organs and the order in
which the blood needs to flow to various organs have been set out according to
a specific plan, and the circulatory system has been constructed in light of
that.
The
Liver’s Special Structure
The
tiny blood vessels tirelessly carry the blood, of such great importance for our
survival, to the very furthest corners of our bodies. The walls of the
capillary vessels, which become increasingly thin as they enter the depths of
the tissues, are much thinner than those of the arteries and veins. Thanks to
their porous structures, there is a constant exchange between the tissues and
the blood of respiratory gasses, water, various minerals, salts, nutrients,
wastes, hormones and antibodies.
In
contrast to other blood vessels, the walls of the capillaries in the liver lack
a protective basal layer. Actually, “lack” may not be the right word here,
since the absence is deliberate. While there is a basal layer in the other
organs, thanks to its absence in the liver’s blood vessels, blood coming from
the capillary veins is immediately soaked up by the liver cells, processed and
sent to the body quickly and effectively. Thanks to this structure so well
adapted to its functions, the liver is easily able to take blood into its
spongy tissues, process it, release many
proteins into the blood plasma, as well as taking in and eliminating old erythrocytes
traveling through the bloodstream that have completed their life spans.
As
another example to underscore the importance of this basal layer structure in
blood vessels: It is easier for water to filter down through soft soil than
through hard clay. Farmers frequently hoe their fields in order to increase the
porosity of the soil for growing crops. Plants in soil that is not hoed enjoy
only a limited benefit from rainwater. For minerals and water to reach their
roots, the soil needs to have a porous structure. Thinking of the liver in the same
terms, the blood vessels in the liver have no basal layer or “clay” and can
thus transmit blood to the cells much faster.
Pools
in the Liver:
The
Sinuses
It is
thought that more than 2 million sinuses in the form of fine cracks are found
in the liver’s complex vascular structure. Their duty is to host the blood
arriving from the outside and to play a role in processing it.
The
diameter of a sinus is so minute that erythrocytes can pass through one only by
squeezing themselves. Such a delicate and fine structure functions throughout a
person’s life, without ever being punctured or damaged. The reason why the
sinuses have such a delicate structure is most amazing.
For
the liver to successfully synthesize or expel substances reaching it from the
bloodstream, it’s essential that these substances reach the hepatocyte liver
cells. Sinuses undertake this responsibility, and work expertly in the liver
tissue through which they spread like tunnels. The carefully determined
diameters of the sinuses, the wall structures and connections with other
vessels are ideally suited to the work they perform. The open structures known
as fenestrae (the Latin word for “windows”) in the walls of the liver sinuses
allow particles in the blood less than 1/10,000 of a millimeter in size to
reach the liver cells, while preventing larger ones from doing so. Were the
sinuses any wider, then larger molecules could easily reach the liver cells and
damage them.
Different
Cell Structures in the Liver
There
are two kinds of cell in the liver: epithelial cells and connective tissue
cells. They fulfill their responsibilities with great discipline, never
confusing or shirking their duties, because any problem that might halt this
disciplined working system would mean death.
For
example, if the liver cells stopped storing glucose, cells would be unable to
function through loss of energy even though foodstuffs entered the body, and
the brain cells could not work, leading to death or permanent disability.
Yet
such a thing never happens. The cells carry out all the needed production, in
the exact manner required. Every liver cell has been created in line with a
particular purpose.
The
liver is covered in a transparent connective tissue or membrane known as
Glisson’s capsule, which serves a very important purpose. If we compare the
liver’s structure to a sponge full of liquid, this membrane resembles a bag
around that sponge, ensuring that compounds do not leak out from the
liquid-filled liver. Thanks to this connective tissue, the liver maintains its
structure and keeps its contents, and also keeps separate from other organs.
The
connective tissue cells cover and protect the liver, but the liver cells 1
millimeter (0.04 inch) underneath have very different duties. It’s astonishing
that cells so close to one another should perform such different functions.
During embryonic development in the womb, some cells turn into those that will
constitute the liver, and other cells immediately nearby turn into transparent
cells that subsequently combine together and form a membrane entirely enfolding
the liver, preventing any fluid from leaking out. Two different groups of cells
have emerged, contiguous but very different in terms of their tasks and
appearance. There is a definite borderline between these two cell groups. Each
cell was born knowing its duty and responsibility and where it had to be. While
the body is still growing in the womb, it is constructed in a precisely ordered
form.
The
liver cells’ physical structures have been separately and specially created
according to their location and what function they will undertake. For example, the walls of the cells touching
the membrane surrounding the liver are all flat, because there is no exchange
of substances between the liver cells and the membrane.
In
regions where there is a heavy exchange among cells, the situation is
different. On the walls of these cells, minute protrusions called microvilli stretch out towards the
neighboring cells, permitting greater contact between the cells and the blood fluid,
so that substances can be exchanged more easily. Enzymes that speed up and halt
chemical reactions have also been located in regions containing these
protrusions, and all the means necessary for substance exchange are in place.
That
the liver’s cells possess the ideal physical and chemical properties for their
functions and location shows that every detail in this organ has been set out
in line with a specific plan:
Everyone in the heavens and Earth
belongs to Him. All are submissive to Him. (Surat ar-Rum: 26)
The
Liver’s Canal System
The
liver possesses a special transportation system containing millions of
channels. The two main veins carrying blood to the liver, once inside it,
divide into millions of tiny capillaries. Moreover, inside the liver there are
also channels that carry gall bladder secretions and are laid out parallel to
the blood vessels. What is the significance of these millions of micro-channels
in a piece of tissue weighing between 1.5 and 2 kilograms (3 to 4.5 pounds)?
This
channel system is a specially built marvel of creation whose importance can be
better understood when you recall the functions of the liver cells, the amount
of blood reaching the organ and the liver’s general function.
The
liver refines molecules in the blood, turns them into other substances and when
necessary, stores them. All these processes are carried out by millions of tiny
chemical laboratories—the liver cells—and a special connection needs to be
provided for each cell, and molecules about to be refined need to be carried
right up to it by the blood. This channel system possesses the ideal creation
for meeting this need. The millions of micro-channels inside the liver have
been constructed in such a way as to never conflict with one another or to disrupt
each other’s functions. The transportation of the raw materials to be processed
and of substances in the liver produces takes place along these channels.
To
better comprehend the flawless nature of this creation consider the following
example:
Imagine
you have paid a short visit to one of the most developed and best planned
cities in the world, and have investigated that city. Its infrastructure is
flawless. With regard to transportation in particular, every possible measure
has been taken and a great many facilities have been laid on for its
inhabitants. A large metro system is built under the city’s surface, connecting
all the regions of the city to one another. The metro network is hundreds of
kilometers long, with stations all along that length.
Perfect
urban planning has also been carried out on the surface. Thanks to the city’s
large number of rationally planned main roads and highways, traffic never
becomes congested, no matter how busy the city, and there is never any
transportation delay. At the same time, the roads’ superstructure has also been
flawlessly planned. Roundabouts and signal lights direct the flow of traffic,
and signposts along the roads make things easier for out-of-town drivers.
This
advanced city is an important commercial and industrial center. Its roads are
used at all hours for the transport of commercial and industrial goods.
How
would you react if someone told you that the city had never been planned at
all, that it was not deliberately built, and that its roads, and industrial and
commercial centers all came into being through chance and by themselves?
Rather
than wondering whether that person’s words were true, you would wonder whether
the individual was sane.
When
the urban planning cited in this analogy is compared to the channel system
inside the liver, the former is much simpler than the latter. Every pulmonary
channel has been opened for a specific purpose, to fulfill a specific function.
The molecules produced or processed in the liver move through these channels in
breathtakingly busy traffic, yet without any disruption taking place. The
channels are surrounded by cells that engage in production, storing and
transformation, carrying out processes far more complex than those in any
factory or industrial center, and continue production around the clock. A
highly efficient transportation network has been provided for an
extraordinarily productive industrial and commercial zone. Quite clearly, any
such well-planned system must have been created.
Great
planning can be seen in every feature of the human body, not solely in the
liver. Molecules invisible to the naked eye travel through painstakingly
constructed channels to reach their required destinations. The continuity of
this transportation is of the greatest importance to human life.
Scientists
and doctors have spent years researching and investigating the organ in which
these molecules will be stored, the level at which they will be present in the
blood, and whether or not they will be expelled from the body. Indeed, the branch of science known as
molecular biology makes a special study of the behavior and function of
molecules it has identified in the body. The information obtained so far,
however, can account for only a small part of the body’s functioning. Trained minds
are investigating these bodily systems using the very latest technology, but
still failing to fully understand them. It’s impossible for these systems to
have come into being by themselves. Claims that base their coming into being by
chance are quite laughable.
Nobody
would claim that a road interchange made of asphalt came into being by itself.
That being so, it is utterly illogical to believe that a flawless planning
system composed of such delicate substances as flesh and blood, thousands of
kilometers long, was created by chance.
Allah
created all this flawless system. Everything happens as He so wills it.
Special
Capabilities of the Liver Cells
The
liver is seemingly aware of all the activities taking place in other, different
places in the circulation, digestive and respiratory systems. For example, it
knows beforehand that the fats entering the digestive system will be unable to
be dissolved, and it produces the chemical necessary for those fats to be
broken down and digested in its laboratory.
As
you already know, that substance is bile, or gall. The liver stores this
substance it produces and subsequently, on receipt of a command, sends it to
help digest fatty foods at exactly the right moment.
The
organ that performs all these functions consists solely of flesh and blood.
However, the liver is aware of everything going on in the digestive system and
produces bile as a precautionary measure, meaning that it possesses
considerable foresight.
The
capacities of the liver cells go even further than this. As a result of this
organ’s constant activity, a number of waste products emerge. It’s essential
that these be expelled if the liver is to continue functioning. The Kupffer’s
cells on the sinus surfaces fulfill this role by swallowing and digesting
harmful substances in the blood by the method known as phagocytosis. Danger is
eliminated by these cells carrying out an accurate distinction between useful
and harmful substances. 37
What
if these cells did not identify and eliminate harmful substances in the blood?
Diseases
would constantly break out in the body, and the immune system would be in a
constant state of mobilization, leading us to feel always ill and fatigued. Yet
thanks to this special system in the liver, the body’s enormous army does not
proceed to action stations, while the Kupffer’s cells—which may be compared to
a border police force—eliminate harmful substances.
This
precaution for the benefit of human health is part of Allah’s affection for the
living things He has created. All those who think on this information using
their conscience and reason will reach only one conclusion: Allah is the
Almighty, the Worthy of All Praise.
Multi-Functional
Workers in the Liver
The hepatocytes, or the basic liver cells,
perform a number of functions, including the secretion of bile, cleansing the
toxins from the blood, distinguishing between proteins and carbohydrates and
fats, and producing the particles that are stored in the blood and used for
coagulation. Each of these functions is very important for us to lead healthy
lives. It is thought-provoking, too, that the same liver cells should carry out
so many different processes. Each of these chemical reactions combining
substances such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen requires a separate
expertise. Their being performed by the same cells, requires a system, order
and planning, and the fact that the details are carried out by cells that can
be observed only under an electron microscope is one worthy of deep amazement.
Imagine
that we try to establish a human community that will perform all the processes
our livers carry out for us. We will need to find:
An
expert on the subject of chemical reactions,
A
staff to work in production,
A
space to store the necessary materials,
A way
to dispose of the waste products arising during production, in such a way as
not to harm those working in the factory or to pollute the environment,
To
offer additional services to nearby factories and produce in advance such
materials as they may need,
To
settle disagreements with nearby factories. . .
And a
great deal more.
At
the same time, each of these workers—just like the liver cells—must have
experience in all these areas. They must work non-stop, never feel tired, and
be able to assume single-handed responsibility for everything they do.
As
you might expect, it will be quite impossible to find individuals with all
these characteristics to undertake such a responsibility. Yet millions of
cells, visible only under the microscope, are performing all the tasks just
listed and many more, in a perfectly flawless manner, just under your
diaphragm. Moreover, they are performing these same tasks and in just the same
flawless way in the livers of everyone alive today, and in the livers of
everyone who has ever lived.
This
magnificent intelligence exhibited by trillions of cells, themselves made up of
molecules, is clearly not their own.
Some
Functions of the Liver,
Which
Acts Like a Headquarters
The
liver consumes 12 to 20% of the body’s total energy in performing its various
functions, known to number around 500. Some of the areas in which the liver
acts just like a central headquarters are the following:
It
Regulates the Nutrients
Necessary
for the Cells
The
liver makes the necessary adjustments for each of the 100 trillion or so cells
in our bodies to be able to receive the nutrients they require. In so doing, it
must know just what the cells need. Yet where does this organ, itself made up
of similar cells, collect the requisite information? How does it interpret it,
and how does it arrive at the correct decisions?
It
Takes up the Raw Materials
Necessary
to Produce Nutrients
The
raw materials the liver uses to carry out production are carried in the blood.
In the same way that a factory receives raw materials from various loading
docks and then turns them into very different items, so the liver constantly
synthesizes the raw materials that reach it, stores or uses them, or returns
them to the body in the bloodstream, ready to be disposed of.
It
Stores Materials that the Body Needs
The
liver, comparable to a giant laboratory in which chemical reactions take place,
also ensures the storage of various substances essential for survival, such as
iron, copper, Vitamin A and Vitamin D—and also produces a number of them by
itself. In addition, the liver produces proteins such as heparin, fibrinogen
and prothrombin, responsible for blood coagulation.
It
Produces the Proteins Essential for Life
One
of the liver’s main functions is to synthesize needed proteins. The liver knows
what it has to do without having received any training at all, uses the correct
method to distinguish nitrogen molecules belonging to amino acids given off as
a result of digestion, and produces new proteins by having these substances
react with carbohydrates and fats. It also produces such materials as
carbohydrate by using fats and proteins. From carbohydrate and protein, the
liver is capable of producing fat which it stores to be easily turned into
energy later.
It
Supports the Immune System
As
already pointed out, the liver is an important component of your body’s immune
system. It makes no mistakes in finding harmful substances, neutralizing and
disposing of them.
Special
phagocytes in the liver clean foreign bodies and bacteria from the blood. The
liver also neutralizes the toxic effects of drugs, thus preventing any
poisonous side effects from the medications you take when you are ill. Working
literally like a security system, the liver identifies all the harmful
substances that reach it by way of the bloodstream. Were it not for liver cells
recognizing and taking appropriate measures to deal with harmful substances
that reach the liver through the bloodstream from the stomach or the
intestines, then simple bacteria—or the drugs we take for health purposes—would
leave us suffering one illness after another.
All
these processes, essential to our survival, are carried out non-stop by an
organ weighing only 1.5 to 2 kilograms (3 to 4.5 pounds.) All these processes
are taking place even as you read these words. Even a momentary pause in this
miraculous system would lead you to an incurable illness or even death.
The
liver, which performs all these functions, is itself an organ composed of basic
building blocks such as protein, fat and water.
That it possesses much greater expertise than a human being—who will
learn to perform a few chemical reactions only after years of training—and the
way that every chemical reaction ends successfully, is quite astonishing. Every
liver cell knows which substances will be used in our bodies, as well as the
molecular and chemical structures of these substances. They thus turn the
nutrients they identify into useful substances, but in so doing, they know that
they also need vitamins and enzymes to synthesize protein. They know that iron
constitutes the basis of producing erythrocytes, the fundamental building
blocks of blood, and that the level of sugar in the blood needs to be kept at
an even level!
But
liver cells are unable to perform any of these processes of their own accord.
They cannot learn one single piece of information about the substances in our
bodies. It is our Lord Allah Who inspires the liver cells the knowledge of
which substances are to be processed, which are useful or harmful, and which
need to be stored for later use.
A
Maintenance-Free System
As
already described, the renal artery and the hepatic veins carry blood to the
liver and bifurcate into small branches inside the organ. Some 1.5 liters (0.4
gallons) of blood per minute passes through the liver by means of them. This
means that 90 liters (23.8 gallons) of blood passes through the liver every
hour; and the liver processes 2,160 liters (0.6 gallon) of blood a day.
Moreover, 1.5 tons (1.6 short tons) of protein and 12.5 tons (13.7 short tons)
of carbohydrates enter the liver in an average human lifespan of 70 years.
This
system may be thought of as a giant refinery working non-stop, 24 hours a day,
and functioning with a computer-controlled command system. Assuming that one
working day began as soon as the previous one came to an end, one might well
expect the refinery machinery to require maintenance. Even with a very modern,
advanced refinery, we would have to spend at least half a day every week
checking its components.
Yet
what we are discussing here is an organ in our bodies that works far more
intensely than any refinery. The liver takes in tons of substances, processes
them without making any concessions, and turns them into forms that the body
can use. In addition, despite working non-stop, never tiring or needing a rest,
it never requires any maintenance that might slow the system down.
This
is the superior and incomparable creation of Allah.
He is the Living—there is no deity but
Him—so call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. Praise be to Allah, the
Lord of all the worlds. (Surah Ghafir:
65)
The
Liver’s Ability to Regenerate Itself
The
liver is the only organ in the body capable of regenerating itself. Even if up
to 70% of the liver is removed, within a week or two it again reaches a size
capable of performing all its functions.
The
mechanisms responsible for the regeneration of the liver are still being
researched. This feature of the liver was first revealed by studies by two
surgeons in the Mayo Clinic in 1931. It was realized that the liver regenerated
itself in a great many species, and that the cells initiate this process
automatically in the wake of any damage. Yet cells in a healthy liver are never
observed to multiply of their own accord. That being so, why do they divide and
multiply when this organ requires it, and do so until the liver has once again
attained its former dimensions? How do the cells know for how long they need to
multiply, or when to stop? Where do the commands come from? In the absence of a
command to stop, do they decide for themselves not to increase to the extent of
putting pressure on other organs?
Whenever
liver cells are subjected to any harm or damage, they suddenly begin
multiplying by initiating a most unexpected activity. The astonishing thing
about this phenomenon is that the cells divide at unbelievable speed, while
still performing their normal functions to the letter. It is even more
surprising how they take a joint decision on when the process should stop, once
the necessary steps have been taken.
It is
thought that damage to the liver sets into motion a number of factors that
create a multiplication in the cells. These growth factors are perceived by
receptors on the liver cells and give rise to complex activities inside them.
New programming thus begins at the genetic level, and the requisite activity
for multiplication of liver cells is initiated.
The
same subject has been investigated by geneticists, who examined the method used
by self-regenerating cells in the liver and their levels of activity. These
studies investigate what are known as proliferating hepatocytes and the path
they follow from inside the liver. A single hepatocyte can regenerate a rather
large part of the liver. During the division and multiplication process, it was
observed that new cells in the liver do not move, although old hepatocytes do.
During
the regeneration process, cells at the center of the liver and other cells
emerge from the portal region and move towards the kidney vein. This mass
movement may be compared to a walk. Since the cells move in only one direction,
the further a cell is from the center, the older it is. In this way, cells’ age
can be calculated by means of their distance from the center.
The
proliferating-tissue theory proposed with the investigation of the movements of
aging liver cells is one that every newborn cell knows very well and
immediately puts into practice. Whenever one of the cells divides, one of the
newly formed cells has to move. Following the division of the cell into two, in
the process known as mitosis, one of the new- formed cells takes the place of
the original cell, and that cell proliferates forward to the site of
connection.
When
a cell divides, the new cell remains in place of the old one, and the original
“mother” cell moves forward a little. However, in order for this cell to assume
its new place, all the other nearby cells have to slide outwards. But as we’ve
seen, these cells are neither pushed nor pulled, and perform no mechanical
activity. The phenomenon that takes place is described as proliferating and
takes place very quickly.
It is
Allah Who gives the requisite commands and Who regulates and creates this
miraculous process from beginning to end. In the verses of the Qur’an, it is
revealed that Allah regulates the existence and working of every system on
Earth, and that people must study and consider this knowledge:
It is Allah Who created the seven
heavens and of the Earth same number, the Command descending down through all
of them, so that you might know that Allah has power over all things and that
Allah encompasses all things in His knowledge. (Surat at-Talaq: 12)
THE BODY’S SECRET SUPPORTER:
THE PANCREAS
Imagine
you have a delicious dinner. You may never have wondered how you will digest
those various nutrients. You are likely unaware that each of these nutrients
need to be processed by different enzymes. Of course, it’s perfectly natural
for anyone who has not received specialized training to be unaware of this. Yet
one organ in your body does possess all this information. It knows which
foodstuffs will be digested by which enzyme, and sends the right chemical
secretion to these foodstuffs, at the proper time, with no confusion or
stoppages ever occurring. That organ is the pancreas.
One
of the most important organs in the body, the pancreas decides how many sugar
molecules need to be present in the blood flowing through the veins. If there
is a reduction in the number of sugar molecules in the bloodstream, the
pancreas immediately takes steps to raise that number, and those measures save
the life of the individual. If the sugar-molecule concentration rises, then it
takes steps to lower their amount in the bloodstream.
With
the enzymes it sends to the digestive system, the pancreas plays a major role
in human health. The enzyme that prevents the intestines being digested by
stomach acid is also produced by the pancreas. If we examine these functions
one by one, then we can see how this organ, which may never have drawn your
attention, acts in a most planned, conscious manner and possesses a flawless
system that keeps you alive.
The
pancreas’ intervention in the digestive system begins with a special signal. As
digestive processes carry on inside the stomach, specific quantities of a
special enzyme known as cholesystokinin enters the bloodstream and stimulates
the pancreas to secrete breaking-down enzymes into the duodenum. 38
The
Hidden Chemist
The
pancreas not only understands that the digestive process has begun. It can also
understand the kind of foods you have eaten, and then produces different
digestive enzymes accordingly. For instance, when you eat a lot of
carbohydrates, such as pasta or bread, when these foods reach the duodenum, the
pancreas secretes the enzyme amylase, which possesses the feature of breaking
down carbohydrates.
If
you eat meat, fish or chicken, when these high-protein products reach the
duodenum, the pancreas produces enzymes such as trypsin, chymotrypsin,
carboxypeptidase, ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease, which then break down the
protein molecules. If your meal has a high fat content, then lipase, another
enzyme that digests fats, enters the duodenum together with these other
enzymes.
This
organ realizes the content of the food you eat, then separately produces the chemical
fluids necessary to digest these foods, and secretes them only at the right
time. The pancreas never secretes enzymes that break down protein for
carbohydrates, or fluids that break down carbohydrates for fat molecules. It
never forgets the chemical formulae of the complex enzymes it produces, or
accidentally leaves out any components. In the healthy individuals bodies, the
pancreas serves accurately for a whole lifetime.
For a
closer look at the scale of the miracle involved, let’s examine this phenomenon
at the micro level. As digestion proceeds, the stomach cells do not remain
idle. Some of these cells realize that the food being digested will later reach
the duodenum. Their sole concern is that this food should be digested as well
as possible. By means of the bloodstream, the stomach cells signal to the
pancreas cells to assist them by secreting a hormone.
The
signal they deposit travels through the bloodstream and when it reaches the
pancreas, the cells there immediately recognize it. Although it travels through
just about the whole body, the signal is not opened and in particular, not
read, by the other organs. All other cells know that this signal has been
addressed to the pancreas, not to them. That is because the molecular structure
of the signal has been so created to affect only the receptor molecules on the
membranes of pancreatic cells. In other words, the stomach cells have written
the correct “address” on the hormone it produced in a conscious, knowledgeable
way. In order for that address to be written properly, the stomach cell needs
to know all the features of a pancreatic cell.
The
miracle is not solely restricted to the correct writing of the address. The
letter sent by the stomach cell also contains a message. Two tiny cells in the
depths of the human body, located far away from one another, correspond and
communicate to serve a specific purpose. Though they have never seen one
another, they know the language the other will understand and act together to
plan for the digestion of the food you eat. No doubt this is a true miracle!
The
pancreas reads the message reaching it, in the form of the hormone
cholesystokinin, and loses no time in secreting the necessary enzymes. If the
food reaching the duodenum is a protein, then it produces an enzyme that breaks
down protein and sends this to the duodenum. If the food is heavy in
carbohydrates, then it produces an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrate.
Imagine
a blackboard on which are written the formulas for a protein molecule, a fat
molecule and a carbohydrate molecule, together with plans of these molecules’
atomic chains. Then imagine that someone asks you to produce the chemical
formulas for the best enzymes to break down each one of these three different
molecular structures, and to write them down on the blackboard.
Unless
you have received specialized chemical training, you could never guess the most
ideal formulas that would break down these molecules. You could write down
those formulas only in the light of previous training or instruction.
That
being so, then how do pancreatic cells know the chemical formulas of the
enzymes they produce? Each and every pancreatic cell knows these formulas from
the moment it comes into being. Moreover, it constantly uses that information
in the most accurate manner to serve the body as a whole. In terms of
chemistry, pancreatic cells are far more knowledgeable than human beings!
Humans require special training to produce these formulas, whereas a tiny cell
knows them all by heart right from the start.
No
coincidence can provide cells with such special information and a superior
sense of responsibility. No coincidence can ever build a system by which cells
can communicate with, and seek assistance from one another. No coincidence can
teach a single cell even one chemical formula. No coincidence can endow the
cell with the capacity to use whatever information it possesses at exactly the
right time.
It is
Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Who created all these systems from nothing and
placed them at the service of human beings by ensuring they work at every
moment.
Another
of the pancreas’ important functions is regulating the body’s blood sugar
levels. The secretions that perform this function, called insulin and glucagon, are
emitted by small, closed glands in the pancreas known as the islets of
Langerhans.
39
As
you sip tea or eat a piece of cake, your need to regulate the level of sugar in
your bloodstream never occurs to you. You may never even realize how vitally
important this constant regulation is. Your pancreas, however, responsible for
your ongoing health in this area, possesses all the information to adjust your
blood sugar levels in a particularly sensitive manner. When necessary, it
secretes sufficient amounts of hormone to protect the level of sugar in your
body.
It is
essential for life that the amount of sugar in the blood should be within
specific limits. Yet we need not calculate that sensitive balance as we eat
sugary foods in our daily lives—because that calculation is performed for us.
When
the level of sugar in the blood rises, the pancreas immediately becomes aware
of it and secretes a special substance known as insulin, which instructs the
liver and other body cells to keep hold of the excess sugar. If the level of
sugar in the blood falls, then the pancreas learns of this, too and secretes
the hormone glucagon. The liver then releases into the blood the sugar stocks
it has previously stored by means of special processes. 40
Thanks to this, the blood level of sugar never reaches dangerous levels, except
during cases of diabetes.
In
your day-to-day life, you will be quite unaware of the pancreas, its insulin
and your liver. You will not feel that your blood sugar level has risen. Even
if blood samples with two different amounts of sugar in them are placed before
you, you will be unable to tell the difference. Yet some of your cells, which
you have never seen, measure the levels of sugar in your blood far more
sensitively than any laboratory could, and immediately decide on the steps that
need to be taken.
How did your cells come by this
incomparable
intellect and ability?
Of
course, your cells did not give themselves the intellect and ability with which
to make measurements, make decisions and put them into practice. It is Almighty
Allah Who creates the cells in your body with such a flawless system, gives
them the necessary commands, and makes them aware of how they must behave.
In
our description so far, we have used such verbs as knows, makes, and produces.
Bearing in mind that the pancreas is also composed of cells, you can
immediately see that these actions require reason, and cannot be attributes of
the pancreas itself. That being so, who gave the cells of the pancreas their
ability to produce for an entire lifetime and endowed them with their sense of
responsibility? Who taught the pancreatic cells the chemical formulas of
enzymes that break down so many different complex molecules? Who provided the
duct system to allow the fluids they produce to empty into the correct locations?
Who established the warning and communications systems to allow the right
enzymes to be released at the right time?
These
questions and hundreds of similar ones lead us to one evident truth. It is
Allah Who does all this. Allah reveals Himself to us with such magnificent
features as these, which He has installed in such a tiny volume. This is the
most important fact in anyone’s life.
Say: “Who is the Lord of the heavens and
the Earth?” Say: “Allah.” Say: “So why have you taken protectors apart from Him
who possess no power to help or harm themselves?” Say: “Are the blind and
seeing equal? Or are darkness and light the same? Or have they assigned
partners to Allah who create as He creates, so that all creating seems the same
to them?” Say: “Allah is the Creator of everything. He is the One, the
All-Conquering.” (Surat ar-Ra‘d: 16)
Why
Is the Pancreas Not Harmed
by
Its Own Secretions?
The
pancreas secretes so many dissolving enzymes, yet does not digest itself. The
pancreas, with a basically protein structure, remains unaffected by any of the
dissolving enzymes it secretes. This protective system comes about in a most
astonishing, miraculous way.
The
pancreas first produces its enzymes in a non-active form, in which they are
unable to break down proteins—and therefore, the pancreas itself.
When
released into the duodenum, however, the enzymes combine with a very special
substance produced only in this region of the body, and immediately begin to
change. Enzymes combine with the substance known as enterokinase, produced in the small intestine, and suddenly assume
active form, acquiring the ability to break down proteins.41 The way that one substance secreted in the
pancreas joins together in complete harmony with another secreted in the
intestines is a considerable wonder.
These
two molecules have never met before, having been secreted in different regions.
Yet these two independent molecules complement each other flawlessly, and serve
a common purpose. This miraculous phenomenon cannot, of course, be explained in
terms of chance.
What
is more, the miraculous systems that prevent the pancreas from digesting itself
are by no means limited to this. The pancreas secretes another
protein-digesting enzyme called trypsin and at the same time, secretes another special
substance known as a trypsin-inhibitor to prevent the trypsin from dissolving
the pancreas. These two enzymes, have no effect when secreted together,
separate from one another when they reach the duodenum. This in a way liberates
the trypsin, which begins to break down the protein in the foods arriving at
the intestines. 42 Were these two
substances to separate earlier, it would dissolve the pancreas itself. If they
never separated from one another, then the trypsin would be unable to break
down proteins. However, as this example shows, everything happens at the right
time and in the right place. The pancreas knows it must secrete the necessary
substances at just the right time, and the enzymes go into action only after
dividing from each other. Clearly the cells composing the pancreas, and the
molecules that make up its enzymes, could never form such a flawless system,
nor establish such perfect order within the human body of their own accord.
Anyone
reasonable can see that such a system, which works with no gaps and no
confusion in the order of tasks performed, and with the same flawlessness in
all human beings, is the product of a superior Intellect and a flawless
Creation. It is impossible to account for this system in evolutionary terms.
This system is one of the manifest proofs of Allah’s creation. Allah reveals
these signs in this and other such examples to those able to use their minds
and who are able to see.
It is He Who appointed the Sun to give
radiance, and the Moon to give light, assigning it phases so you would know the
number of years and the reckoning of time. Allah did not create these things
except with truth. We make the Signs clear for people who know. In the
alternation of night and day and what Allah has created in the heavens and the
Earth there are Signs for people who guard against evil. (Surah Yunus: 5-6)
THE
BODY’S PURIFICATIO PLANT:
THE EXCRETORY
SYSTEM
There are some
100 trillion cells constantly active in the human body. As a result of these
activities emerge waste products consisting of urea, uric acid and keratin,
some of them very toxic. Unless they are immediately expelled from the body,
the body’s functions become impaired, and death is inevitable.
At
this point, we can once again see the body’s immaculate creation. In the same
way that special systems have been created to eliminate exhaust fumes from a
car’s engine, so the special excretory system have been created in the human
body to eliminate the toxic products produced during its day-to-day activities.
Just
like factories that discharge poisonous wastes into rivers, cells release the
waste byproducts they create into the blood plasma. This means the human
bloodstream is being polluted by the waste products from 100 trillion
cells—pollution that represents a danger to life, unless the polluted blood is
cleaned constantly.
But
here a major problem arises. Along with such toxic wastes as urea and uric
acid, there are also substances in the bloodstream that the body needs, such as
amino acids, vitamins, water and glucose. That being so, whatever purifies the
blood needs to be more than a simple filtering system. In addition to
recognizing and retaining useful substances, this system also must function as
a complex purification plant that will distinguish and eliminate only toxic
products.
You
might at first imagine that a plant so perfect and technologically equipped
could be constructed only in a very large area. Yet this incomparable
purification plant is actually installed in a very small area, just beneath
your skin, at the level of your back, and it has existed ever since you were in
your mother’s womb.
The
paired organs known as the kidneys serve as a purification plant with which no
technology can possibly compete.
MICRO-FILTERS:
THE KIDNEYS
How
Is the Blood Purification Carried Out?
Blood
flowing through the body is first subjected to filtering in the kidneys. In
them, a large number of minute filters enable this purification to take place.
A manifest miracle can be seen when one considers these filters’ number: In a
single kidney there are 1,200,000 filters known as nephrons. These micro-filters consist of a Bowman
capsule—a hemispherical structure composed of capillary vessels at the end of
the nephron, the glomerulus, the Malpighian corpuscle, and kidney veins. 43 Each of these 1,200,000 filters possesses a
perfect creation with thousands of microscopic holes.
Approximately
one-quarter of the blood leaving the heart comes direct to the kidneys, by
means of the renal arteries, which accounts for more than 1 liter (0.3 gallons)
a minute. The vein carrying the blood divides into thinner ones as soon as it
enters the kidney. Each of these thin vessels leads to a micro filter. Thanks
to the pressure established by the heart, the blood strikes the surface of the
filter at considerable speed, and toxic products and water pass through to the
other side of the filter. Since proteins and blood cells are too large to pass
through the filter, they remain behind. The blood that is unable to pass is
thus cleansed and purified.
Consider
the information provided so far:
Some
1,200,000 filters have been located in a piece of flesh the size of one’s fist.
The same detailed creation exists flawlessly in every single filter. In every
nephron, for instance, there is a section called the glomerulus—a ball of blood vessels inside the Bowman capsule.
Later, these blood vessels join up and leave the capsule as an artery. Let us
now have a brief look at this region.
The
glomerulus that enters the Bowman capsule divides into a number of capillary
vessels that will constitute the vein node. These blood vessels will later join
up and leave the capsule as an artery.
A
blood vessel network between two arteries can only be seen in this part of the
body. Since the glomerulus capillaries lie between two arteries, the blood
pressure is higher here than in the body’s other capillary vessels. The higher
blood pressure maintained in this region serves a very specific purpose: to
make the filtering process more effective. Again in contrast to other capillary
vessels, the walls of the vessels here are double-layered—a structure that not
only allows them to withstand this higher blood pressure, but also prevents
proteins and leucocytes from leaking out of the blood vessels.
Thanks
to all these features, only water and substances dissolved in water pass from
the glomerulus capillary vessels into the Bowman capsule. Although there is
reverse absorption in other capillary vessels, none occurs in these.
These
veins can be cited as an example of the kidneys’ overall creation. The veins
that bring the polluted blood to the filters, removed the filtered waste
products and carry the remaining clean blood back to the body are equipped with
1,200,000 filters, created in such a way as to create no confusion whatsoever.
The veins all lead where they need to go. The path that blood vessels follow in
the kidneys, where they will go to carry these products, and where they will
leave the kidneys—all is the product of a special creation.
What
has been described so far are very small parts of the kidneys’ detailed
structure. Many books have been written, countless studies and experiments
carried out, regarding just a single process in the kidneys or a substance
that’s secreted. All the research into human anatomy leads to a single
conclusion: that all of our body’s components have to exist as a whole, because
our very survival depends on our bodies functioning as a single unit. If the
venous system just described did not exist in the kidneys, the body’s excretory
system and equilibrium would be impaired, resulting in death.
This
totally undermines the claims of evolutionists, who maintain that the human
body assumed its present form under the gradual effects of such factors as
chance and mutations. But to follow their chance-based scenario: Is it possible
for a capillary vessel to form by chance, and then to combine with other
capillaries, again by chance, to form capsules in the kidney, which also
emerged by coincidence, then for these to combine in the form of an artery, and
then to acquire the most appropriate structure for the performance of the
filtering process—all by chance? It is obvious that any such an account, based
on one coincidence after another, is nothing more than a fairy tale. Not one
such system could possibly form in such a way in a living thing. Everything in
the human body exists as a result of perfect planning. There is, of course, a
Power that fulfils this creation, which power belongs to the Omniscient Allah.
Moreover,
what has been described so far is only the bare outline of the processes that
take place within the kidneys.
The
Purification Plant Goes into Action
Every
minute, some 125 cubic centimeters (7.6 cubic inches) of fluid is filtered in
the kidneys’ microfilters, and this fluid is passed by the bloodstream as waste
products to the other side of the filters. This means that 180 liters (47.5
gallons) are filtered every day—enough to fill the gas tanks of four cars. 44 Of course, a human body weighing 60 to 70
kilograms (130 to 145 pounds) couldn’t possibly withstand the loss of 180
liters (47.5 gallons) of fluid every day.
Moreover,
in addition to containing toxic substances, this fluid also contains vital
ingredients such as amino acids, vitamins and glucose. The loss of these
materials would result in death. That being so, the fluid must not be expelled
from the body immediately. First, useful substances need to be identified,
retained, and re-acquired for the body’s use.
In
fact, 99% of the fluid passed through the micro filters is re-absorbed by the
kidneys and released back into the bloodstream. At the same time, substances
the body needs are caught one by one for re-use. Vitamins, amino acids and
other important substances are thus prevented from being expelled in the urine.
Technology
in the Purification Plants
As
described above, a perfect and multi-functional plant is essential to purify
the blood—and to re-absorb useful substances in the fluid already filtered.
Allah has installed more than 1 million micro-purification plants in a kidney
only 10 centimeters (4 inches) in size and 100 grams (0.2 of a pound) in
weight.
As
you’ve seen, blood pumped from the heart to the kidney is filtered through more
than 1 million micro-filters. What we call micro-purification plants have been
installed immediately behind these micro-filters. Each plant consists of a
mini-pipe 31-millimeters (1.2 inches) long.
Yet
this is one of the most perfect purification plants in the world. Despite all
the great technological means mankind has invented, no purification plant
comparable to this little tube has ever been created.
Before
examining how this little tube functions, we need to concentrate on the
important fact that it is only 31 millimeters (1.2 inches) long. Bearing in
mind that there are more than 1 million of these micro-purification plants in a
single kidney, the total length of all these tubes laid on end is actually 31
kilometers (19 miles)!
The
fact that Allah has installed these 31 kilometers of tubing so flawlessly into
a 10 centimeter (4-inch) organ is one of the countless miracles He has
manifested in the human body. In addition to containing an important quantity
of useful substances, the yellowish kidney fluid also contains harmful
substances that cross to the other side of the micro-filters, and now starts a
very important journey within the 31-millimeter (1.2-inch) purification plant.
A
Living Pipeline
The
31-millimeter purification plant or pipeline we have been referring to is
actually a living tube—or more accurately, a collection of millions of living
cells. These cells which constitute the pipeline fulfill a vital function for
the human body with enormous determination, consciousness and responsibility.
From
within the urine, the cells select and trap those substances necessary for human
survival. They then pass them through the capillary vessels surrounding this
pipeline, expending considerable quantities of energy. Substances of vital
importance—glucose, amino acids, and proteins—are thus released back into the
bloodstream. For this process to take place, the transportation molecules that
will assist the cells need to be ready. Everything has been flawlessly planned
and set out.
We
now need to think a little. The cells gain nothing from the work they do. Yet
just like a chemist, they distinguish the requisite molecules and deliver them
to the blood vessels, day and night. To select between different substances, a
cell needs to possess information, and must have intellect and experience to
tell them apart.
But
it is not enough for only one single cell to possess awareness. It is essential
that millions of cells in the kidneys should assemble to form a tube, and that
all of them should work together, demonstrating the same determination.
Therefore, billions of cells all exhibiting similar consciousness must come
together to form a million independent pipelines. At the same time, more
billions of cells must combine so as to form a million filters and locate
themselves at the entrances to the pipelines.
Remember
that no cell possesses any consciousness whatsoever. If a collection of cells
come together in a tiny tube in one corner of our bodies and perform actions
requiring reason, responsibility, and coordination, then that is a
manifestation of Allah’s infinite intellect and incomparable artistry. Such a
flawless order can only come into being, not through a string of coincidences,
but by Almighty Allah telling it to “Be!”
The Originator of the heavens and Earth.
When He decides on something, He just says to it, “Be!” and it is. (Surat al-Baqara:
117)
The
Kidneys’ Delicate Tasks
Before
examining the other functions of the kidneys, it will be useful to look briefly
at the world of water inside us. The human body’s solid appearance is actually
based on the fluids it contains. More than half of the water, comprising 60% of
our body weight, is inside our cells. The remainder—mainly in form of blood and
lymph—bathes all the cells in our body.
The
water surrounding our cells must be of a particular density, or the situation
could grow very dangerous. To emphasize the importance of the water surrounding
the cells, if the cells in a drop of blood are placed into pure water, they
will swell up and explode. If placed into a liquid environment denser than tap
water, they will fold up on themselves and collapse.
The
pure water in the first experiment will enter the denser cells. In the second
experiment, the water within the cell will be pulled out into the denser
external environment. Developments of this kind in the cells, give rise to
deadly consequences in the body. For that reason, it is essential that the
body’s internal fluids should remain at a specific density.
The
kidneys are created with special systems to ensure that the balance in question
is maintained. In addition to filtering and cleaning the blood, this miraculous
pair of organs also regulates the quantity and density of the fluid in your
tissues and makes the necessary adjustments accordingly.
You
may never think about the water level in your tissues in the course of your
day-to-day life. Without your being aware of it, however, the kidneys regulate
this water level for you—working non-stop, just like the trillions of different
cells that work on your behalf.
How
Do the Kidneys Regulate
the
Water Level in the Body?
Investigating
the answer to this question, we once again see the incomparable nature of
Allah’s creation. An interconnected and perfectly created system functions to
maintain the balances in the body.
If
you lose a considerable amount of water, through sweating or not drinking water
for a while, the density of the water in the blood falls. As blood flows
through the brain, special sensors in the region known as the hypothalamus send
a signal to the pituitary gland, the commander of the hormonal system. The
pituitary, realizing that the water level in the bloodstream has gone down,
sends a special message to the kidneys, in the form of the anti-diuretic
hormone ADH, signaling the cells that there is a water deficiency in the body,
and instructing them to hold back water. The micro-tubes extract more water
from the urine and release it into the blood, thus averting any crisis in the
body.45
If
you drink more water than you require, then there is another communication
within that same chain of command. This time, the cells are instructed there is
too much water in the bloodstream and do not retain any excess.
What
do the cells in the pituitary gland, immediately under the brain, respond? The
cells here send a signal to the kidneys, which are far distant from themselves.
The kidney cells then obey, unquestioningly and unconditionally, the chemical
message that reaches them. And subsequently select water molecules one by one
from the liquid urine, thus recycling crystal-clear water back into the body.
The communication between the brain and kidney cells and how the kidney cells
purify urine to produce pure water is a sure indication of intellect and
intention. The existence of this system by itself is sufficient to completely
demolish the theory of evolution, which accounts for the existence of all
world’s living things in terms of simple coincidences. If the excretory system
is to function, it is essential that all of its many independent components
should all exist at the same time, and that they should all work in complete
harmony.
For
example, any lack of the anti-diuretic hormone that carries messages from the
pituitary gland to the kidneys could result in a fatal illness: The daily
production of urine, which should be 1.5 liters (0.4 gallon) a day, would rise
to 25 to 30 liters (6.5 to 8 gallons), and that would be fatal.
Sodium
Regulation
The
kidneys regulate the levels in the bloodstream of a great many substances of
which you are quite unaware. Most people, for instance, do not know of the
sodium molecules in their tissues and blood. Yet the kidneys work day and night
to regulate the level of this element.
The
kidneys contain special sensors responsible for monitoring the level of sodium
in the body. If that level falls, these sensors immediately notify the
sodium-absorbing cells in the kidneys.
It is
most surprising that a cell should go about measuring the level of any
particular substance, and possesses the consciousness to inform other cells of
a change it identifies.
During
filtration in the kidneys, a quantity of sodium is mixed with the fluid to be
expelled as urine. When the sodium-absorbing cells realize that the sodium
level in the blood has gone down, they seize the sodium molecules in the urine
and return them to the body. The level of sodium in the bloodstream thus returns
to normal.
Special
pumps, located atop of these cells to let them trap sodium molecules, go into
operation when needed to re-acquire sodium molecules for the body.
If
that re-absorption mechanism in the kidneys did not exist, then our death from
excessive water loss would be inevitable.
As
you see, the connections between different parts of the body are flawless, and
the regulatory mechanisms and precautions taken in the event of emergencies are
incomparable. Any deficiency in the vitally important molecules in the blood is
immediately identified by the relevant units, and begin work to remedy that
deficiency. A chemical message is immediately dispatched to the relevant cells,
which understand that message, act upon it and take the requisite precautions.
Thanks to this flawless communication, which takes place in a very brief time,
continued health is guaranteed.
When
you consider how every kidney cell knows what it will do, acts in an organized
manner together with other cells, reads and understands the messages sent to it
and does what is required of it, you can see that this chain of events
represents a miracle from start to finish.
It is
totally impossible for the components making up such a system to have formed by
chance. As you have seen, to claim that such a system appeared in the kidneys
by coincidence clearly reveals the logical collapse suffered by Darwinists.
Every action taken by cells, which consist of proteins and can be seen only
under the microscope requires a separate plan and reason. The presence of such
intention in the cells is a clear indication of creation—just one of the signs
of Allah’s infinite knowledge, intellect and power.
Those
who grasp these facts need to waste no time in altering their lives in a way
pleasing to Allah. This will be of benefit to all when they gather to account
for their actions on the Day of Judgment. Allah has warned people of the Day of
Judgment in these terms:
Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so
worship Him. This is a straight path. The parties differed among themselves.
Woe to those who disbelieve when they are present on a terrible Day! How clear
will be their hearing, how perfect their sight, on the Day they come to Us;
whereas today the wrongdoers are clearly misguided. Warn them of the Day of Bitter
Regret when the affair will be resolved. But they take no notice. They have no
faith. (Surah Maryam: 36-39)
The
Kidneys and the Pressure in the Veins
One
of the kidneys’ important functions is regulating blood pressure, determined
mainly by the level of fluid in the veins. The more fluid in the veins, the
higher the rise in blood pressure, which can damage many organs in the body.
Sensors
on the anterior chambers of the heart perceive there is too much fluid in the
veins. When the heart contracts with excessive fluid entering it, these sensors
send a report of the situation to the brain, which then increases blood
filtration by adjusting the width of the veins leading to the kidney.
Let
us now consider an imaginary example of the pressure measurement carried out in
the anterior chamber of the heart and the adjustments in the body performed in
the light of it. Imagine a room, totally isolated from the outside world. A
human being lives in there, and must spend his entire life in there—to fulfill
a very important responsibility.
The
air pressure on the walls of this room changes constantly. This man’s task is
to measure that pressure with special equipment. He must also notify the
measurements he makes to an information-processing center, making thousands of
reports every day, and there must be no errors in any of them. If he forgets to
take a measurement, grows inattentive, or makes an inaccurate measurement, then
the room he lives in, the building that contains that room, and the city it
stands in will all be destroyed!
One
cannot even imagine a person devoting his life to measuring the pressure on the
chamber walls, never sleeping for a moment, and never making a mistake. Yet the
events that take place in the body far exceed the bounds of this example. Cells
in the walls of the heart’s anterior chamber do indeed devote their entire
lives to measuring the blood pressure and reporting the results to the brain.
The fact that these cells perform such an important function with such self
sacrifice all their lives, are located in the anterior chamber of the heart,
can take measurements and inform the brain of these, all shows that these cells
were specially created.
The
Message Concealed in
the
Fibers of the Heart
Located
in the depths of the fibers of the heart are special molecules carrying a very
important message that concerns not the heart, but another organ far distant
from it. Under normal conditions, however, the molecules carrying the message,
can never leave that region, because they are surrounded by powerful heart
fibers.
So,
what message do these molecules carry? And why are they located in the depths
of the heart tissue? As we examine the answer to these questions, another
miracle of creation emerges.
This
molecule is a hormone known as atrial natriuretic
factor. Only the kidneys can decipher the message it contains, instructing
them to expel sodium from the body. 46
Why
is a message to be sent to the kidneys concealed within the depths of the
heart? And what does the heart have to do with the kidneys expelling sodium
from the body? However, Allah has created the human body with thousands of
interconnected systems. The concealing a message of concern to the kidneys
within the depths of the heart is just one of these complex, interconnected
systems.
High
blood pressure—a rise in the force exerted by fluid in the veins—is a very
dangerous condition that can be fatal unless precautions are taken. Increasing
blood pressure causes the heart to expand, opening gaps between the muscle
fibers, and the message molecules imprisoned there are released into the
bloodstream and then reach the kidneys. The kidney, obeying the instruction,
acts to expel the sodium from the body. Blood pressure thus returns to normal
levels, and the heart continues to beat healthily.
What
Happens When Blood Pressure Falls?
The
kidneys’ role in regulating blood pressure does not end there. When blood
pressure is low, the kidneys secrete a substance called rennin from a cell with a special structure known as the JGA. Yet
this substance has no direct pressure-reducing effect of its own.
This
substance combines with a molecule called angiotensinogen,
secreted by the liver, far distant from where it itself is produced, and
transforms into the molecule angiotensin-1. Yet this resulting hormone has no
serious effect on blood pressure. This hormone, present in the bloodstream,
turns into a very different molecule: angiotensin-2, thanks to an enzyme called
ACE which is present in the lung and serves only to break down the molecule
angiotensin-1.47
This
molecule, produced at the very end of the process, is the hormone that affects
the veins and raises blood pressure back to normal levels. If that molecule did
not exist, then none of the “earlier” hormones produced before it would have
any effect on blood pressure. The molecule angiotensin-2 only contracts the
veins after combining with sensors located on the surface of the vein and thus
increases blood pressure.
The
angiotensin-2 molecule does more than this to raise blood pressure. The bloodstream
transmits the molecule to a gland above the kidneys. Certain cells in this
region release into the blood a molecule called aldosterone, which these cells produce only after combining with
angiotensin-2. When this happens, blood pressure begins to rise under the
influence of another mechanism. By combining with the special receptors on the
kidney’s collecting channels, the aldosterone molecule permits the body to
re-absorb sodium molecules expelled in urine. 48 The sodium molecules then raise the blood
pressure by increasing the density of the blood.
Without
doubt, the effects of these substances are interconnected. Since not a single
one of these could have come about by chance, it is even more impossible for
all of this system’s components to have emerged by coincidence in the human
body. Coincidences cannot give the kidneys their ability to understand, nor the
necessary initiative to adopt various measures.
To
claim that the order of the dozens of substances and mechanisms used to
regulate blood pressure came about by themselves is a form of behavior unique
to people blindly devoted to the theory of evolution, who have adopted it as a
belief system. Indeed, evolutionists have admitted in various ways that theory
is only a belief, and flies in the face of all the facts. One of these
admissions reads as follows:
From my earliest training as a
scientist, I was strongly brainwashed to believe that science cannot be
consistent with any kind of deliberate creation. That notion has had to be
painfully shed. At the moment, I can’t find any rational argument to knock down
the view which argues for conversion to Allah. We used to have an open mind;
now we realize that the only logical answer to life is creation—and not
accidental random shuffling. 49
Clearly
and irrefutably, all the scientific facts that evolutionists have had to admit
show the existence of a Creator Who has dominion over everything—in other
words, the existence of Allah.
Imitation
Kidneys
In
the event that organs fail to function properly, present-day technology places
artificial devices to replace them at the disposal of medical science. If the
kidneys fail or cease to function properly, dialysis machines have been
developed to function as a blood- purification system. In these machines—incomparably
larger than the kidneys themselves—blood is passed through various mechanisms
and cleansed of such toxic substances as uric acid.
These
machines work by simple diffusion, in which blood passes from a very
high-density environment to a low-density one. Blood from an artery is pumped
through a tube into the dialysis machine, containing fluid that’s similar to
blood plasma in terms of oxygen richness and salt concentration. As blood is
pumped through the tubes, waste products such as urea are diffused into the
dialysis fluid, while needed substances such as erythrocytes and proteins
remain in the dialysis tubes. During this process, the device lightly shakes
the dialysis fluid, thanks to which waste products in the blood are separated
out and the blood is made suitable for being returned to the body. If required,
glucose is added to the dialysis fluid and again passed into the blood by means
of diffusion.
The
purified blood is returned to the arteries using another tube. During this
process, the dialysis fluid is constantly renewed and maintained at the
equivalent of body temperature, lest the patient suffer hypothermia.
A
full dialysis takes some four to six hours, during which the dialysis fluid is
changed several times. Patients are subjected to the process two or three times
a week. Yet dialysis can never replace the normal kidney. 50
Even the most effective dialysis machines can prolong a patient’s lifespan by
only a few years, and most patients eventually die.
Everything
in the human body has been perfectly created. Medical research seeks to develop
technology that’s able to produce features comparable to the human body’s. Yet
it is impossible to install artificial devices into spaces as small as those in
the body.
The
systems installed by Allah in the human body is incomparable in all aspects. A person must regard this as
a blessing from Allah and to give thanks to Him at every moment.
Allah is He Who appointed the night for
you so that you might rest in it, and the day for seeing. Allah pours out His
favor on humanity but most people do not show thanks. That is Allah, your Lord,
the Creator of everything. There is no deity but Him—so how have you been
perverted? That is how those who deny Allah’s Signs have been perverted. (Surah
Ghafir: 61-63)
SPLENDID
COMMUNICATION
WITHIN
THE BODY:
THE
HORMONE SYSTEM
Your hundred
trillion cells work together in great harmony, just as if they were aware of
one another. This harmony can be seen in the number of times your heart beats
as you read these words, the level of calcium stored in your bones, your
blood-sugar level, the amount of blood filtered by your kidneys every minute—in
these, and thousands of other similar details.
Bearing
all these systems in mind, you might compare the human body to a giant orchestra
consisting of 100 trillion musicians, playing the most incomparable
compositions 24 hours a day. The tempo sometimes speeds up, or slows down;
sometimes with a fast tempo, and at others with a calmer melody. However, the
musicians in the orchestra never fall out of tune with one another. So Who is
it who conducts this matchless orchestra? How can millions of different
musicians are able to play their common notes at the same time, with different
instruments?
Hormones
are proteins charged with carrying messages between the 100 trillion cells in
the human body cells. Consider, for example, the secretin that starts being
secreted during food digestion. Though you may be quite unaware of this
hormone, it prevents your stomach from being harmed by acid. It’s impossible
for you to prevent this or to protect yourself by any other means. And this
applies to all the other organs, enzymes and systems in your body.
A
perfect system in all aspects has been established in the human body, although
people are unaware of what is taking place within them. Substances in your body
issue instructions on your behalf and maintain your body’s equilibrium,
directing you to eat or drink or move more quickly, even while you are unaware
of these directions. Your body’s survival depends on a chain of command
controlled by means of hormones.
How
did this system come into being? How is it regulated? How do these hormones
know where and when to act?
As
you shall see in the pages that follow, it is essential for the hormonal system
to have emerged in its entirety, all at once. It is impossible to imagine
hormones acquiring all their properties over the course of time. Like all other
systems in the body, the hormonal system emerged in a single moment. In other
words, it was created. The details of this system, one of the proofs of Allah’s
existence and infinite might, again encourage us to consider His creation. In
verses, Allah commands people to think about the entities He has created, and
to turn to Him:
It is He Who sends down water from the
sky. From it you drink and from it come the shrubs among which you graze your
herds. And by it He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes
and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who
reflect. He has made night and day subservient to you, and the Sun and Moon and
stars, all subject to His command. There are certainly Signs in that for people
who use their intellect. And also the things of varying colors He has created
for you in the earth. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who pay
heed. It is He Who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh
flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear. And you see the ships
cleaving through it so that you can seek His bounty, and so that hopefully you
will show thanks. He cast firmly embedded mountains on the earth so it would
not move under you, and rivers and pathways so that hopefully you would be
guided, and landmarks. And they are guided by the stars. Is He Who creates like
him who does not create? So will you not pay heed? (Surat an-Nahl: 10-17)
THE CONTROL SYSTEM IN THE BODY
Airplanes,
spacecraft and even modern automobiles all now feature computers that monitor
the vehicle’s status and capacity. Thousands of years before human beings
developed these systems, however, perfect control systems were already in
operation, inside the human body itself.
The
body’s control and supervision mechanisms—the nervous system that stretches
along an organic network, and the hormonal system that analyzes chemical
signals—possess a technology far higher than any human can imagine.
To a
large extent, both systems work according to classical reaction principles. A
message sent from the control system causes the target organ to increase or reduce
its activity. Analysis is performed at every moment, thanks to a constant flow
of information, and new instructions are issued according to that analysis.
Millions of pieces of information are processed every second. The nervous
system permits information exchange by means of nerves that span the entire
body.
The
nervous system and hormone system work together at many points. For example,
stimuli from the nervous system are needed in order for the hormone adrenalin
to be secreted.
The
hormonal system’s communications are delivered thanks to the bloodstream. A
gland releases message-bearing hormones directly into the blood. These messages
travel throughout the whole body, reach the target organ and set it into
activity. But of course the hormonal system cannot function in the absence of
the circulatory system. If we recall the link between the hormonal and nervous
systems, then we face the fact that the hormonal-nervous-circulatory systems
must have arisen at the same time.
The
endocrine and nervous systems work together to maintain a balanced equilibrium
in the body. The hormonal system plays a role in reproduction, the cells’ use
of nutritional substances and in the establishment of salt and liquid levels.
The harmony between this system of tissues, glands and all the other organs and
cells in the body is striking. Most glands that comprise the hormonal system
have no ducts, or channels. Glands release hormones into the tissues around
them, where they are absorbed by capillary vessels and carried away by means of
the blood. But the condition of the target tissues sets the hormones into
action—and hormones may be specific to that tissue. For example, when the male
hormone testosterone is secreted, it causes hair to grow on the cheeks and jaw
but has no effect on the hairs on the scalp. In addition, other hormones affect
the entire body. Thyroid hormone, for instance, stimulates all the cells in the
body.
Locks
and Keys
Hormones
can be defined as a group of chemical signals coded to regulate the body’s internal
environment to stimulate all the different organs and cells. Many tissues
remain unaware of a hormone until it reaches them. So how does the target
tissue recognize its specific hormone?
On
the surfaces of target cells is a receptor that the hormone joins with. The
receptor and the hormone are created so specifically for one another that the
hormone dispatched never adheres to the wrong receptor.
Every
hormone thus resembles a key, and the receptor affected by it resembles a special lock that only that key
can open. Yet this three-dimensional harmony is far more complex than—and far
superior to—the match between any lock and key. Only one hormone fits the lock
and influences that cell’s general behavior. Thanks to that harmony, no
incorrect organ or tissue is ever set in motion. 51
When
the hormone attaches itself to the receptor on the cell’s surface, a series of
chain reactions take place, at the end of which the cell will have carried out
the given instructions.
If,
for instance, the instruction dispatched commands the cell to produce a
particular protein, various enzymes in the cell go into action. These enzymes
locate and copy the data for the protein to be produced by going to the DNA,
the cell’s data bank. Protein production thus begins.
The elements
in the system work like a chain of dominoes. The failure of any one of these
links to work will spell the disruption of the whole system—very damaging to
the body, and possibly ending in death.
The
Hormonal System’s Control Center
The
cells that comprise a tiny piece of tissue, no larger than a pea and weighing
only 0.5 grams, manage your whole body on your behalf. This tiny pituitary
gland, the center of operations of the hormonal system, acts as the conductor
of the world’s most magnificent orchestra. This tiny conductor passes on its
instructions to the other cells with the help of the molecules known as
hormones.
The
pituitary gland runs and regulates the hormonal system and works under the
control of the hypothalamus region of the brain. Thanks to the data that reach
this tiny organ from the hypothalamus, it knows the conditions you require,
which cells of which organs need to work in order to meet that need, those
cells’ chemical mechanisms and physical structures, the products they need to produce
and when production has to be brought to an end. Nor does it simply know all
these things: Thanks to a very special communications system, it sends the
necessary instructions for these needs to be met.
For
example, the human body develops until the age of puberty. Throughout this
period, trillions of cells divide and multiply, allowing cells and tissues to
grow—but growth activity in the tissues halts when it reaches a specific level.
The pituitary gland knows how much we need to grow and stops the cell division
once that level has been reached.
Growth
hormone secreted by the pituitary gland tells the cells how much to divide.
Their growth halts when secretion of this hormone stops.
The
growth hormone literally knows which regions in the body need to be extended.
Regions of the body immediately recognize the growth hormone and do what is
expected of them. Yet the growth hormone affects different parts of the anatomy
at different levels of intensity in men and women. In men, for instance, the
growth hormone goes to the shoulders to build up this region, but does not do
this in women.
Even
a tiny baby’s vocal chords develop thanks to the growth hormone, which knows
how the voice will be produced. It develops women’s vocal chords in such a way
as to produce high-pitched tones and men’s in such a way as to produce deeper
sounds.
Cells’
obedience to the growth hormone is particularly striking. Thanks to this, all
the organs and tissues grow in a harmonious manner. For example, when the
growth of the skin covering the nose stops, the development and growth of the
cartilage beneath the nose also comes to an end. It never continues growing so
that it eventually distorts the skin. All the organs in the body grow and
develop in harmony with one another.
The
Conductor’s Other Duties
The
pituitary gland also regulates your body’s metabolism of carbohydrates and
fats. At the appropriate times, it accelerates the protein synthesis takings
place in your cells. When blood pressure falls, molecules emitted by the pituitary
gland cause the millions of muscles around the veins to contract; and this
shrinking of the veins thus causes blood pressure to rise.
The
pituitary gland even regulates the functioning of the kidneys, which are far
distant from it. This tiny conductor also knows when our bodies need water, and
secretes a special hormone (vasopressin) under those circumstances. 52
Mother’s
milk is of vital importance for her newborn baby, and the pituitary gland is
aware of this need of the baby’s. Shortly before birth, the mother’s mammary
glands go into action due to the hormone prolactin issued by the pituitary and
start secreting milk. As birth approaches, the uterine muscle goes into action
thanks to oxytocin, another hormone issued by the pituitary, and this helps
with the birth process. 53
The
way that your skin tans after exposure to sunlight is actually a precaution
taken by the cells to protect the underlying tissue from the damaging effects
of solar rays. Again, the pituitary gland gives the cells this protective
command, by emitting the hormone HSH.
In
the region of the brain where the pituitary gland is located, more than 20
hormones with entirely different chemical structures have been identified. Most
of these hormones possess the ability to stimulate the secretion of other
hormones. How did this flawless equilibrium come into being? How was the
connection between the hormones established? How does one hormone understand a
message from another and react in the correct manner?
The
existence of these 20 hormones, all with very different chemical structures but
which all work in perfect coordination, can never be explained in terms of
so-called, evolutionary mechanisms. Chance can never install hormones within
the body and permit them to acquire these properties. No coincidence-based
process can ever produce the substances that make up the hormones, determine
the signals they transmit, nor install a system by means of which these
hormones know where their messages are to go.
The
pituitary is just one of the regions where hormones are mass-produced. Hormones
of vital importance to our survival are also secreted in such glands as the
adrenals, the pancreas, the sex glands and the thyroid. If any one of these
were to break down or work deficiently, we would be unable to survive. This
whole complex system maintained by the hormonal system constitutes very clear
proof of creation.
It is
the omniscient Allah Who creates the hormonal system and all its details.
The
Manager of the Hormonal System
The
pituitary gland does not fulfill its own functions only. With an extraordinary
sense of responsibility, it also regulates and monitors the functioning of the
other hormone-secreting glands.
This
is a most important detail, because it reveals how an organ no larger than a pea
acts with an impressive consciousness—which can be better understood when we
examine the pituitary’s capabilities in regulating the functions of the
thyroid, adrenal and sex glands.
The
pituitary gland lies in the middle of the brain, the thyroid gland under the
throat, the ovaries in women and the testes in men, and the adrenal glands
immediately above the kidneys. The pituitary secretes the hormone TSH to
regulate the development and working of the thyroid, the hormones FSH and LH to
regulate the working of the sex glands, ACTH to regulate the working of the
adrenals, and LTH to regulate the development of the mammary glands. 54
To
examine the effect of the pituitary on just one of these organs: When
necessary, the pituitary secretes ACTH to regulate the adrenals gland, the
hormone leaves the pituitary and reaches the adrenals by way of the
bloodstream. The adrenal glands read its “message” and immediately begin a
series of chemical processes by producing the requisite hormone.
In
order to do this, the pituitary gland has to know the function of the adrenals,
how the adrenals discharge that function, and the necessary sign to set the
adrenal gland into operation.
Another
point that needs to be borne in mind is the distance traveled by these hormone
molecules, far too small to be seen with the naked eye. The distance they
travel from the brain to the kidney is the equivalent of thousands of
kilometers in human terms.
This
leaves a great many questions to be answered: How can the pituitary know the
responsibilities of another gland so far away and produce just the right
chemical and physical formulae to set the adrenals into action? Why did the
pituitary assume responsibility for regulating the adrenals’ functioning? How
did these chemical substances’ ability to communicate come about? How did mere
molecules, unable to see, hear or think, come by such consciousness?
A
human being is a conscious entity, able to find methods of using and developing
that consciousness. Despite all the superior intelligence, learning ability,
and the capacity to research and draw conclusions that human beings possess
compared to other living things, they can never—unless they have received
special training—know where the hormones in their bodies are secreted, nor ever
produce them. It is also impossible for us to intervene in our hormones’
functioning change the places they are secreted from, or add any new ones.
The
glands that secrete hormones are collections of cells, themselves consisting of
inanimate and unconscious atoms. How can these unthinking organs do what entire
human beings cannot? How are organs in the depths of the human body, that can
never meet one another, able to exhibit such conscious intelligence?
Evidently,
hormones and the glands that secrete them were created, possessing all these
features, by a superior power, and were specially located inside the human
body. To ensure their continuity, a special system was created, without
exception, in all human beings, and this information has been encoded in their
DNA.
All
these processes require an unsurpassed intelligence. That superior intelligence
is that of Almighty Allah, Creator of the entire universe, the Lord of the
Worlds, Who has no equals.
Say: “Am I to desire other than Allah as
Lord when He is the Lord of all things? What each self earns is for itself
alone. No burden-bearer can bear another’s burden. Then you will return to your
Lord, and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed.”
(Surat al-An‘am: 164)
OTHER HORMONE
COMMUNICATION EXCHANGES
The
Thyroid Glands
The
hormonal system’s other distribution centers include the thyroid. The thyroid
gland regulates your body’s metabolism, so you can enjoy a healthy life. Thanks
to thyroxin, a special hormone it produces that affects all the cells in the
body, determines the amount of oxygen those cells will use.
For
example, if thyroxin is given to a cell in which mitochondria are present, then
its oxygen consumption and energy production rise. Insufficient thyroxin in the
blood leads to a slowing of the metabolism and increased levels of water and
sodium in the tissues. 55
The
thyroid’s production and secretion of thyroxin again take place thanks to an
interconnected system. Thyroxin’s secretion is brought about by another
hormone, thyrotropin, secreted from the anterior lobe of the pituitary.
Calcitonin
is yet another hormone secreted by the thyroid gland. Together with the
parathormone (or PTH) secreted by the parathyroid gland, calcitonin plays an
important role in regulating the body’s calcium-phosphate level. Regulation of
calcium levels is of vital importance, since this substance is used in such
essential processes as bone formation, the functioning of the muscular and
nervous systems, blood clotting, and active carriage from the cell membrane.
Therefore, a specific level of calcium needs to be maintained in the
bloodstream. That explains why the bones act as a kind of bank, storing
calcium. These two different hormones allow calcium to be “deposited” in or
“withdrawn” from the bones. 56
The
parathormone produced by the parathyroid gland, located above the thyroid,
plays a role in helping calcium stored in the bones get returned to the blood.
This hormone’s secretion is regulated without any direct influence from the
pituitary or nervous system, but automatically, depending on the level of
calcium in the bloodstream. This hormone identifies when the level of calcium
in the blood has fallen and accelerates the passage of calcium from the bones.
Then when the level of calcium in the blood exceeds a certain level, the
thyroid secretes the hormone calcitonin, which causes excess calcium in the
blood to pass into the bones for storage there. 57
If
there is a lack—or excess—of this hormone of such great importance, what sort
of problems arise?
In
the case of too little parathormone, the level of calcium in the blood
decreases, accompanied by contractions in the muscles, especially those of the
hands and face. If this constriction occurs in the muscles of the windpipe,
breathing is obstructed, which may lead to death. Too much of the hormone
causes excessive calcium being released into the bloodstream from the bones,
which become easily bent or broken. The kidneys try to expel the excess calcium
from the blood, but these crystals of calcium can lead to kidney stones. 58
As
these examples show, we humans can live healthily and comfortably, thanks to
our hormonal system functioning fully. Indeed, just a small deficiency in the
thyroid gland alone can lead to a great many diseases. So who has established
and maintained such a perfect system? Who realizes which substances have
decreased in the bloodstream, identifies the level of the deficiency and
produces the necessary substances, knows what these substances must contain and
keeps producing them for a long as required, to effect all the other organs in
the body? Does the thyroid itself exhibit such a will? Such a possibility is
quite impossible, of course. The thyroid gland is only a community of cells, in
which it is impossible to seek anything possessed of consciousness.
Neither
can we say that this will or intention belongs to the hormones. What we call a
hormone is a collection of molecules. That being so, where must we look for
that will?
The
sole conclusion we encounter at this point is the fact of creation. All the
glands in the body, all the elements comprising the hormonal system, the
hormones they produce, the molecules within those hormones and the atoms
constituting those molecules are all products of Allah’s incomparable creation.
The
Importance of the Adrenal Glands
Adrenalin,
one of the important hormones produced in the adrenals, serves a very
interesting purpose, causing various sudden bodily changes in times of
emergencies. These changes represent a kind of preparation in the face of
abrupt danger. As an example, imagine someone exposed to imminent threat—who is
attacked by an animal, for instance. In the seconds that follow, that
individual’s body will have requirements very different from those prevailing
under normal conditions. His muscles will need to move faster, his blood
pressure to rise and the heart to beat faster. He will thus be able to run
faster, flee quicker, or deal with the danger in a more powerful manner. But
how is all this to happen?
When
danger approaches, the body’s alarms are activated. The brain sends a fast
command to the adrenal gland, whose cells go into action and swiftly release
molecules of the hormone adrenalin. The adrenalin is released into the blood
and distributed to the various regions of the body.
The
hormone adrenalin has one purpose: to place the entire body on action stations
and allow the individual to become stronger, more resistant and faster.
The
secreted adrenalin molecules adjust the veins, allowing more blood to reach
vital organs in this case of emergency. Cells around the blood vessels leading
to the heart, brain and muscles obey and cause the arteries to expand, so that
more blood reaches those vital organs.
The
adrenalin molecules also cause arteries going to those organs that will not be
needed to contract, thus ensuring that less blood reaches them.
The
effect of the adrenalin widens arteries leading to the heart, brain and muscles
and also contracts those leading to the skin and the liver. Extra support is
thus provided for the organs the body needs most. The vessels leading to the
heart or brain never contract by mistake, nor do those going to the liver or
skin contract in error. The adrenalin molecules know very well what they must
do. The blood vessel cells obey them to the letter. The diameters of hundreds
of vessels in your body, and how much blood they will deliver and where, are
regulated by the mind of a hormone too small to be seen with the naked eye.
There
is another reason behind less blood being pumped to the skin. In the event of
injury, the risk of blood loss is minimized. The pallor of the face at times of
extreme excitement is also due to less blood being pumped to the skin at that
time.
Adrenalin
molecules mean something different to every organ:
The
adrenalin molecules that widen the blood vessels also accelerate the
contractions of the heart muscles. The heart thus beats faster and provides the
muscles with the blood they need for extra strength.
When
the adrenalin molecule reaches the muscle cells, it permits them to contract
more powerfully.
The
adrenalin molecules instruct the liver cells to release more sugar into the
bloodstream. The level of blood sugar rises, and the muscles are given the
extra fuel they need.
As a
result of all these special adjustments, a 100% increase in strength takes
place. Thanks to the changes that adrenalin causes in the body, a person
becomes able to think and make decisions more quickly, is able to fight more
strongly and run faster, and also becomes more resistant.
Adrenalin
molecules know very well what kind of bodily changes the body needs in times of
danger. Moreover, the molecules prepare the body against danger in a most
harmonious manner.
Every
tissue and organ that the adrenalin reaches begins acting toward a common purpose.
No organ acts outside of—or in conflict with—that common goal.
The
reactions the body needs to make and the precautions that need to be taken in
emergency situations have all been prepared, outside the person’s knowledge or
control. The adrenalin hormone’s effects on the body once again prove that its
workings have been created in a special manner to be compatible with one
another.
Glands
That Create the Differences
Between
Men and Women
When
a person reaches puberty, the pituitary realizes that certain changes need to
be made in the body and sends a series of commands to the sex glands, or
gonads. At this, a hormone secreted in the female sex glands (estrogen) matures
the female body and regulates the development of the reproductive organs and
bodily structure, while another hormone, progesterone, prepares her for
pregnancy.
Testosterone,
another hormone secreted in the male sex glands allows the male physical form
to mature and regulates sexual development.
The
hormones produced by the pituitary and thyroid glands in both male and female
bodies possess pretty much the same characteristics. Once puberty has been
attained, however, the gonads produce completely different hormones. When the
body matures, the sex hormones that are never secreted during childhood go into
operation in a particular order and at the appropriate time. How does this
phenomenon take place?
A
molecule in your body calculates the time that has passed, and goes into
operation at a specified time. It is astonishing that an inert substance should
calculate the passage of time and, furthermore, that it should go into
operation at roughly the same age in all human beings. How does a hormone know
about the passage of time? Such a thing is, of course, impossible. It is Allah,
the hormones’ Creator, Who sets hormones into action at specific times. It is
Allah Who stipulates when they will be secreted and when that process will
stop. Allah is He who knows all forms of creation.
A
Very Sensitive Measure
Hormones
are of indispensable importance for our bodies, but how much volume do they
occupy in the blood? One liter of blood contains only from a millionth to a
billionth of a gram of hormones. 59 Even though they
are present in the body in such miniscule quantities, hormones provide communications
in almost all processes in the body, and play a catalytic role.
The
way that hormones, occupying such an unbelievably miniscule volume in the
blood, are secreted in just the right amounts at just the proper time—and the
way that secretion stops at just the right time—are of the greatest importance.
Who
regulates all this? Who realizes that too much hormone has been secreted and
gives the order to “Halt!”?
If
the organs affected by the hormones do more than is required of them, this can
endanger the body. An organ that is working more than is necessary sends a
message to the gland producing the hormones that set it into operation, saying
in effect, I do not need to work any
more. Do not produce any more hormones that make me work.
One
of the diseases arising from a flaw in this system is hyperthyroidism, which
results from an excessive secretion of the thyroid gland. Unless this disease
is treated, survival is impossible.
As we
have seen, this system works in a flawless manner except in cases of sickness.
Every organ knows which gland secretes the hormone that regulates it. If this
gland causes it to labor more than necessary, the organ takes action, and
establishes communication with the relevant organ, allowing the individual to
keep leading a healthy life.
However,
the human in whom all this procedure occurs is unaware of any of it, and
doesn’t need to undertake any efforts in its fulfillment, which is so important
to ongoing health. That is because Allah has made molecules, consisting of
inanimate and unconscious atoms, a means whereby a human being can live in a
healthy manner. This is a proof of Allah’s infinite compassion for all living
things.
Hormone
Packaging
Most
of the various components of a vehicle produced in an automobile plant—the chassis,
windows, engine, and seats—are produced in different factories and assembled
later. The same principle applies to the production of some hormones.
The
different components produced in the ribosomes, in the light of the
instructions in DNA, are brought together in the endoplasmic reticulum region.
Later on, these components are sent on to a different region (the golgi body),
where the hormone is “assembled” into a form in which it can be used.
Though
the hormone is produced in a perfect state, this by itself is not enough. The
hormone must also protect its three-dimensional structure throughout the long
journey it will undertake in the bloodstream, or else it will be damaged or
altered en route and become unable to influence its target organs. However, the
necessary precaution has been taken to avoid this danger. The hormone molecule
is brought to the golgi body and encased in a special packaging, consisting of
a thin membrane. The molecule is now ready for its long journey.
Significantly,
the cells engaged in producing the membrane do not use the hormones themselves,
but send it on elsewhere. The hormones will be used by totally different cells,
which are located too far away for the original cells ever to know. Bearing in
mind the cell’s dimensions, the journey made by the hormones it produces is
comparable to a distance of thousands of kilometers in human terms. The cell
cannot know where or how the substance it has produced with such care and
effort will be used. Throughout its life, however, it continues to produce
complex products, whose purposes it is unaware of, for the sake of that unknown
aim.
For
example, one special hormone produced by cells in the pituitary regulates
kidney activity. A cell in the pituitary gland cannot know what sort of organ
the kidney is, where it is, nor the functions it performs. Then how can it
produce a substance with just the right features to suit the structure of the
kidney, of which it can never have any knowledge? How can it have such control
over the kidney’s operations? It is definitely impossible for all this
perfection to take place by the will of the cells themselves. They were
specially created by Allah to fulfill this task.
To
Whom Does Humanity Owe
This
Magnificent System?
The
theory of evolution maintains that human beings assumed their present form by
small stages, over a process lasting millions of years. This implies that at
one time, some of the body’s organs did not exist, and came into being only at
a later date.
In
order to show how such a claim could never be, let’s take another look at some
of the hormones we have discussed. For example, to balance the level of calcium
in the blood, several independent factors all need to exist at one and the same
time. The absence of even one of those factors—parathormone, for example—will
render the whole system non-functional. This also applies to the other glands
and the hormonal substances they produce. The absence of the aldosterone
secreted by the adrenal glands, for instance, will mean death. That being so,
it cannot be conjectured that the adrenal glands came into existence gradually,
because in their absence, a human being cannot survive.
Similarly,
no human can survive without a pancreas and insulin. Imagine what would happen
to semi-humans with no pancreas. The answer is simple; they would enter a coma
with the first sugary food they ate. Shortly thereafter, they would die and not
wander the Earth for millions of years.
Assume
that some of them went on a very conscious diet—which is actually impossible
since by far the greater part of the foods we consume contain sugar—and managed
to survive. We then face the question of how our imaginary ancestors came to
possess a pancreas and insulin.
Did
some of them one day say, “We need to resolve this sugar problem. How about
placing an organ under the stomach to secrete a hormone that regulates the
level of sugar in the blood?” And did those individuals then grow a pancreas
underneath the stomach? Did they then calculate the formula for insulin and
teach that formula to their pancreas?
Alternatively,
did a “successful” mutation take place one day, as the result of a flaw in the
DNA of one of these imaginary semi-humans, causing the sudden appearance of a
fully-formed pancreas and the hormone insulin?
Yet
even that “perfect” mutation would not be sufficient on its own. At the same
time, in some corner of the brain, as a result of “chance,” a decision-making
mechanism would have to form to keep the blood sugar level under constant
control, send the pancreas instructions to start producing insulin when
necessary, and give the command to stop once sufficient insulin had been
produced as the pancreas.
As
these unscientific scenarios clearly show, it is impossible for the hormonal
system to have come into being by stages, as evolutionists claim. And so it is
with all the other systems in the body. It is impossible for coincidences over
the course of time to endow cells with being able to analyze the substances in
the blood, make decisions on the basis of those analyses, be aware of the
status of other organs and set them in motion, or to use special hormones as a
means of communication.
It is
Allah, the Omniscient, Who creates this flawless system and sets out every
detail in exactly the form it needs to be.
YOUR INTERNAL
AIR-CONDITIONING: THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
From the largest
to the smallest, all the billions of processes take place in the human body
thanks to the energy obtained thanks to oxygen. The respiratory system, in
turn, provides the oxygen our bodies require.
Breathing
takes place automatically. A person makes no effort to carry out this vitally
important function, seldom makes any decisions regarding it and needs not
intervene in it in any way. This miraculous system goes into operation from the
moment you are born, and works without ever stopping. The signal to start the
respiration that will continue throughout life occurs in every newborn baby,
without its being aware of it.
“Respiration”
does not just mean breathing. It is the name given to a whole series of
processes performed in order to let the body produce energy by using the oxygen
in the air.
The
Gateway to the Respiratory System:
The
Nose
Consider
the smells of new-baked bread, honeysuckle in the garden, new-mown grass,
rain-washed soil, meat cooked to perfection, fresh- picked strawberries,
peaches and parsley, the soap you use, your fragrant shampoo and so many more:
For all of these, you are indebted to the sensitive structure in your nose.
Few
people ever consider the many smells they encounter during the course of the
day, nor how these are shaped by the organs within their heads. Yet your sense
of smell imparts the flavors to what you eat. Smell is one of the senses that
let you identify objects.
Smells
enter through the nose with every breath you take. The human nose possesses the
impressive ability to analyze a scent in 30 seconds and to distinguish between
some 3,000 different chemicals. 60
In
the upper part of the nose, two small areas known as the olfactory epithelia
contain a large number of nerve cells. These areas are responsible for scent
perception. Scents move as molecules in the air. As you breathe, these
molecules enter the nose alongside oxygen. When the scent molecules carried by
the air reach the olfactory epithelium, the receptor cells there are stimulated
and send an electrical signal to the brain. The brain deals not with the scent
molecules directly, only with the electrical signals that reach it, and the
brain’s interpretation of those signals is then perceived as smell.
Beyond
just allowing us to enjoy the lovely scents of flowers or delicious foods, the
nose has many other important functions, being the beginning of the respiratory
passages one of the main conduits between the air we breathe and the blood that
transports oxygen to cells throughout the body.
When air enters the nose, it encounters tiny hairs known as cilia and is
immediately subjected to analysis. Molecules in the air are separated out and
examined, and the nature of their smell is forwarded to the brain and
determined, all in as little as 30 seconds.
There
is also a flawless aerodynamic system in the nose. Air does not directly go to
the lungs when it enters the nasal passages. Just like an air-purification
unit, the nose prepares air which may be dirty, too hot, cold or dry, using
very special filtering systems. Thanks to the special undulating structure in
the nose, the air performs a sort of turn, making greater contact with the
cilia and network of blood vessels. Thanks to its undulating structure, the air
filters 15 cubic meters (19 cubic yards) of air a day,—about equivalent to the
volume of air in a room—while cleaning, moistening and warming it.
The
word “dirty” must not be taken as meaning only dusty, however. Together with
the dust that enters with the air, some 20 billion foreign substances such as
bacteria and pollen are prevented from entering the body by means of special
system in the nose.
In
his book Human Engineering, the
evolutionist medical engineer John Lenihan compares the nose to an
air-conditioning system, and describes its flawless creation:
The space behind the nostrils contains
the world’s finest air-conditioning plant, combined with a detection system of
extraordinary sensitivity, which analytical chemists are not yet able to
explain, still less to imitate. . . . the air conditioning system of the nose
is, in engineering terms, very well designed. 61
Air,
having deposited dust and all kinds of harmful bacteria inside the nose, then
passes over the three undulating structures in each nostril. Any foreign bodies
that attach themselves to the tiny hairs there are then neutralized by the
antibacterial mucus there. As it meets these undulations, the air changes
direction and strikes the mucosal fluid on the wall of the nose. The cleaning
of the air is most wide-ranging, because if a bacterium or other harmful body
were to enter such a sensitive organ as the lung, this could have damage the
individual’s health. Yet if any harmful bodies nonetheless manage to pass
through the nose, they are caught in the respiratory passages.
The
cleaned air is now ready to pass to your lungs through the windpipe. But before
we follow the air on its journey through the respiratory system, it will be
useful to emphasize our air-conditioning analogy. An air-conditioning system
also regulates air temperature. So, how did such a system come into being in
the human body? How was it installed? How did it come to be present and fully
formed in every human being?
Is it
possible for all the components of such an air conditioning system to be the
work of coincidences? Imagine that we place all the fully formed parts of an
air-conditioning system into a room. Even if we re-enter that room one million
years later, will we encounter a fully functioning air-conditioning system?
Even if the system has come into being by itself, its parts will have long
since rusted and broken down.
In
order for any technical device to come into existence, there must logically be
a talented maker, making a deliberate effort to put the component parts
together in a specific order. Any logical person will agree with that. In terms
of functioning, there is no difference between the air-conditioning in our
bodies and those we are familiar with outside—and moreover, ours is far superior
in its structure. The system’s inimitable creation belongs to Allah. Allah has
created Man together with the most perfect systems for his survival. Allah is
the flawless and peerless Creator of all.
He is Allah–the Creator, the Maker, the
Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the
heavens and Earth glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surat
al-Hashr: 24)
The
Windpipe’s Vital Passageway
In
the next stage of the respiratory process, the clean air from the nose will
descend further down, into the windpipe.
Examined
under the microscope, the windpipe reveals a structure that protects the lungs
by constantly cleaning itself. The windpipe’s interior is carpeted in vibrating
hairs with a link-like structure. These tiny hairs engage in a constant
whip-like motion away from the direction of the lungs, and toward the mouth.
Smaller particles falling onto them are thus propelled up the throat, away from
the lungs. The windpipe joins the esophagus in the throat region and propels
the accumulated waste particles and bacteria that could lead to sickness in the
lungs into the esophagus, where they are swallowed in to the stomach; where the
stomach’s gastric acid destroys them. When you wake up in the morning, the
reason for your feeling a fullness in your throat and hearing your voice
altered is that foreign bodies and bacteria accumulated in your windpipe during
the night-long cleaning process.
That
is by no means the end of the safety systems protecting the lungs. If liquid or
pieces of food chance to enter the windpipe, these are expelled by the
explosion of air known as a cough, which can expel air at a speed of 960
kilometers/hour (596 miles an hour). 62
The
windpipe is a tube of some 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) long that runs from the
throat to the lungs. The tube must always be open, or else the individual will
suffocate. But it is not easy to make sure that this flexible tube running
through such a mobile region as the neck is kept open constantly. Thanks to the
windpipe’s perfect creation, however, it has been reinforced with C-shaped
cartilage that prevents the windpipe from closing.
The
absence of any one aspect of this complex system would lead to irreparable
harm. Kartagener syndrome, for example, is a genetic disease, in which all the
components of the system are present, but the tiny hairs coating the windpipe
lack the ability to move. The great majority of babies born with this
deficiency suffer recurrent lung infections and die before reaching childhood.
These
micro-hairs in the depths of the human body, invisible to the naked eye, work
with all their might for the body’s health, literally transporting the dust and
foreign bodies away from the lungs. The billions of micro-hairs, which you are
never aware of but which work night and day on your behalf, are proofs that the
human body was created.
Could
You Make a Device
to
Clean Your Own Blood?
The
oxygen that passes through the windpipe moves down through the two bronchia
that lead to the two lungs on the right and left of the chest cavity. The lung
is one of the most important organs in the whole body. In addition to its
blood-vessel connections to all the other organs, it possesses its own
exceedingly complex internal creation.
Before
detailing the lung’s structure, consider how any production is implemented.
The
first stage consists of a specific plan, following which specific components
are brought together. Looking around you, you will see many products of
design—on the cover of this book, in its internal layout, and in its subject
matter. The paper this book consists of, the clothes you have on, and the chair
you are sitting in are all products of design. As the detailed evidence
presented in this book so far, there is also obvious creation in the human body.
Now,
imagine that you’re asked to make a human body.
You
must plan a device that will clear the carbon dioxide from the blood and
replace it with oxygen. But that device also has to be small enough to fit into
a human body.
In
order to make it, first you need to know thousands of details about the
chemistry and behavior of oxygen and carbon dioxide, how oxygen is transported
in the blood, the structures of the molecules that do the carrying, and
oxygen’s atomic properties. It is totally impossible for you to make the
required device without that information.
If
you engage in wide-ranging research into blood and oxygen, you will conclude
that in order for the CO2 in the blood and the O2 in the
air to change places, then the blood and the air need to make contact with each
other over as wide an area as possible. This area must be at least 100 square
meters (119 square yards) in size. In other words, the device you need to make
must place blood and air in contact over that wide an area, but also must be small
enough to fit into the human body. No doubt that a very superior intellect is
required to possess the knowledge to make such a device.
Call
together the world’s most expert designers to produce such a mechanism, using
the most up-to-date technology. Yet no matter how hard you try, you will never
be able to make a device produced as perfectly as your own lungs.
What
kind of technology must there be for the lungs’ surface area of 100 square
meters (119 square yards) to be packaged and installed? To answer that
question, we must examine the lungs’ miraculous properties.
Perfect
Creation in the Micro-Sacs
Examining
the lung, you encounter a flawless structure created to bring together oxygen
and carbon dioxide.
Inside
the lung are more than 300 alveoli, each no larger than the tip of a needle,
with a diameter of just 0.25 millimeter (0.01 inch). When the total area
occupied by these alveoli is calculated an astonishing figure emerges. The
surface area of the human lung is between 70 and 100 square meters (83 and 119
square yards). The squeezing of such a large surface area into such a small
volume is the work of an impeccable creation.
There
are blood vessels on the inner surfaces of these 300 million alveoli. Every
time you breathe, the alveoli fill with air, and the carbon dioxide in those
blood vessels changes place with the oxygen atoms in the air.
However,
it is not as easy for these air sacs to open and close as might appear. In the
same way that it is difficult to inflate a balloon for the first time, so it is
just as hard to inflate alveoli, which possess very high tension under normal
conditions. Yet you experience no difficulty in breathing in and out. You don’t
even feel our alveoli opening and closing, because your respiratory system’s
creation allows you to breathe with ease. The absence of a system that allows
the alveoli to open and close easily with each breath would lead to such
serious, if not fatal problems.
As
always, the very best creation possible has been placed at our disposal.
The
surfaces of the more than 300 million alveoli in your lungs are covered in a
substance known as surfactant, which helps the alveoli open and close and
reduces surface tension.63 Another function
of this substance is to prevent the alveoli from closing fully during
exhalation. Thanks to surfactant, a certain amount of air remains in the lung
even after the most powerful exhalation. In this way, blood circling around the
alveolus is always in contact with the air and thus regularly transports oxygen
to the body’s cells.
Surfactant
is synthesized by a very special group of cells, called type II granular
pneumocytes, on the surface of the alveoli. Thanks to these cells, not found
anywhere else than in the lungs, you can inhale and exhale with no difficulty.
One of
this substance’s miraculous aspects is that it begins to be produced a month
before a baby is actually born. How can a baby in the womb, where it does not
need to use its lungs, realize that it will face such a difficulty in the
outside air and needs to produce this substance? How does it know that
surfactant will help the air sacs in its lungs? What chemical knowledge does it
use to calculate that it will reduce the alveolis’ surface tension? The absence
of this surfactant will soon cause the newborn to die. In exceptional
circumstances where this precaution is not taken—for instance, in premature
babies, when insufficient surfactant is produced—the result is oxygen
insufficiency. 64
This
sensitive equilibrium seen at every point in the human body is an important
example of the perfection of Allah’s creation of living things. With His
infinite might, He has created every living thing with incomparable forms. The
duty of anyone taking a further step toward knowledge of Allah is to properly
appreciate His might and to fear Him accordingly.
He has given you everything you have
asked Him for. If you tried to number Allah’s blessings, you could never count
them. Man is indeed wrongdoing, ungrateful.
(Surah Ibrahim: 34)
The
Body’s Eternal Flame:
Respiration
In
many respects, the process of respiration can be compared to oxidation, as in a
burning fire. Compared to fire, however, respiration is a chemical process that
takes place slower and at lower temperatures.
Your
cells “burn” the carbon in nutrients by using the oxygen in the air, producing
the energy your body needs. That is why it wouldn’t be inaccurate to describe
the phenomena that take place after every inhalation as the smoldering inside
you of billions of little sparks.
Every
one of the cells in your body requires a constant supply of oxygen. For
example, because the billions of cells on the retinas of your eye are kept
constantly fed with oxygen, you are able to read this book. In the same way,
all the cells that make up the muscles in your body obtain energy by burning
carbon compounds—in other words, by reacting them with oxygen. Every time you
inhale, some 100 trillion air molecules enter your lungs. Of these, around 21%
or 21 trillion, are oxygen molecules. Having entered your body by way of the
respiratory system, these molecules are carried by the bloodstream to the
furthest points in your body, and change places with the CO2 dioxide
molecules there. Although you may imagine that you are simply inhaling, there
is actually a constant exchange of O2, CO2 and water
going on in the depths of your body.
Oxygen
Bearers
The
principal aim of respiration is to expel the CO2 in your cells and
replace it with oxygen. This process actually takes place far from the bodily
tissues—in the lungs. That being so, the O2 entering your lungs must
somehow be transported to the tissues, and the CO2 forming in the
tissues carried to the lungs. How does that transportation take place?
The
indefatigable carriers of both molecules are the erythrocytes in the blood. Erythrocytes
that come into contact with the air sacs in the lungs release the waste-product
CO2 they are carrying and absorb the O2 in them. This
process takes place along a very special membrane: On one side of this membrane
is the oxygen-rich air inside the air sacs (alveoli), and on the other, there
are capillary protrusions only wide enough for just a single erythrocyte to
pass. The O2 molecule is thus able to contact the erythrocytes with
no difficulty.
The O2
molecule is carried to the cells by hemoglobin, a molecule inside the
erythrocyte—whose external appearance resembles a saucer, ideally shaped for
carrying O2 or CO2. Hemoglobin binds with oxygen in the
lung and sets out for the deepest recesses of the body by way of the red blood
cells. When they reach tissues that need oxygen, a miracle takes place. The
hemoglobin molecule, with its very special creation, is chemically affected by
its environment. The chemical link between it and the O2 is broken.
As a result of this, the hemoglobin releases its load of oxygen molecules to
the cells there.
Nor
is that the end of hemoglobin’s functions. It also transports back to the lungs
the CO2 that needs to be carried away. To sum up this process:
The CO2 that emerges from
cell respiration passes to the tissue fluid, and from there to the capillary
vessels. Part of the CO2 molecule attaches to the erythrocytes’
hemoglobin and is carried in the form of carbamino hemoglobin. Another part
turns into carbonic acid by combining with water under the effect of an enzyme,
carbonic anhydrase. Later, the carbonic acid divides into bicarbonate and
hydrogen ions; and the hydrogen ions are caught by the hemoglobin. In this way
the CO2 is brought from the tissue capillaries via the veins to the
heart, and then to the lungs. Following a number of processes in the lung, the
carbon dioxide is finally expelled during exhalation. 65
There
is yet another noteworthy feature in the structure of hemoglobin. In the same
way that it possesses the ability to transport O2, hemoglobin also possesses
the ability to carry that oxygen to just the right destination, thanks to a
chemical link between hemoglobin and oxygen. To emphasize the importance of
this property of hemoglobin, the following analysis will be useful:
If
the link between hemoglobin and oxygen were slightly weaker, hemoglobin could
not bind to O2, and the latter could not reach the tissues—spelling
death for living things.
If
the exact opposite were true—and the link between hemoglobin and O2
were any stronger—then the two could not separate once they reached the
tissues. The cells would be deprived of oxygen, and would expire within a few
minutes.
This
offers clear evidence that hemoglobin is specially created as a perfect system
for transporting O2 in the human body. Every detail within that
system is proof of the infinite nature of Allah’s knowledge and power. There is
an infinite range of possible molecular attractions between hemoglobin and O2.
Yet the most ideal of all of these attractions has been established between the
two—neither too strong nor too weak, but at just the right level. This cannot
have come about by chance, but is clearly the product of a deliberate creation.
Any
defect or deficiency during the production of a molecule, during the
respiratory process or the pumping of the blood, any change in the blood’s
contents (a simple kidney problem is
enough for that to happen), will lead first to severe illness, then to death.
That being so, none of the components making up this system could have come
into being of its own accord. All must have come into existence at the same
moment, within the same body. And this applies not just to the process of O2
transport in a single cell, but to every individual process in all the
trillions of cells in all the billions of people on Earth.
As
you’ve seen, hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs. Yet the production of
this complex molecule is entirely under the control of the bone marrow. Can the
bone marrow cells know about an organ so very distant from them and to decide
to initiate processes according to its requirements? It would clearly be quite
irrational to maintain so.
Evidence
of an incomparably superior Intellect can be seen in every detail of the
respiratory system. The existence of that system—so complex and yet so perfect—can
never be explained in terms of random coincidences. The only explanation is
creation. Out of nothing, Allah has created humans with their flawless bodily
structures.
It is He Who created the heavens and the
Earth with truth. The day He says ‘Be!’ it is. His speech is Truth. The Kingdom
will be His on the Day the Trumpet is blown, the Knower of the Unseen and the
Visible. He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware. (Surat al-An‘am: 73)
Details
of the Superior
Creation
in the Lungs
To
Breathe In and Out, the Lung Needs an External Power Source
Human
beings are unaware of what happens as they breathe. The way respiration
accelerates as they run or slows during sleep, is nothing extraordinary. Yet
the way that inhalation and respiration regulate themselves is a miracle all by
itself.
The
lungs pump air in and out for a whole lifetime, and in order to function, the
lungs—just like all other organs—need energy from outside. That is provided by
the rib muscles, directly underneath the ribcage, in the diaphragm. When you
inhale, the ribs move outward and upward. The lung pulls the air down the
windpipe. When you exhale, the ribs are pulled back in, while the diaphragm
muscle beneath the ribcage moves up. As the lungs contract, air in the tiny air
sacs is pressurized and departs up through the windpipe.
You
can make no contribution at all to these activities inside your body. You can
give no instructions nor contribute to how your muscles work. Neither do you
have any need to do so, because the energy for your lungs has been provided by
a superior Intellect.
Expansion
of the Ribcage
Facilitates
Breathing
The
ribcage plays a very important role in the respiratory system, but this
structure’s best-known feature is the way that it protects the internal organs,
especially the heart and lungs. Yet the ribcage’s flexible nature is also
important in facilitating breathing.
When
you inhale, the armor plating of your bony ribcage possesses a surprising
elasticity. The ribcage, which under normal conditions resembles a hard
protective shield, is astonishingly flexible. However, if the ribcage were just
a little less flexible than it is, the lungs could not expand and you could not
breathe comfortably. Allah has created that flexibility in an ideal form that
is neither too much nor too little—a blessing for human beings.
The
System of Shock-Absorbers
in
the Lungs
The
ribcage’s protection against external blows, the hairs in the windpipe that
prevent dust entering from the outside, the nasal mucus that regulates the
temperature of inhaled air and traps germs, the production of surfactant that
eliminates surface tension in the air sacs, and many more such details—these
are hardly all the systems in place to safeguard the lungs. A different
protection mechanism also prevents friction between the lung surface and other
organs.
The
external surface of the lung is covered in a layer of membrane (pleura), so
that the lung is never harmed as you breathe in and out. The pleura surrounding
each lung just like bags is in contact with another membrane covering the chest
wall and the internal surface of the diaphragm, with slippery liquid between
them. The outer surface of the lung thus never makes contact with any other
organ during respiration, and the lung is protected from friction. 66
In
addition, the negative pressure or vacuum between the membrane covering the
lung and the one surrounding the chest wall causes the lung to adhere to the
chest wall. This allows the lung not to be crushed by its own weight. If the
lung’s vacuum environment is impaired for any reason—in a traffic accident for
instance, or when a sharp object pierces the chest wall—the lung deflates like
a balloon and with a so-called “collapsed lung,” the individual may die. 67
This system is another indication of the lung’s splendid creation.
The
Automatic Regulation of Breathing
The
frequency and depth of the respiration varies according to the body’s activity
and the surrounding environment. For example, anyone who is running or climbing
stairs breathes faster and more deeply than one sitting down, because muscle
cells expend more energy while the body’s in motion. The body’s trillions of
cells therefore need more O2 than usual. In addition, the excess CO2
produced by the cells must also be expelled. If the increasing oxygen demand is
not met, all the cells will suffer. The cells in such regions as the brain and
heart, which have a low tolerance for lack of oxygen, will soon lose all their
vitality.
In
order to provide more O2 and remove more CO2 than normal,
the only solution is to accelerate the respiratory system by ensuring that the
lungs work faster. A special system must therefore come into operation to bring
that about. And indeed, the respiratory system indeed possesses a miraculous
system that comes into operation at times of sudden need.
Respiration
is controlled by centers in the brain via the spinal cord. Nerves going to the
diaphragm and rib muscles ensure that these structures contract at a regular
rates of 4 to 5 times a second. If these nerves are cut, then respiration comes
to a stop.
Another
factor that influences respiration is the level of CO2 in the blood.
In situations where the metabolism hastens, the CO2 level also
rises. As a result, blood acidity rises and therefore, blood pH drops, which
affects the respiratory center in the nervous system. These centers in turn
stimulate the diaphragm and rib cage by means of the nerves to accelerate
respiration. Oxygen is taken in and CO2 expelled more quickly. The
level of carbon dioxide in the blood is thus returned to normal, and blood pH
is adjusted.
If
respiration increases more than necessary, the brain stem makes the requisite
adjustments. In addition, pressure-sensitive receptors on the outer face of the
lung send the necessary instructions to the brain stem, telling it to not to
breathe so deeply, since the lung is expanding more than it needs to. 68
As
you see, this system is interconnected in all respects. Therefore, the nervous
system, respiratory center, diaphragm and all the other components must have
emerged at once. In order for respiration to be automatically regulated,
therefore, the system has to exist fully formed, as an integral unit. In other
words, all its components have to be present all at once, appearing at the same
time.
According
to the theory of evolution, none of these details in the lung existed in the
beginning. Each one of these flawless features formed gradually by means of
coincidences. Yet that claim is in obvious conflict with both science and
reason. First of all, for a human being to breathe, all the features in the
lung just described must have existed right from the beginning, in the first
human being who ever lived. For example, ribs whose cartilage “hinges” lacked
elasticity, or a lung that lacked alveoli or the surfactant around those
alveoli, or with no protective membrane around it, would serve no purpose. It
is impossible for evolution’s chance mechanism to bring any organ into being or
to let it acquire any features. That will never change, not even over hundreds of
millions, or even trillions of years.
These
details in the human body are some of the proofs of Allah’s existence. Allah,
Who has no partners in creation, builds this interconnected order. Allah is the
Almighty, Who has knowledge of all forms of creation.
Your Lord is Allah, Who created the
heavens and the Earth in six days and then settled Himself firmly on the
Throne. He covers the day with the night, each pursuing the other urgently; and
the sun and moon and stars are subservient to His command. Both creation and
command belong to Him. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surat
al-A‘raf: 54)
A
RESISTANT STRUCTURE:
THE
SKELETAL SYSTEM
At
this moment, you may well be sitting or lying down. After finishing this book,
you may want to replace it on the top shelf of the bookcase. Also, you may want
to continue sipping the cup of tea you are holding in one hand. However,
whatever action you perform, you are indebted to your skeletal bones for your
every movement. Were it not for them, you would be unable to read this text,
move your fingers, or even get up and walk. Your body would crumple up like an
empty sack of flesh. Your organs would be crushed under their own weight, and
within a few seconds, you would die.
Actions
you perform in your daily life without even thinking about them, which might be
described as very simple, all occur thanks to your bones’ functional
structures. Consider, for example, what you do as you read this book. To read
this page, you must have turned over the one before. In doing so, your index or
middle finger went into action first. Your thumb assisted. The three bones
comprising your index finger angled in turn. At the same time, the two bones
comprising your thumb rose up and helped the page turn over. As all this was going
on, your wrist bone and the other bones in your hand also pivoted at particular
angles. Your arm bones of course helped you to hold the book. In short, you
began reading thanks to a mechanism whose existence you may never have been
aware of before, which performed for you a number of functions, again without
your being aware of them, and which are still going on now, as you continue
reading.
Laughing,
running, walking, sitting down, getting up, lying down, writing—you do all
these things thanks to your bones. It is thanks to your skeleton that you can
walk, sit down and stand up, lie down, laugh or eat.
The
framework of the human body is made up of 206 hard components, fitted to one
another just like the parts of a jigsaw puzzle and connected to one another
from specific ends.
Examined
in terms of task and function, the skeleton and the bones that comprise it make
us aware once again that we are faced with a miracle of creation. The bones in
our human body, with all their very different functions, demonstrate to us the
glory of Allah’s creation. This matchless creation is emphasized in a great
many verses, such as : “. . . Look at the bones—how We raise them up and clothe
them in flesh. . . . ” (Surat al-Baqara: 259)
In
another verse, Allah cites the bones’ first creation to a denier who refuses to
believe in eternal life after death:
He makes likenesses of Us and forgets
his own creation, saying, “Who will give life to bones when they are decayed?”
Say, “He Who made them in the first place will bring them back to life. He has
total knowledge of each created thing.” (Surah Ya Sin: 78-79)
THE STRUCTURE OF BONES
In just about all bones in the body,
especially in the long ones, there are two different structures. The bulk of
the bone consists of dense, hard tissue, while the ends consist of a thin layer
of bone made up of a more porous structure. This is actually very important in
terms of the bones fulfilling their functions, because only with such a
characteristic can the bones move, transferring the stress placed on their body
to their joints. If every region of bone had exactly the same structure, then
the bones would lack elasticity and strength.
Bone
tissue consists of cells and the raw material that those cells secrete around
themselves. There are three kinds of cells in bone tissue: those that play a
role in the structure of the bones and provide their shape, those that form the
hollows inside the bones, and those that establish the communications that link
these to one another.
The
Structure that Gives
the
Bones Their Strength
The
internal structure of bone is a microscopic marvel. The skeleton occupies a
rather large space in the body and performs the most vital functions. The
secret of how it is so light and yet so strong lies in the structure of the
bones. Their interior, described by scientists as a marvel of engineering,
possesses a quite amazing creation.
Indeed,
in the second half of the twentieth century, engineers developed a technique
adapted from the structure of bone in the construction of difficult, lengthy
and costly projects such as skyscrapers and bridges. Under this method, known
as the cage system, a structure’s load-bearing elements are constructed not as
a single slab, but in the form of interconnected ribs. With the benefit of
complex calculations capable of being performed by computer—and replicating the
characteristics in bones— large bridges and industrial structures were built
far stronger and far more economically.
However, the system inside the bones is far
more complex than the technique employed in these buildings. Bones possess two
seemingly contradictory features at once:
strength and lightness. Due to the materials employed in their
construction, however, buildings do not possess these two characteristics together.
The porous, hollowed structure of bones makes them light, though they are also
exceedingly strong and resistant.
The
simultaneous presence of these two features, lightness and strength, imparts a
number of benefits on human beings. Any contrary state of affairs would have
lethal consequences. If bones possessed only one of these two
characteristics—if they were strong but heavy, for example—then the entire
skeleton would be far too weighty for human muscles to carry. People’s freedom
of movement would decrease, severely restricting their daily lives. And as a
result of this hardness and brittleness in the bones, the slightest blow would
lead to cracks and fractures.
In
the exact opposite case—if the bones were light, but not hard—the body could
not exist in its present form. Many vitally important organs such as the brain
and heart would be exposed to constant danger.
Furthermore,
bones possess different features depending on the position they occupy in the
body. All bones are strong and elastic, although the levels of these properties
do vary. The rib cage, for example, is strong enough to protect such vital
organs as the heart and lungs, but also possesses the capacity to expand and
contract in such a way as to permit easy breathing. If the ribcage consisted of
bones as hard as the skull, then breathing would be almost impossible, and the
lungs would become trapped in this hard cage every time you inhaled. As these
examples show, detailed examination of just one feature in the bones reveals a
great many miracles of creation. However, this is by no means the end of the
bones’ special structures.
How
Do We Move?
In
order to move, we need a muscular system as well as a skeleton. All the bones
comprising the skeleton are attached to muscles. As a muscle contracts, it
pulls on a bone and enables it to move. In this way, the muscles and bones act
together, allowing you to walk, sit, stand up and perform many other movements.
In the actions we perform countless times throughout the course of the day,
your bones and muscles are used together. You walk, speak, eat, sit and lie
down only thanks to the coordinated functions of your muscular-skeletal system.
The
muscular system understands the bones’ structure and functions, and the bones
are equally well acquainted with the muscles; they literally understand each
other. When you go to sit down, the knee joint bends, together with the leg
muscles contracting. You are thus able to sit down without difficulty, and
stand up again. The muscle surrounds and attaches to the bone so perfectly that
every condition necessary for the muscle’s contraction is met. The tendons
never come loose from the bone, and neither does the bone tear the muscle,
except in cases of injury. These two entirely different complex tissues with their
entirely separate systems cooperate with each other perfectly.
So
how did this cooperation come into being? How did these flawless systems, a few
examples of which we shall be considering in some detail, arise in the human
body?
First,
in order for vital functions to be performed, clearly they must all be present
as a whole, to have emerged at a single moment. It is therefore impossible for
complex bodily systems to have developed gradually, on their own. In addition,
tissues such as muscle or bone clearly cannot possess such attributes as
awareness, knowledge, calculation or cooperation. This leads us to only one
conclusion: that mankind was created by a creator. That Creator is Allah, He
Who is aware of all, Who knows the needs of every living thing down to the very
finest detail. Allah creates human beings’ bones and Who permits them to work
in unison by attaching them to muscles. Allah knows all forms of creation.
There is no doubt that Allah creates everything to perfection.
How many Signs there are in the heavens
and earth! Yet they pass them by, turning away from them. Most of them do not
believe in Allah without associating others with Him. Do they feel secure that
the all-enveloping punishment of Allah will not come upon them, or that the
Last Hour will not come upon them all of a sudden when they least expect it?
(Surah Yusuf: 105-107)
The
Perfect Lubrication
System
Between the Bones
Bones
possess different features, depending on where they are located in the body.
For example, those skeletal bones that move constantly need very different
support to those that remain largely immobile. We can consider your joints as
examples. Since the vertebrae that comprise your spinal column, and the joints
in your legs, arms, hands and feet are in constant motion, they also need
support systems.
Friction
can occur anywhere that the moving parts of any mechanical device make contact
with each other. Where there is friction, parts break down eventually. Every
moving mechanical system, from a simple door hinge to a car engine with the
latest technology, needs to be regularly lubricated. However, lubrication does
not entirely eradicate wear, but only delays it. For example, even though car
engines are lubricated every five thousand kilometres wear can still not be
entirely eliminated. That is why engine parts constantly need changing.
But
even though the joints of humans and animals are in constant motion throughout
their lives, they never require maintenance in any form. If you think of a
human covering a distance of around 100,000 kilometers (62,140 miles) in a
lifetime, the miraculous aspect of this becomes all the more apparent.
Were
it not for the assistance from your joints, you would be unable to move,
because all your bodily movements occur thanks to how your joints move against
one another. During a basketball match, what are the responsibilities of the
players’ joints as they run, dribbling the ball?
Anywhere
two bones come together, the duty of the joint is to keep the distance between
the bones as great as possible to prevent any friction. But in such a
condition, it would be impossible for the knees, elbows or wrists to move
comfortably. Were it not for the joints’ unique structure and the buffer zone
in between them, you would be able to move only in stops and starts, like a
robot.
Scientists
have been studying the joints’ attributes for many years now, particularly how
they prevent friction. Their aim is to adapt to robots this perfect system in
the human body. At first, researchers thought that the absence of friction in
the wrists stemmed from fluid in the joints, but subsequently they realized
that this fluid had no power to prevent friction. In a most superior example of
creation, the surfaces of the joints were covered with a fine layer of porous
cartilage, underneath which was a dense liquid. In the event of pressure on one
part of the joint, the bone pushes this liquid out through the cartilage, and
the joint surfaces are allowed to slide just as if they were coated in oil.
As we
have seen, human beings possess a flawless creation in all aspects, and this
allows them to move.
The
Skeletal System’s Superior
Load-Bearing
Capacity
In
addition to their perfect functions, the bones comprising the skeleton also
have a flawless internal structure, with the capacity and strength to bear
weight with no difficulty. Indeed, a rather wide safety margin has been
included, for any difficulties the body might conceivably be exposed to.
The
pelvic bone has one of the greatest load-bearing capacities, able to withstand
a load of one ton in the upright position. Indeed, with every step you take,
you place on this bone a load of three times the weight of your body. When a
pole-vaulter lands, the pelvic bone is exposed to a pressure of 1,400 kilos
(3,086 pounds) per square foot. The bones in your body are subjected to intense
weight and pressure every time you lie down, sit, or stand up from a sitting
position. During all these movements that you perform without thinking, a
complex skeletal system goes into action in a most systematic manner.
In
order to fully grasp the perfection of the creation in the bones let us draw a
comparison. Steel is one of the strongest and most functional materials, being
both strong and flexible. Yet a piece of bone is actually much stronger than
solid steel, and ten times more flexible. Bones are also superior in terms of
weight. A steel carcass is three times heavier, in relative terms, than the
human skeleton.
It is not only steel, but any other material
used by mankind that lags far behind when compared with the structure of bones.
It will be seen that compared with the same weight of reinforced concrete,
bones have four times the load bearing capacity.
Bones:
The Body’s Living Bank
Most
people imagine bones to be inanimate substances, but apart from their outer
layers, they are in fact living tissues, containing microscopic blood vessels,
nerves, and bone marrow. At the same time, the bones store vital substances
such as calcium and phosphorus and return these to the body when needed for any
reason.
What
would happen if there were no calcium in the body?
Calcium
assumes a most important role in ensuring that stimuli from the outside
environment reach the nerves. Without calcium, signals could not reach the
nerves, leading to paralysis and failure of the internal organs, eventually
resulting in death.
But
calcium’s importance goes even further.
When
you cut yourself, the blood congeals soon afterwards, preventing your death
from blood loss. This is of vital importance. If blood did not clot, all of it
would eventually flow out of your body from even the tiniest cut as in the case
of fluid running out of a barrel with a hole in the bottom. However, a
miraculous mechanism ensures that clotting does take place to protect us from certain
death, as you saw in Chapter 1. Calcium is one of the main factors that sets
this mechanism in motion, and were it not for the calcium stored in the bones,
your blood would not clot.
Your
Bone Cells’ Ability
to
Trap Calcium
We
have already stated that the bone cells serve as calcium and phosphorus depots.
There is another important point here that needs to be dwelt on. A bone cell,
which has no sense organs, can easily distinguish calcium and phosphorus from
the thousands of different substances in the blood, and then traps these atoms
with perfect accuracy.
Unless
he has received special training, no human being can possibly distinguish
between different elements such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc placed
before him in powder form. Could you separate and remove all the calcium
particles from this mixture? If not, then you can better understand the success
achieved by the bone cell, which has not received any special training in this
field.
At
the same time, the bone cell is also most obedient, just like all the other
cells in the body. When instructed to store calcium or to stop, it obeys at
once. 69 The bone cells continue to serve,
day and night, with great ability and discipline.
Bone
Marrow: The Machine
That
Produces Blood Cells
A
large hollow area in the centers of bones contains the marrow that ensures the
production of the necessary materials for blood. Marrow consists of fat, water,
erythrocytes and leucocytes. Yellow marrow, consisting almost entirely of fat,
is found in some bones. In red marrow are produced and stored the red blood
cells that provide carry O2 and CO2 and the white cells
that protect against infections.
The
hemoglobin molecules in the erythrocytes produced in red marrow distribute
oxygen to all the cells after taking it on in the lungs. If the level of blood
production in red marrow were just a little lower, then we would develop anemia
and eventually die from lack of oxygen. Production in the marrow therefore
needs to be constant. Various precautions have been taken inside the body to
ensure that nothing ever goes wrong with such a vital function.
These
precautions may be compared to strategies being changed according to the course
of an enemy’s progress.
When
the body is fighting an infection, defensive white cells are produced in the
red marrow. Yet these cells may not always be enough. In the event that the
enemy puts up a better attack than expected, the body sounds the alarm. In
addition to mounting a serious defence, the body also has to go onto the
attack. At this stage the yellow marrow enters the equation. However, since
yellow marrow consists solely of fats, what role can fats play in the defense?
Of
course, the fats themselves play no role in the defense. The yellow marrow’s
basic role is to store fat in the body and to begin producing blood cells when
it receives an urgent signal that the red marrow cannot cope on its own. The
objective is to win by establishing one single force to cooperate against the
foe.
This
important detail can never be explained by the Darwinian logic that links all
of life to blind coincidences, because fluids inside the bones, devoid of
reason or logic, decide to cooperate together in their struggle against an
enemy. At the same time, those fluids demonstrate characteristics they have
never employed before so as to perform different functions.
All
these facts point very clearly towards creation. Examples like these of Allah’s
superior creation are all opportunities for one to turn to Allah and comprehend
His might and greatness.
Every
human being, created with so many superior features, both known and unknown,
has the duty to give thanks to Allah, Who endows us with bodies so perfect in
every way.
A
Self-Repairing Block of Stone
Bones
are as hard as stone, yet they nonetheless still break from time to time.
However, the broken region heals itself shortly afterwards.
If
bones were a little less resilient than they are—if they stored a little less
calcium—they would break under the slightest pressure. If bones also lacked
this self-repairing ability, no doubt that this would mean a great deal of
suffering and trouble. People would be left crippled because their bones did
not mend, and death could even result from breaks in the ribs of skull.
However,
human beings have been endowed with a blessing, of which they are generally
unaware. Apart from following very serious accidents, bones tend not to break.
And those that do for any reason soon fuse back together.
After
being broken, a bone immediately starts to repair itself, and once the repair
process is complete, it becomes even stronger than before, to replicate this
most extraordinary phenomenon, scientific research is aimed at producing a
substance similar to that which comprises human bones. Yet to date, no engineer
has been able to produce a substance as strong yet as light and functional as
bone, that constantly grows and lubricates itself in the way bone does,
requires no shutdown time, and repairs itself when damaged. 70
The
Vital Function of Bone Cells
Various
kinds of bone cells, all of which perform very different functions inside a
single bone, all work together. Osteoblast cells, the makers of bone, ensure
the constant renewal of bone by hardening protein with minerals. Another bone
cell known as the osteoclast permits the exchange of nutrients between blood
and bone tissues, as well as playing a role in the expulsion of wastes from
inside the bone.
Another
function of the osteoblasts is to enable bone to change dimensions and reach
adult form and proportions, by leading to collapse of the tissue in the
interior surfaces, bone marrow hollows and porous bone tissues. It also has an
effect on the external bone surfaces by shrinking protrusions there. Uniform
thickness is thus maintained throughout. 71
As
the osteoclast cells perform their work in the bone, osteoblast cells do not
stand idly by but begin making new bone that will constitute the skeleton.
Osteoblasts bear a heavier burden during childhood, since as growth is more
rapid during that stage, and there needs to be more bone-making than tearing
down. But once the skeleton has reached a certain level of maturity, the
processes of bone making and destruction begin to balance one another. The
bone’s shape and dimensions remain the same during this process, and the calcium
level in the blood and the fluid between the tissues is also regulated.
The
cells present in the bones of every human being, perform exactly the same
functions in everyone. They all know how to reduce the size of the bone
surface, know the differences between the skull and the pelvic bone, and the
different forms they will give to them, when growth has to stop, and what their
thickness must be. They also act in the knowledge that during childhood, they
have more work to do; and possess knowledge of what calcium levels should be at
which time.
As
you see, the bone cells knew one another’s abilities very well and act in a
planned manner. They accurately determine when they need to engage in various
processes. This may be compared to the production schedule in a factory, which
must prevent excess production and the accumulation of too much overstock in
the warehouse, as well as under-production that will result in shortages.
Factories have special planners involved in such work who produce regular daily
or weekly inventories to ensure balanced production in the factory.
In a
comparable way, bone cells maintain the level of calcium at a fixed rate.
Osteoblast and osteoclast cells work in a balanced manner, in that the
osteoblast engages in production, while the osteoclast prevents any excess.
Their communication is impeccable, and the balance never goes wrong, thanks to
which your bones always maintain a sufficient level of calcium.
To
claim that bone cells acquired their capabilities of production-planning and balance-maintenance
of their own will, or that these came into being by sheer chance, conflicts
with logic and with science in every possible way.
A
cell cannot plan or make decisions, or become aware of the imbalances in the
body. It cannot learn. Yet each and every one of the trillions of cells in the
human body behaves like a conscious being, and even exhibits a higher intellect
than that of human beings. This shows that cells are directed by a superior
Force: It is Almighty Allah Who inspires in them knowledge of how they are to
behave.
Have they not reflected within
themselves? Allah did not create the heavens and the Earth and everything
between them except with truth and for a fixed term. Yet many people reject the
meeting with their Lord. (Surat ar-Rum: 8)
The
Spine:
The
Body’s Mobile Joist
The
spine consists of a number of components. Through 33 small, round bones placed
one on top of the other runs the spinal cord, which provides the coordination
between the brain and all the organs, which are equipped with a major
communications network. These bones have been combined with a structure that is
attached to the ribs and the internal organs and results in the body’s upright
posture. The large structure formed by these 33 bones is one of the greatest
engineering marvels in the world.
The
most important task of the backbone is load-bearing. The upper body’s weight is
borne by the backbone. The vertebrae composing the spine move on top of one
another with every step you take, which movement naturally gives rise to
friction. Friction in turn will lead to erosion, and that—for a vertebra
protecting a vital communication network and at the same time bearing a heavy
load—can cause severe problems. So how is this structure of 33 discs protected
from compression—and friction?
Within
the backbone has been located the best possible protective system. Between each
of the vertebrae comprising the spinal cord has been placed a cartilage disc
that works like a shock absorber to soak up pressure.
The
backbone’s shape, in the form of a letter S, has also been created in such a
way as to assist in load- bearing by allowing weight to be distributed evenly.
Due to your body’s weight, an impact from the ground is produced every time you
take a step. This force does your body no damage, however, thanks to the shock
absorbers in the spine and its force-dispersing shape. Were it not for the
elasticity and special structure that reduce the counterforce, then the force
created would be transmitted directly to the head, and the upper part of the
spinal column would shatter the bones of the skull and enter the brain.
That
does not happen, however. You continue to lead a healthy life with the perfect
engineering created by Allah in your human body.
Mechanical Creation
in the Skeleton
Another
example of the flawless creation in the bones is the bones of the feet. Each
human foot is made up of 26 bones, meaning that a quarter of all the bones in
the human body are in the feet. The foot possesses a very special structure
created to facilitate its mechanical functions. We may compare the perfection
in the structure of the sole of the foot to the engineering of a bridge—the
sole’s curved shape helps supports the weight of the body.
We
use automobiles as another example. When a car’s gas pedal is depressed the
pedal works like a lever. In the same way, when you perform a lifting movement,
your toes work like a hydraulic jack, lifting your body into the air. And when
you run, they work as shock absorbers for the legs, so that no harm befalls the
feet, veins or muscles during all these movements.
To
fully grasp the importance of this
special situation, compare any other organ—your hand, for example—with
your feet in terms of weight-bearing capacity. Let’s assume that the same
weight is applied to your hands every time you stand up, that you place your
hands on a table and then place on top of them a weight of 70 to 80 kilograms
(155 to 175 pounds). The flesh will soon be crushed, your veins will burst, and
even your bones will even be shattered. Yet in your feet, which bear the weight
of your body all day long, the veins do not burst, nor are the tissues crushed,
because the foot is specially created to carry weight.
This
is another proof of Allah’s affection for human beings. Allah reveals Himself
to us by creating human bodies whose creation allows us them to live in a most
comfortable manner, feeling no discomfort, and easily able to meet all our
needs. The signs of Allah are visible everywhere for those who can see. The
important thing is to turn to Allah, the Lord of all, by thinking deeply about
this evidence.
In the creation of the heavens and
Earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the
seas to people’s benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky—by
which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it
creatures of every kind—and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds
subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their
intellect. (Surat al-Baqara: 164)
The
Cage That Protects the Brain:
The
Skull
The
skull, a fusion of eight separate bones, surrounds the brain, affording it the
most excellent protection. Just as bones in the body have different properties
according to their location, so the skull has its own unique creation. Unlike
other bones, the sutures where the skull’s bones join together bear protrusions
and indentations, because the skull bones’ fusion points are created to be able
to lie alongside one another.
In adults,
the skull is very hard and strong, but completely different in newborn babies.
The skull of a baby that has only recently left its mother’s womb has a soft
structure, and the eight bones comprising the skull have not yet joined
together. This might seem a disadvantage as far as health is concerned, but is
actually a most important feature that preserves the baby’s life during birth.72 If its skull had a hard bony structure, with
no gaps between the component bones, there would be a high risk of the baby’s
head being crushed during birth. But because of the cartilaginous nature of a
baby’s skull, the bones are flexible enough to bend.
Flexibility
by itself is not enough, of course. The skull also needs room to expand —
provided by the gaps in the skull that are not yet closed until after birth.
The bones of the skull squeeze together to close this gap, and even slide over
one another, decreasing the skull’s volume. In this way, the baby is born
safely after passing through a birth canal only half the diameter of the baby’s
head.
What
if none of these were to apply? For instance, if the skull bones were still
flexible but there were no gap between them, or the exact opposite—if there
were a gap, but the bones were not flexible—then in either case, the baby’s
brain would suffer enormous damage. It is essential that both these properties
be present at the moment of birth. Yet there is one very important factor here:
the mother’s pelvic bones.
Toward
the final months of pregnancy, a woman’s pelvic bones expand and separate
slightly from one another. This means that the baby can be born without its
head being crushed.
Every
feature in the human body has been created in order to protect health and to
prevent any damage. The question here is, “How did the clearly visible
planning, and the creation manifested within it, come into being?” The only
answer is that this incomparable creation belongs to Allah, Who created and
laid out in order everything in the universe. Allah possesses a most superior
intelligence. Everyone who can understand His infinite intelligence and draws
conclusions from that will achieve true salvation. A person’s duty is to
consider these blessings that Allah has created inside him and to give thanks
for them. Allah loves the grateful.
. . . Allah shows favor to humanity, but
most of them are not thankful. (Surah Yunus: 60)
POWERHOUSES IN THE BODY:
THE MUSCLES
Acar has one
single engine. Airplanes often fly with two or four. How many “engines” enable you to hold this
book in your hand, or to take a single step?
Billions!
Whatever
you may be doing, countless microscopic engines produce the power necessary for
you to perform that action. The engines in question are your muscle fibers.
There
are more than 6 billion of these tiny engines in your body, which allow you to
drink, drive, walk, speak, allow your heart to beat, your eyelids to blink, and
let you eat and turn your head. Even as you read these lines, the movement of
your eyes takes place thanks to the energy produced by these tiny motors.
The
size of the muscle cells depends on where they are used. Some may be no more
than 1/100,000th of a centimeter in size, whereas others can be 3 centimeters
(1.18 inches) long. 73
These
tiny muscle fibers come together to constitute larger powerhouses—the muscles
themselves. For example, the muscle that permits you to contract your forearm
consists of the combination of millions of tiny motors.
There
are more than 400 of these powerhouses, large and small, in your body.
Some—those that regulate the amount of light entering the eye, for example—are
very small. Of whatever size, however, all are powered the same way: Billions
of tiny engines work together to allow the muscles to act. When you pick up a
pen, for example, more than 100 individual muscles go into action. 74
The
working systems of all the muscles in your body have been set out within very
sensitive bounds. In addition, your muscles need to cooperate in order for you
to be able to move. One of the muscles’ most important features is their being
linked to a control system that permits us to survive.
The
Control System in the Muscles
Human
muscles are divided into two kinds: those voluntary muscles that you can
control and those involuntary ones that you cannot.
In
order to be able to move our voluntary muscles, you need to think and make a
decision. For example, when you want to bend your arm, the muscles contract in
the light of the command from your brain, and movement then takes place.
Control
of the involuntary muscles, however, does not depend on your wills. Since these
involuntary muscles’ functions are of vital importance, their expansion and
contraction is controlled by the autonomous nervous system. Thanks to this,
your heart, stomach and intestines perform their vital functions, all beyond
your volition. This is a most essential precaution to preserve human life.
What
would happen if the control of the muscles in question were at this very moment
left up to you? Imagine that the control of just one involuntary muscle—, your
heart muscle, for instance—was left up to you. You would have to devote all
your time to contracting and expanding your heart, to the total exclusion of
everything else. As soon as you fall asleep death will inevitably follow, since
you will be unable to supervise your heart’s functioning. Your heart muscle
must never stop working, not even for a moment, not even when you sleep: The
heart continues working, though it does slow down. You therefore need to adjust
your heartbeat according to prevailing circumstances.
This
one example is enough to see how truly wise and flawless are the boundaries set
out with regard to the muscles.
Certain
muscles are under the individual’s control at some times, and outside it at
others. For example, you can open and close your eyelids at will as well as by
blinking—a reflex beyond your control. The diaphragm muscle that allows you to
breathe is another that can be consciously controlled, but it works
automatically during the course of your day-to-day life.
Many
other muscles have their own particular ways of working. Many people are quite
unaware of when they should be working and when not, but thanks to the perfect
control system created inside the body, there is no reason ever to think about
such things. In the face of this considerable facility, a person’s only
responsibility is to give thanks to the Lord, the infinitely merciful and
compassionate, and to behave ways that will be pleasing to Him.
Who could do greater wrong than someone
who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord and then turns away from them,
forgetting all that he has done before? We have placed covers on their hearts,
preventing them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. Though you
call them to guidance, they will nonetheless never be guided. (Surat al-Kahf:
57)
High-Performance
Engines
Muscle
fibers work with a 25% efficiency level—more or less the same as that of modern
car engines.
But
how do the muscle fibers actually work? Again, we can answer that question with
a comparison to a car’s engine.
Any
engine needs fuel to make it work. The fuel used by the muscles is the sugar,
or glycogen, carried in the bloodstream. Some of this high-octane fuel is
stored in the muscles. In car engines, fuel is injected into the pistons, and a
spark ignites the atomized gasoline. The piston expands, and the car’s regular
motion is ensured by means of a series of explosions— all features built into
engines by industrial design.
However,
the creation of a muscle cell is far superior. This tiny cell performs both the
ignition and piston functions, extracting the energy from the sugar molecule
and using it in its own contraction. Both the extraction of energy from
chemical molecules and the transformation of that energy into physical force
take place within the muscle cell.
The
energy produced affects the proteins that constitute the muscle cell. As the
proteins attract one another, the muscle cells contract. As a result of
thousands of cells moving at the same time, an entire muscle contracts and
shortens. Tendons attaching the muscles to the bones move the bones as a result
of that contraction.
These
contractions can produce considerable force. For example, in order for your arm
to bend at the elbow, it’s enough for your forearm muscles to contract by 2
centimeters (0.8 inches). This contraction pulls the arm bone and leads to the
whole arm bending.
All
the muscles you use to move work in basically the same way. But even the
simplest actions, such as opening and closing your eyelids, require several
muscles working together.
Igniting
the Fire:
the
Engines in the Muscles
When
you go to bend your arm, an electrical signal departs from your brain. During
its complicated journey, the signal first passes to the spinal column, from
where it proceeds at high speed to the organ where the message needs to be
delivered. An electrical current moves over the muscle surface. The millions of
muscle fibers receive the signal react immediately and “fire the ignition” by
contracting. These events all take place in the blink of an eye: in as little
as one thousandth of a second. In other words, the electrical current moving
through the muscles turns the ignition switch in the muscle fibers by moving at
a speed of 1/1,000th of a second (1 millisecond).
The
command reaching the muscles is produced and transported in the nervous system.
The muscular system therefore functions under the command of the nervous
system, but the way the muscles work together in harmony results from the
coordination of the body.
The
Body’s Communications Network
The
first condition for coordination is obtaining accurate information. Only with
accurate information can new analyses be performed. And in order for the
muscles to function correctly, there is a magnificent reception network in the
body.
To carry
out a coordinated action, first the location involved in that action must be
known. That information comes from the eyes, the balance mechanism in the inner
ear, the muscles, the joints and the skin. Every second, billions of pieces of
information are processed, analyzed, and new decisions taken as a result.
Millions
of receptors located in the body provide information. Inside the muscles and
joints, billions of micro-receptors provide information at any given moment.
Messages from these receptors reach the central nervous system, and new
instructions are issued to the muscles in accord with the analyses performed
there.
For a
clearer example of this coordination, simply raise your hand. Your shoulder has
to bend, the biceps muscle must expand and the triceps must contract. Muscles
between your elbow and wrist have to turn your arm, and the muscles controlling
your fingers have to give your hand the correct shape. At every stage of this
action, millions of receptors in the muscles report the status of the muscles
to the central control system. A moment later, the center tells the muscles
what to do next. You are of course unaware of these chemical and physical
reactions taking place at breathtaking speed; you merely want to raise your
hand.
Nor
do you make any special effort in order to speak. You never sit down and
calculate what sounds you want to emerge from your mouth, how much your vocal
chords need to vibrate and which of the hundreds of muscles in your mouth,
tongue and throat need to contract and expand—how many times, in which order
and at what level—how much air to take into your lungs, or at what speed and
intervals you need to exhale that same air.
The
nervous system is aware of not just the muscles, but also of the status and
functioning of the internal organs. This information too is processed and the
necessary measures taken. Even while you sleep, your vital organs continue to
function, thanks to instructions received from another part of the nervous
system—the sub-brain and spinal cord. Your heart beats, your lungs work, and
you breathe.
The
body’s speed of information-processing is far beyond that of any computer.
Whatever you do, from the simplest task to the most difficult, your body
performs unbelievable calculations.
Clearly,
all this takes place as the result of a creation requiring infinite might. That
infinite might belongs to Almighty Allah, Creator of the entire universe.
. . . No, everything in the heavens and
Earth belongs to Him. Everything is obedient to Him. (Surat al-Baqara: 116)
The
Harmonious Working
of
the Muscles
For
just a small smile, seventeen separate muscles have to act at the same moment
and perform their correct functions. If just one of those 17 muscles fails to
function correctly, then the smile will not appear, and furthermore the
person’s facial expression cannot be interpreted.
In
the human face, there are 28 muscles whose sole task is facial expression. By
contracting in various combinations, these muscles can produce thousands of
different expressions. The human face has an expression, shaped by the muscles,
for every state of mind, such as anger, surprise, comfort, and enjoyment.
For
you to take one simple step, 54 separate muscles in your feet and back have to
work in harmony together. Holding a flower or drinking a glass of water is
possible thanks to the help of 27 bones and the perfect muscular and nervous
systems that direct them.
Functions
such as smiling, speaking, blinking, walking and running may be very familiar,
but nonetheless everyone who reads about them must stop once again and think.
All the muscles, bones and cells operate independently of the individual. No
one has any power to add any new organ. Even modern technology can not produce
systems similar to those in the human body. For that reason, people must not
forget for even a moment that they are indebted to this flawless system in
their bodies—in other words, to Allah Who created it for them—every time they
smile, and must give thanks for it.
Allah has created human beings in a
perfect manner. As is revealed in verses He has formed and proportioned them.
The human body is one of the proofs of Allah’s power and infinite knowledge.
Everyone capable of using his or her reason will clearly see this truth. “O
man! What has deluded you in respect of your Noble Lord? He Who created you and
formed you and proportioned you and assembled you in whatever way He willed. .
. . ” (Surat al-Infitar: 6-8)
Blinking
and Load-Bearing
Every
one of the hundreds of muscles in the body has unique features such as its
length, lifting power, ability to perform sensitive processes, and elasticity.
Muscles
perform a great many different functions, from simple actions such as blinking
the eyelids to lifting heavy weights. In their structure, for example, the eye
muscles are very different from those in the arms or legs. One feature all
muscles have in common, however, is that they work at a high productivity, in
flawless harmony and produce considerable force.
The
total power of all the muscles in your body is so considerable that if it were
possible to employ all the muscles at once, then you would be strong enough to
lift a large truck. 75
As
we’ll consider in detail in the following sections, that every muscle has its
own particular attributes shows the existence of a manifest creation. The
location of every muscle in just the right place, their ideal sizes, elasticity
and capacities are all very different, but cannot be explained in terms of
chance. Every muscle has been located in just the right place, with just the
right features. For example, it would be meaningless for an eye muscle to have
the same features as ones in the arm. Far from being beneficial, it would be
positively damaging for a muscle similar to the heart muscle, which works
involuntarily, to be in our leg muscles. Indeed, none of these mismatches
occur. Every muscle is in just the right location, with just the right
characteristics.
If
you want to lift anything, your central nervous system has to know the present
length of your arm muscles, their condition and tension, to provide the most
appropriate contraction. When your arm has reached the object in question, the
central nervous system must halt the contraction while setting into action the
muscles of the hand that will take hold of the object. Once you have grasped
the object, the necessary information for extending your arm must be
transmitted to the special sense organs known as muscle marrow. If the chemical
mechanism essential for us to perform any action is obstructed for any reason,
the end result is paralysis.
Paralysis
means the loss of a muscle’s function, due to the incapacity of the nerves
leading to it. Someone with a paralyzed arm, for instance, is quite unable to
move it. The nerve cells extending to the bicep and triceps have lost their
function and are unable to forward on instructions from the brain telling these
muscles to contract. The arm is thus unable to function, even if it is
otherwise healthy.
One single nerve cell failing to forward a
signal is sufficient for an organ failing to work. Therefore, the lack of just
one component of a system will result in its collapse. In addition, as you have
seen, there is stage-by-stage flow of information in the working of the
muscles. Wherever information exists, intelligence is also needed for all the
elements in the system to understand and act on the arriving messages. In this
case, the muscles act in accordance with the instructions they receive from the
spinal cord. In addition, your voluntary muscles work when you want them to—so
in order for them to act, the need to know what you are thinking.
View
in this way, it’s clear that the information possessed by the muscles, the
system that ensures the links between them, or their ability to obey our
thoughts can never come into existence by chance. Yet also, muscle cells
clearly cannot exhibit intelligence.
This
system has existed since the first human came into being, and has been working
perfectly ever since. The muscles of the first human possessed the same
information as will those of every other human who ever comes into the world.
That
is because Allah has created human beings in a perfect proportion. Everything
we have learned leads us to the glory and superior might of Allah.
It is Allah Who made the Earth a stable
home for you and the sky a dome, and formed you, giving you the best of forms,
and provided you with good and wholesome things. That is Allah, your Lord.
Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. He is the Living–there is no
deity but Him—so call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. Praise be to
Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surah Ghafir: 64-65)
The
Reason for Ease of Movement:
Flawless
Harmony
Muscles
in the human body always move in one direction. The bicep, for example, bends
the arm, but cannot restore it to its former position. The triceps muscle is
therefore needed to straighten the arm out again, to its former position. These
muscles have to act consecutively; otherwise, if one were to start contracting
while the other was still functioning, the arm could not move at all. Flawless
coordination regulates the order in which the muscles in the body act.
There
is no doubt that the bones are the most important factor in the transformation
into energy of the power produced in the muscles. As a muscle contracts, it
pulls on a bone and enables it to move. Opposing muscles are perfectly and
securely attached to the bones by ligaments so that they can move in both
directions. Were it not for the bones, the strength the muscles produce could
not be translated into movement. Similarly, were it not for the muscles, the
bones could not move at all.
In
order for a human to move, more than 200 bones and 400 muscles must work
together in a coordinated manner. The bones are joined to one another to permit
the most ideal movement. Each muscle has been located in such a way as to allow
the bones to move comfortably. Obvious creation can be observed in every
detail, from the movement permitted the body by these dual systems, to the
structure of the tendons joining muscle to bone. Bones never separate from one
another because they are loosely connected, and muscles are never prevented
from moving because the joints between bones are too tight.
Of
course, the bone tissue or the cells that comprise that tissue do not make
these decisions. Cells and tissues are devoid of consciousness. Nor is it
possible for this information to be placed inside the cell in any way. There
must therefore be some Force that installs this information in the cell, that
teaches it how to behave—that rules it, in other words. This incomparable
knowledge and might belong to Allah, Who maintains everything under His
control.
Do you not know that Allah is He to Whom
the kingdom of the heavens and the Earth belongs and that, besides Allah, you
have no protector and no helper? (Surat al-Baqara: 107)
CONCLUSION:
HUMAN
BEINGS ARE CREATED
BY
ALLAH
While
reading this book, you may have come to understand how your muscles and bones
work together in moving your legs. As you chewed a meal, you may have thought
how it was being made ready for digestion. And after going to bed, you may have
listened to your heartbeat and remembered that the human heart has a spare
generator. The muscles in your hand may now come to mind as you read this page,
and you’ve tried to follow the movements of your fingers.
It’s
important that your feelings and thoughts should maintain their influence in
the days that follow. And think of the facts related throughout this book in
the face of all events. The purpose behind writing this book is not simply to
provide you with biological information about your human body. The interesting
comparisons and examples, striking accounts and detailed information in the
book are intended to eliminate any erroneous interpretation of the miraculous
events taking place at every moment in the body. Besides avoiding the error of
regarding these phenomena as ordinary, you’ve been asked questions to encourage
you to think with a little effort and acquire greater understanding.
Eradicating the “myth of chance” that hypnotizes people into regarding
evolutionary scenarios as scientific fact is possible only through these
methods.
With
the revelation of evolutionists’ logical inconsistencies, you can also clearly
see that the “scientific“ mask worn by the theory of evolution is nothing more
than a deception.
By
eradicating the spell of evolution, the manifest truth of creation can be seen.
As this book has explained in considerable detail, Allah has created man
without flaw, and has revealed this in His verses.
Our
bodies work non-stop 24 hours a day as a blessing for us. Do not forget,
however, that everything you read in this book entitled The Human Miracle takes place not only in your own body, but in
those of your parents, siblings, children, spouse, relatives and neighbors—in
short in all the other human beings in the world. These systems have also been
present, fully formed and wholly functional, in the bodies of everyone who has
ever lived—and by Allah’s leave, in all those who live in the future.
This
is the creation of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! Allah’s might is infinite.
Those
able to using their reason and conscience, who can see this manifest truth,
will live with the sole aim of pleasing their Lord.
THE
DECEPTION OF EVOLUTION
Darwinism, in
other words the theory of evolution, was put forward with the aim of denying
the fact of creation, but is in truth nothing but failed, unscientific
nonsense. This theory, which claims that life emerged by chance from inanimate
matter, was invalidated by the scientific evidence of miraculous order in the
universe and in living things. In this way, science confirmed the fact that
Allah created the universe and the living things in it. The propaganda carried
out today in order to keep the theory of evolution alive is based solely on the
distortion of the scientific facts, biased interpretation, and lies and
falsehoods disguised as science.
Yet
this propaganda cannot conceal the truth. The fact that the theory of evolution
is the greatest deception in the history of science has been expressed more and
more in the scientific world over the last 20-30 years. Research carried out
after the 1980s in particular has revealed that the claims of Darwinism are
totally unfounded, something that has been stated by a large number of
scientists. In the United States in particular, many scientists from such
different fields as biology, biochemistry and paleontology recognize the
invalidity of Darwinism and employ the fact of creation to account for the
origin of life.
We
have examined the collapse of the theory of evolution and the proofs of
creation in great scientific detail in many of our works, and are still
continuing to do so. Given the enormous
importance of this subject, it will be of great benefit to summarize it
here.
The
Scientific Collapse of Darwinism
Although
this doctrine goes back as far as ancient Greece, the theory of evolution was
advanced extensively in the nineteenth century. The most important development
that made it the top topic of the world of science was Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, published in
1859. In this book, he denied that Allah created different living species on
Earth separately, for he claimed that all living beings had a common ancestor
and had diversified over time through small changes. Darwin's theory was not
based on any concrete scientific finding; as he also accepted, it was just an
"assumption." Moreover, as Darwin confessed in the long chapter of
his book titled "Difficulties on Theory," the theory failed in the
face of many critical questions.
Darwin
invested all of his hopes in new scientific discoveries, which he expected to
solve these difficulties. However, contrary to his expectations, scientific
findings expanded the dimensions of these difficulties. The defeat of Darwinism
in the face of science can be reviewed under three basic topics:
1)
The theory cannot explain how life originated on Earth.
2) No
scientific finding shows that the "evolutionary mechanisms" proposed
by the theory have any evolutionary power at all.
3)
The fossil record proves the exact opposite of what the theory suggests.
In
this section, we will examine these three basic points in general outlines:
The
First Insurmountable Step:
The
Origin of Life
The
theory of evolution posits that all living species evolved from a single living
cell that emerged on the primitive Earth 3.8 billion years ago. How a single
cell could generate millions of complex living species and, if such an
evolution really occurred, why traces of it cannot be observed in the fossil
record are some of the questions that the theory cannot answer. However, first
and foremost, we need to ask: How did this "first cell" originate?
Since
the theory of evolution denies creation and any kind of supernatural
intervention, it maintains that the "first cell" originated
coincidentally within the laws of nature, without any design, plan or
arrangement. According to the theory, inanimate matter must have produced a
living cell as a result of coincidences. Such a claim, however, is inconsistent
with the most unassailable rules of biology.
Life
Comes From Life
In
his book, Darwin never referred to the origin of life. The primitive
understanding of science in his time rested on the assumption that living
beings had a very simple structure. Since medieval times, spontaneous
generation, which asserts that non-living materials came together to form
living organisms, had been widely accepted. It was commonly believed that
insects came into being from food leftovers, and mice from wheat. Interesting
experiments were conducted to prove this theory. Some wheat was placed on a
dirty piece of cloth, and it was believed that mice would originate from it
after a while.
Similarly,
maggots developing in rotting meat was assumed to be evidence of spontaneous
generation. However, it was later understood that worms did not appear on meat
spontaneously, but were carried there by flies in the form of larvae, invisible
to the naked eye.
Even
when Darwin wrote The Origin of Species,
the belief that bacteria could come into existence from non-living matter was
widely accepted in the world of science.
However,
five years after the publication of Darwin's book, Louis Pasteur announced his
results after long studies and experiments, that disproved spontaneous
generation, a cornerstone of Darwin's theory. In his triumphal lecture at the
Sorbonne in 1864, Pasteur said: "Never will the doctrine of spontaneous
generation recover from the mortal blow struck by this simple experiment."76
For a
long time, advocates of the theory of evolution resisted these findings.
However, as the development of science unraveled the complex structure of the
cell of a living being, the idea that life could come into being coincidentally
faced an even greater impasse.
Inconclusive
Efforts of
the
Twentieth Century
The
first evolutionist who took up the subject of the origin of life in the
twentieth century was the renowned Russian biologist Alexander Oparin. With
various theses he advanced in the 1930s, he tried to prove that a living cell
could originate by coincidence. These studies, however, were doomed to failure,
and Oparin had to make the following confession:
Unfortunately, however, the problem of
the origin of the cell is perhaps the most obscure point in the whole study of
the evolution of organisms.77
Evolutionist
followers of Oparin tried to carry out experiments to solve this problem. The
best known experiment was carried out by the American chemist Stanley Miller in
1953. Combining the gases he alleged to have existed in the primordial Earth's
atmosphere in an experiment set-up, and adding energy to the mixture, Miller
synthesized several organic molecules (amino acids) present in the structure of
proteins.
Barely
a few years had passed before it was revealed that this experiment, which was
then presented as an important step in the name of evolution, was invalid, for
the atmosphere used in the experiment was very different from the real Earth
conditions.78
After
a long silence, Miller confessed that the atmosphere medium he used was
unrealistic.79
All
the evolutionists' efforts throughout the twentieth century to explain the
origin of life ended in failure. The geochemist Jeffrey Bada, from the San
Diego Scripps Institute accepts this fact in an article published in Earth
magazine in 1998:
Today as we leave the twentieth century,
we still face the biggest unsolved problem that we had when we entered the
twentieth century: How did life originate on Earth?80
The
Complex Structure of Life
The
primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up in such a great impasse
regarding the origin of life is that even those living organisms deemed to be
the simplest have incredibly complex structures. The cell of a living thing is
more complex than all of our man-made technological products. Today, even in
the most developed laboratories of the world, a living cell cannot be produced
by bringing organic chemicals together.
The
conditions required for the formation of a cell are too great in quantity to be
explained away by coincidences. The probability of proteins, the building
blocks of a cell, being synthesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950
for an average protein made up of 500 amino acids. In mathematics, a probability
smaller than 1 over 1050 is considered to be impossible in practical
terms.
The
DNA molecule, which is located in the nucleus of a cell and which stores
genetic information, is an incredible databank. If the information coded in DNA
were written down, it would make a giant library consisting of an estimated 900
volumes of encyclopedias consisting of 500 pages each.
A
very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can replicate itself only
with the help of some specialized proteins (enzymes). However, the synthesis of
these enzymes can be realized only by the information coded in DNA. As they
both depend on each other, they have to exist at the same time for replication.
This brings the scenario that life originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof.
Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of repute from the University of San Diego,
California, confesses this fact in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific American magazine:
It is extremely improbable that proteins
and nucleic acids, both of which are structurally complex, arose spontaneously
in the same place at the same time. Yet it also seems impossible to have one
without the other. And so, at first glance, one might have to conclude that
life could never, in fact, have originated by chemical means.81
No
doubt, if it is impossible for life to have originated from natural causes,
then it has to be accepted that life was "created" in a supernatural
way. This fact explicitly invalidates the theory of evolution, whose main
purpose is to deny creation.
Imaginary
Mechanism of Evolution
The
second important point that negates Darwin's theory is that both concepts put
forward by the theory as "evolutionary mechanisms" were understood to
have, in reality, no evolutionary power.
Darwin
based his evolution allegation entirely on the mechanism of "natural
selection." The importance he placed on this mechanism was evident in the
name of his book: The Origin of Species,
By Means of Natural Selection…
Natural
selection holds that those living things that are stronger and more suited to
the natural conditions of their habitats will survive in the struggle for life.
For example, in a deer herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those
that can run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of
faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestionably, this mechanism will
not cause deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species,
for instance, horses.
Therefore,
the mechanism of natural selection has no evolutionary power. Darwin was also
aware of this fact and had to state this in his book The Origin of Species:
Natural selection can do nothing until
favourable individual differences or variations occur.82
Lamarck’s
Impact
So,
how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to answer
this question from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science at
that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829),
who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they acquired
during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these traits,
which accumulated from one generation to another, caused new species to be
formed. For instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they
struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from
generation to generation.
Darwin
also gave similar examples. In his book The
Origin of Species, for instance, he said that some bears going into water
to find food transformed themselves into whales over time.83
However,
the laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84) and verified by
the science of genetics, which flourished in the twentieth century, utterly
demolished the legend that acquired traits were passed on to subsequent
generations. Thus, natural selection fell out of favor as an evolutionary
mechanism.
Neo-Darwinism
and Mutations
In
order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the "Modern Synthetic
Theory," or as it is more commonly known, Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the
1930s. Neo-Darwinism added mutations, which are distortions formed in the genes
of living beings due to such external factors as radiation or replication
errors, as the "cause of favorable variations" in addition to natural
mutation.
Today,
the model that stands for evolution in the world is Neo-Darwinism. The theory
maintains that millions of living beings formed as a result of a process
whereby numerous complex organs of these organisms (e.g., ears, eyes, lungs,
and wings) underwent "mutations," that is, genetic disorders. Yet,
there is an outright scientific fact that totally undermines this theory:
Mutations do not cause living beings to develop; on the contrary, they are
always harmful.
The
reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and random
effects can only harm it. The American geneticist B. G. Ranganathan explains
this as follows:
First, genuine mutations are very rare
in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are random, rather
than orderly changes in the structure of genes; any random change in a highly
ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better. For example, if an
earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there
would be a random change in the framework of the building which, in all
probability, would not be an improvement.84
Not
surprisingly, no mutation example, which is useful, that is, which is observed
to develop the genetic code, has been observed so far. All mutations have
proved to be harmful. It was understood that mutation, which is presented as an
"evolutionary mechanism," is actually a genetic occurrence that harms
living things, and leaves them disabled. (The most common effect of mutation on
human beings is cancer.) Of course, a destructive mechanism cannot be an
"evolutionary mechanism." Natural selection, on the other hand,
"can do nothing by itself," as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows
us that there is no "evolutionary mechanism" in nature. Since no
evolutionary mechanism exists, no such any imaginary process called
"evolution" could have taken place.
The
Fossil Record:
No
Sign of Intermediate Forms
The
clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the theory of evolution did
not take place is the fossil record.
According
to this theory, every living species has sprung from a predecessor. A
previously existing species turned into something else over time and all
species have come into being in this way. In other words, this transformation
proceeds gradually over millions of years.
Had
this been the case, numerous intermediary species should have existed and lived
within this long transformation period.
For
instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the past which had
acquired some reptilian traits in addition to the fish traits they already had.
Or there should have existed some reptile-birds, which acquired some bird
traits in addition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since these would
be in a transitional phase, they should be disabled, defective, crippled living
beings. Evolutionists refer to these imaginary creatures, which they believe to
have lived in the past, as "transitional forms."
If
such animals ever really existed, there should be millions and even billions of
them in number and variety. More importantly, the remains of these strange
creatures should be present in the fossil record. In The Origin of Species, Darwin explained:
If my theory be true, numberless
intermediate varieties, linking most closely all of the species of the same
group together must assuredly have existed... Consequently, evidence of their
former existence could be found only amongst fossil remains.85
Darwin’s
Hopes Shattered
However,
although evolutionists have been making strenuous efforts to find fossils since
the middle of the nineteenth century all over the world, no transitional forms
have yet been uncovered. All of the fossils, contrary to the evolutionists'
expectations, show that life appeared on Earth all of a sudden and
fully-formed.
One
famous British paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admits this fact, even though he
is an evolutionist:
The point emerges that if we examine the
fossil record in detail, whether at the level of orders or of species, we find
– over and over again – not gradual evolution, but the sudden explosion of one
group at the expense of another.86
This
means that in the fossil record, all living species suddenly emerge as fully
formed, without any intermediate forms in between. This is just the opposite of
Darwin's assumptions. Also, this is very strong evidence that all living things
are created. The only explanation of a living species emerging suddenly and
complete in every detail without any evolutionary ancestor is that it was
created. This fact is admitted also by the widely known evolutionist biologist
Douglas Futuyma:
Creation and evolution, between them,
exhaust the possible explanations for the origin of living things. Organisms
either appeared on the earth fully developed or they did not. If they did not,
they must have developed from pre-existing species by some process of
modification. If they did appear in a fully developed state, they must indeed
have been created by some omnipotent intelligence.87
Fossils
show that living beings emerged fully developed and in a perfect state on the
Earth. That means that "the origin of species," contrary to Darwin's
supposition, is not evolution, but creation.
The
Tale of Human Evolution
The
subject most often brought up by advocates of the theory of evolution is the
subject of the origin of man. The Darwinist claim holds that modern man evolved
from ape-like creatures. During this alleged evolutionary process, which is
supposed to have started 4-5 million years ago, some "transitional
forms" between modern man and his ancestors are supposed to have existed. According
to this completely imaginary scenario, four basic "categories" are
listed:
1. Australopithecus
2. Homo habilis
3. Homo erectus
4. Homo sapiens
Evolutionists
call man's so-called first ape-like ancestors Australopithecus, which means
"South African ape." These living beings are actually nothing but an
old ape species that has become extinct. Extensive research done on various
Australopithecus specimens by two world famous anatomists from England and the
USA, namely, Lord Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, shows that these
apes belonged to an ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no
resemblance to humans.88
Evolutionists
classify the next stage of human evolution as "homo," that is
"man." According to their claim, the living beings in the Homo series
are more developed than Australopithecus.
Evolutionists devise a fanciful evolution scheme by arranging different fossils
of these creatures in a particular order. This scheme is imaginary because it
has never been proved that there is an evolutionary relation between these
different classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth century's most important
evolutionists, contends in his book One
Long Argument that "particularly historical [puzzles] such as the
origin of life or of Homo sapiens, are extremely difficult and may even resist
a final, satisfying explanation."89
By
outlining the link chain as Australopithecus > Homo habilis > Homo erectus > Homo sapiens, evolutionists
imply that each of these species is one another's ancestor. However, recent findings
of paleoanthropologists have revealed that Australopithecus,
Homo habilis, and Homo erectus lived
at different parts of the world at the same time.90
Moreover,
a certain segment of humans classified as Homo
erectus have lived up until very modern times. Homo sapiens neandarthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man) co-existed in the same region.91
This
situation apparently indicates the invalidity of the claim that they are
ancestors of one another. Stephen Jay Gould explained this deadlock of the
theory of evolution, although he was himself one of the leading advocates of
evolution in the twentieth century:
What has become of our ladder if there
are three coexisting lineages of hominids (A. africanus, the robust
australopithecines, and H. habilis), none clearly derived from another?
Moreover, none of the three display any evolutionary trends during their tenure
on earth.92
Put
briefly, the scenario of human evolution, which is "upheld" with the
help of various drawings of some "half ape, half human" creatures
appearing in the media and course books, that is, frankly, by means of
propaganda, is nothing but a tale with no scientific foundation.
Lord
Solly Zuckerman, one of the most famous and respected scientists in the U.K.,
who carried out research on this subject for years and studied Australopithecus fossils for 15 years,
finally concluded, despite being an evolutionist himself, that there is, in
fact, no such family tree branching out from ape-like creatures to man.
Zuckerman
also made an interesting "spectrum of science" ranging from those he
considered scientific to those he considered unscientific. According to
Zuckerman's spectrum, the most "scientific" – that is, depending on
concrete data – fields of science are chemistry and physics. After them come
the biological sciences and then the social sciences. At the far end of the
spectrum, which is the part considered to be most "unscientific," are
"extra-sensory perception" – concepts such as telepathy and sixth
sense – and finally "human evolution." Zuckerman explains his
reasoning:
We then move right off the register of
objective truth into those fields of presumed biological science, like
extrasensory perception or the interpretation of man's fossil history, where to
the faithful [evolutionist] anything is possible – and where the ardent
believer [in evolution] is sometimes able to believe several contradictory
things at the same time.93
The tale of human evolution boils down
to nothing but the prejudiced interpretations of some fossils unearthed by
certain people, who blindly adhere to their theory.
Darwinian
Formula!
Besides
all the technical evidence we have dealt with so far, let us now for once,
examine what kind of a superstition the evolutionists have with an example so
simple as to be understood even by children:
The
theory of evolution asserts that life is formed by chance. According to this
claim, lifeless and unconscious atoms came together to form the cell and then
they somehow formed other living things, including man. Let us think about
that. When we bring together the elements that are the building-blocks of life
such as carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, only a heap is formed. No
matter what treatments it undergoes, this atomic heap cannot form even a single
living being. If you like, let us formulate an "experiment" on this
subject and let us examine on behalf of evolutionists what they really claim
without pronouncing loudly under the name "Darwinian formula":
Let evolutionists put plenty of
materials present in the composition of living things such as phosphorus,
nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium into big barrels. Moreover, let
them add in these barrels any material that does not exist under normal
conditions, but they think as necessary. Let them add in this mixture as many
amino acids and as many proteins – a single one of which has a formation
probability of 10-950 – as they like. Let them expose these mixtures
to as much heat and moisture as they like. Let them stir these with whatever
technologically developed device they like. Let them put the foremost
scientists beside these barrels. Let these experts wait in turn beside these
barrels for billions, and even trillions of years. Let them be free to use all
kinds of conditions they believe to be necessary for a human's formation. No
matter what they do, they cannot produce from these barrels a human, say a
professor that examines his cell structure under the electron microscope. They
cannot produce giraffes, lions, bees, canaries, horses, dolphins, roses,
orchids, lilies, carnations, bananas, oranges, apples, dates, tomatoes, melons,
watermelons, figs, olives, grapes, peaches, peafowls, pheasants, multicoloured
butterflies, or millions of other living beings such as these. Indeed, they
could not obtain even a single cell of any one of them.
Briefly,
unconscious atoms cannot form the cell by coming together. They cannot take a
new decision and divide this cell into two, then take other decisions and
create the professors who first invent the electron microscope and then examine
their own cell structure under that microscope. Matter is an unconscious,
lifeless heap, and it comes to life with Allah's superior creation.
The
theory of evolution, which claims the opposite, is a total fallacy completely
contrary to reason. Thinking even a little bit on the claims of evolutionists
discloses this reality, just as in the above example.
Technology
in the Eye and the Ear
Another
subject that remains unanswered by evolutionary theory is the excellent quality
of perception in the eye and the ear.
Before
passing on to the subject of the eye, let us briefly answer the question of how
we see. Light rays coming from an object fall oppositely on the eye's retina.
Here, these light rays are transmitted into electric signals by cells and reach
a tiny spot at the back of the brain, the "center of vision." These
electric signals are perceived in this center as an image after a series of
processes. With this technical background, let us do some thinking.
The
brain is insulated from light. That means that its inside is completely dark,
and that no light reaches the place where it is located. Thus, the "center
of vision" is never touched by light and may even be the darkest place you
have ever known. However, you observe a luminous, bright world in this pitch
darkness.
The
image formed in the eye is so sharp and distinct that even the technology of
the twentieth century has not been able to attain it. For instance, look at the
book you are reading, your hands with which you are holding it, and then lift
your head and look around you. Have you ever seen such a sharp and distinct
image as this one at any other place? Even the most developed television screen
produced by the greatest television producer in the world cannot provide such a
sharp image for you. This is a three-dimensional, colored, and extremely sharp
image. For more than 100 years, thousands of engineers have been trying to
achieve this sharpness. Factories, huge premises were established, much
research has been done, plans and designs have been made for this purpose.
Again, look at a TV screen and the book you hold in your hands. You will see
that there is a big difference in sharpness and distinction. Moreover, the TV
screen shows you a two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch a
three-dimensional perspective with depth.
For
many years, tens of thousands of engineers have tried to make a
three-dimensional TV and achieve the vision quality of the eye. Yes, they have
made a three-dimensional television system, but it is not possible to watch it
without putting on special 3-D glasses; moreover, it is only an artificial
three-dimension. The background is more blurred, the foreground appears like a
paper setting. Never has it been possible to produce a sharp and distinct
vision like that of the eye. In both the camera and the television, there is a
loss of image quality.
Evolutionists
claim that the mechanism producing this sharp and distinct image has been
formed by chance. Now, if somebody told you that the television in your room
was formed as a result of chance, that all of its atoms just happened to come
together and make up this device that produces an image, what would you think?
How can atoms do what thousands of people cannot?
If a
device producing a more primitive image than the eye could not have been formed
by chance, then it is very evident that the eye and the image seen by the eye
could not have been formed by chance. The same situation applies to the ear.
The outer ear picks up the available sounds by the auricle and directs them to
the middle ear, the middle ear transmits the sound vibrations by intensifying
them, and the inner ear sends these vibrations to the brain by translating them
into electric signals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalizes in
the center of hearing in the brain.
The
situation in the eye is also true for the ear. That is, the brain is insulated
from sound just as it is from light. It does not let any sound in. Therefore,
no matter how noisy is the outside, the inside of the brain is completely
silent. Nevertheless, the sharpest sounds are perceived in the brain. In your
completely silent brain, you listen to symphonies, and hear all of the noises
in a crowded place. However, were the sound level in your brain measured by a
precise device at that moment, complete silence would be found to be prevailing
there.
As is
the case with imagery, decades of effort have been spent in trying to generate
and reproduce sound that is faithful to the original. The results of these efforts
are sound recorders, high-fidelity systems, and systems for sensing sound.
Despite all of this technology and the thousands of engineers and experts who
have been working on this endeavor, no sound has yet been obtained that has the
same sharpness and clarity as the sound perceived by the ear. Think of the
highest-quality hi-fi systems produced by the largest company in the music
industry. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded some of it is lost; or
when you turn on a hi-fi you always hear a hissing sound before the music
starts. However, the sounds that are the products of the human body's
technology are extremely sharp and clear. A human ear never perceives a sound
accompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospherics as does a hi-fi; rather, it
perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and clear. This is the way it has been
since the creation of man.
So
far, no man-made visual or recording apparatus has been as sensitive and
successful in perceiving sensory data as are the eye and the ear. However, as
far as seeing and hearing are concerned, a far greater truth lies beyond all
this.
To
Whom Does the Consciousness that Sees and
Hears
within the Brain Belong?
Who
watches an alluring world in the brain, listens to symphonies and the
twittering of birds, and smells the rose?
The
stimulations coming from a person's eyes, ears, and nose travel to the brain as
electro-chemical nerve impulses. In biology, physiology, and biochemistry
books, you can find many details about how this image forms in the brain.
However, you will never come across the most important fact: Who perceives
these electro-chemical nerve impulses as images, sounds, odors, and sensory
events in the brain? There is a consciousness in the brain that perceives all
this without feeling any need for an eye, an ear, and a nose. To whom does this
consciousness belong? Of course it does not belong to the nerves, the fat
layer, and neurons comprising the brain. This is why Darwinist-materialists,
who believe that everything is comprised of matter, cannot answer these
questions.
For
this consciousness is the spirit created by Allah, which needs neither the eye
to watch the images nor the ear to hear the sounds. Furthermore, it does not
need the brain to think.
Everyone
who reads this explicit and scientific fact should ponder on Almighty Allah,
and fear and seek refuge in Him, for He squeezes the entire universe in a
pitch-dark place of a few cubic centimeters in a three-dimensional, colored,
shadowy, and luminous form.
A
Materialist Faith
The information
we have presented so far shows us that the theory of evolution is incompatible
with scientific findings. The theory's claim regarding the origin of life is
inconsistent with science, the evolutionary mechanisms it proposes have no
evolutionary power, and fossils demonstrate that the required intermediate
forms have never existed. So, it certainly follows that the theory of evolution
should be pushed aside as an unscientific idea. This is how many ideas, such as
the Earth-centered universe model, have been taken out of the agenda of science
throughout history.
However,
the theory of evolution is kept on the agenda of science. Some people even try
to represent criticisms directed against it as an "attack on
science." Why?
The
reason is that this theory is an indispensable dogmatic belief for some
circles. These circles are blindly devoted to materialist philosophy and adopt
Darwinism because it is the only materialist explanation that can be put
forward to explain the workings of nature.
Interestingly
enough, they also confess this fact from time to time. A well-known geneticist
and an outspoken evolutionist, Richard C. Lewontin from Harvard University,
confesses that he is "first and foremost a materialist and then a
scientist":
It is not that the methods and
institutions of science somehow compel us accept a material explanation of the
phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori
adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set
of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how
counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that
materialism is absolute, so we cannot allow a Divine [intervention]...94
These
are explicit statements that Darwinism is a dogma kept alive just for the sake
of adherence to materialism. This dogma maintains that there is no being other
than matter. Therefore, it argues that inanimate, unconscious matter created
life. It insists that millions of different living species (e.g., birds, fish,
giraffes, tigers, insects, trees, flowers, whales, and human beings) originated
as a result of the interactions between matter such as pouring rain, lightning
flashes, and so on, out of inanimate matter. This is a precept contrary both to
reason and science. Yet Darwinists continue to defend it just so as "not
to allow a Divine intervention."
Anyone
who does not look at the origin of living beings with a materialist prejudice
will see this evident truth: All living beings are works of a Creator, Who is
All-Powerful, All-Wise, and All-Knowing. This Creator is Allah, Who created the
whole universe from non-existence in the most perfect form, and fashioned all
living beings.
The
Theory of Evolution:
The
Most Potent Spell in the World
Anyone
free of prejudice and the influence of any particular ideology, who uses only
his or her reason and logic, will clearly understand that belief in the theory
of evolution, which brings to mind the superstitions of societies with no
knowledge of science or civilization, is quite impossible.
As
explained above, those who believe in the theory of evolution think that a few
atoms and molecules thrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning
professors and university students; such scientists as Einstein and Galileo;
such artists as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti; as well
as antelopes, lemon trees, and carnations. Moreover, as the scientists and
professors who believe in this nonsense are educated people, it is quite
justifiable to speak of this theory as "the most potent spell in
history." Never before has any other belief or idea so taken away peoples'
powers of reason, refused to allow them to think intelligently and logically,
and hidden the truth from them as if they had been blindfolded. This is an even
worse and unbelievable blindness than the totem worship in some parts of
Africa, the people of Saba worshipping the Sun, the tribe of Abraham (pbuh)
worshipping idols they had made with their own hands, or the people of Moses
(pbuh) worshipping the Golden Calf.
In
fact, Allah has pointed to this lack of reason in the Qur'an. In many verses,
He reveals that some peoples' minds will be closed and that they will be
powerless to see the truth. Some of these verses are as follows:
As for those who do not believe, it
makes no difference to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they
will not believe. Allah has sealed up their hearts and hearing and over their
eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment. (Surat al-Baqara:
6-7)
… They have hearts with which they do
not understand. They have eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with
which they do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further
astray! They are the unaware. (Surat al-A‘raf: 179)
Even if We opened up to them a door into
heaven, and they spent the day ascending through it, they would only say:
"Our eyesight is befuddled! Or rather we have been put under a
spell!" (Surat al-Hijr: 14-15)
Words
cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell should hold such a
wide community in thrall, keep people from the truth, and not be broken for 150
years. It is understandable that one or a few people might believe in
impossible scenarios and claims full of stupidity and illogicality. However,
"magic" is the only possible explanation for people from all over the
world believing that unconscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come
together and form a universe that functions with a flawless system of
organization, discipline, reason, and consciousness; a planet named Earth with
all of its features so perfectly suited to life; and living things full of
countless complex systems.
In
fact, the Qur'an relates the incident of Moses (pbuh) and Pharaoh to show that
some people who support atheistic philosophies actually influence others by
magic. When Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he told Prophet Moses
(pbuh) to meet with his own magicians. When Moses (pbuh) did so, he told them
to demonstrate their abilities first. The verses continue:
He said: "You throw." And when
they threw, they cast a spell on the people's eyes and caused them to feel
great fear of them. They produced an extremely powerful magic. (Surat al-A‘raf:
116)
As we
have seen, Pharaoh's magicians were able to deceive everyone, apart from Moses
(pbuh) and those who believed in him. However, his evidence broke the spell, or
"swallowed up what they had forged," as the verse puts it:
We revealed to Moses: "Throw down
your staff." And it immediately swallowed up what they had forged. So the
Truth took place and what they did was shown to be false. (Surat al-A‘raf:
117-118)
As we
can see, when people realized that a spell had been cast upon them and that
what they saw was just an illusion, Pharaoh's magicians lost all credibility.
In the present day too, unless those who, under the influence of a similar
spell, believe in these ridiculous claims under their scientific disguise and
spend their lives defending them, abandon their superstitious beliefs, they
also will be humiliated when the full truth emerges and the spell is broken. In
fact, world-renowned British writer and philosopher Malcolm Muggeridge, who was
an atheist defending evolution for some 60 years, but who subsequently realized
the truth, reveals the position in which the theory of evolution would find
itself in the near future in these terms:
I myself am convinced that the theory of
evolution, especially the extent to which it's been applied, will be one of the
great jokes in the history books in the future. Posterity will marvel that so
very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted with the incredible
credulity that it has.95
That
future is not far off: On the contrary, people will soon see that
"chance" is not a deity, and will look back on the theory of
evolution as the worst deceit and the most terrible spell in the world. That
spell is already rapidly beginning to be lifted from the shoulders of people
all over the world. Many people who see its true face are wondering with
amazement how they could ever have been taken in by it.
They
said, “Glory be to You!
We
have no knowledge except what You have taught us.
You
are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”
(Surat al-Baqara, 32)
NOTES
1. John Farndon and Angela Koo, Human Body Fact finder, Great Britain:
Miles Kelly Publishing Ltd., 1999, p. 63.
2.Bilim
ve Teknik Dergisi (“Journal of Science and Technology”), February 1998, p.
62.
3. Ibid,
p. 61.
4. Gordon Rattray Taylor, The Great Evolution Mystery, New York:
Harper & Row Publishers,New York p. 108.
5. Arthur C. Guyton and John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, 9th
edition, Guyton & Hall, p. 432.
6. Bilim
ve Teknik Dergisi (“Journal of Science and Technology”), February 1998, p.
62.
7. Regina Avraham, The Encyclopedia of Health, Chelsea House Publishers, Chapter 4,
“The Circulatory System,” p. 49.
8. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Noyan, Yasamda ve Hekimlikte Fizyoloji
(“Physiology in Life and in the Field of Medicine“), 10th edition, Meteksan
Publishing., March 1998, pp. 670-673.
9. Regina Avraham, Op. cit., p. 50.
10. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology, 7th
Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, p. 75.
11. Prof. Dr. Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim (“Inheritance and
Evolution”), Ankara: Meteksan Publishing Co., 1995, p. 420.
12. Ibid.,
p. 416.
13. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
1st edition, Philadelphia:W.B. Saunders Corp., 1992, p. 48.
14. Bilim ve Teknik Dergisi (Journal of
Science and Technology), February 1998, p. 66-67
15. Michael Behe, Darwin’s Black Box, New York: Free Press, 1996, pp. 79-97.
16. Regina Avraham, The Circulatory System, The Encyclopedia of Health, p. 13.
17. Solomon, Berg, Martin, and Villee, Biology, Saunders College Publishing,
USA, 1993, p. 890.
18. Marshall Cavendish, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of The Human
Body, London: Michael Cavendish Books Limited, p. 70.
19. Ibid.,
p. 74
20. Ibid.,
pp. 74-75.
21. Ibid.
22. Curtis and Barnes, Invitation to Biology, New York: Worth
Publishers, Inc., 1985, p. 415.
23. Vander, Sherman, and Luciano, Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body
Function, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990, pp. 255-279.
24. Lionel Bender, Science Facts, Human Body, New York and New Jersey: Crescent Books,
1992, p. 32.
25. Marshall Cavendish, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of The Human
Body, p. 53
26. Regina Avraham, The Circulatory System, The Encyclopedia of Health, p. 43
27. Susan Schiefelbein, The Incredible Machine, Washington,
D.C., National Geographic Society, 1986
28. John Farndon, Angela Koo, Human Body, Fact finder, Miles Kelly
Publishing Ltd., Great Britain, 1999, p. 191
29. Solomon, Berg, Martin, Villee, Biology, p. 960
30. Curtis & Barnes, Invitation to Biology, p. 391
31. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
p. 211-212
32. Solomon, Berg, Martin, Villee, Biology, p. 977
33. Curtis & Barnes, Invitation to Biology, p. 393
34. Curtis & Barnes, Invitation to Biology, p. 392.
35. Marshall Cavendish, The Illustrated Human Body, p. 116.
36. Solomon, Berg, Martin, and Villee, Biology, p. 962.
37. Arthur C. Guyton – John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton
& Hall, W.B. Saunders Company, 1996, p. 885.
38. Solomon, Berg, Martin, Villee, Biology, p. 967
39. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Noyan, Yasamda ve Hekimlikte Fizyoloji
(“Physiology in Life and in the Field of Medicine”), pp. 881-882.
40. Arthur C. Guyton and John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton
& Hall, p. 978.
41. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Noyan, Yasamda ve Hekimlikte Fizyoloji
(Physiology in Life and in the Field of Medicine), p. 879
42. Biological
Science: A Molecular Approach, Sixth Edition, D.C. Heath and Company,
Massachusetts, p. 412.
43. Wallace, Sanders, and Ferl, Biology, The Science of Life, Harper
Collins Publisher Inc., p. 755
44. Solomon, Berg, Martin, and Villee, Biology, p. 994
45. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology, W.B.
Saunders Company, 7th Edition, 1986, p. 614.
46. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology, W.B.
Saunders Company, 7th Edition, 1986, p. 613
47. Montgomery, Conway-Spector-Chappel, Biochemistry, Mosby-Year Book, Inc.,
1996, p. 604
48. Arthur C. Guyton – John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton
& Hall, 9th edition, p. 345
49. Chandra Wickramasinghe, Interview in London Daily Express, August 14, 1981.
50. Arthur C. Guyton and John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton
& Hall, 9th edition, p. 420.
51. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
p. 132.
52. Wallace, Sanders, Ferl, Biology, The Science of Life, Harper
Collins Publisher Inc., p. 776
53. Solomon, Berg, Martin, Villee, Biology, p. 1012
54. Arthur C. Guyton and John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton
& Hall, pp. 933-934.
55. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Noyan, Yasamda ve Hekimlikte Fizyoloji
(Physiology in Life and in the Field of Medicine), p. 1012-1015
56. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
p. 138
57. Solomon, Berg, Martin, and Villee, Biology, p. 1019
58. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
p. 138
59. Prentice Hall Science, Human Biology and Health, Prentice-Hall,
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60. John Farndon, Angela Koo, Human Body Fact Finder, p. 188.
61. John Lenihan, Human Engineering, New York: John Braziller, 1974, p. 94.
62. Discovery Channel, Human Machine, Breath of Life
63. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
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64. Arthur C. Guyton and John E. Hall, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton
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65. Biological
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66. Eldra Pearl Solomon, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology,
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67. Marshall Cavendish, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Human
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68. Solomon, Berg, Martin, Villee, Biology, p. 946
69. Montgomery, Biochemistry, pp. 567-568.
70. Brand & Yancey, 1980, p. 91.
71. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Noyan, Yasamda ve Hekimlikte Fizyoloji
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72. Marshall Cavendish, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of The Human
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73. John Farndon, Angela Koo, Human Body Fact Finder , p. 85.
74. Prentice-Hall Science, Human Biology and Health, p. 39.
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88. Solly Zuckerman, Beyond The Ivory Tower, Toplinger
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This book will send you on a journey inside your own
body, a journey on which a great many surprises await you. You will discover
that in your heart, there is a generator, and that when it cuts out, a spare
generator steps in to replace it. You will see how cells in your lower
intestine can recognize and trap iron atoms from among the many hundreds of
different substances they encounter. You will witness miraculous events that
have been taking place since the day you were born throughout what you refer to
as “my body,” starting right beneath your skin.
From that point of view, your human body is a whole
other world, with its own modes of transport, buildings, factories,
infrastructure systems, equipment more highly advanced than even the most
sophisticated technology in the 21st-century world, specialized elements (cells, hormones, glands) that exhibit
unexpectedly conscious behavior, fully equipped defense troops, and many other
marvels.
It is most important that we consider the events
that take place inside this miniaturized world, because anyone who starts thinking
about them will start liberating himself from a great illusion. It will no
longer be possible to deceive with evolutionary tales of how Man came into
being by chance those who have witnessed the perfect creation in their own
bodies. They will have now made the acquaintance of their own Creator, Allah,
the Lord of the Worlds.
You, reading this book, will once again encounter an
incontrovertible truth. Allah created you from nothing and shaped you
flawlessly. In return, what you must do is to know that when you rise in the
morning, every new day bestowed upon you, is a blessing from Allah, and to give
thanks to Him.
About the Author
Adnan
Oktar, who writes under the pen-name Harun Yahya, was born in Ankara in 1956.
He studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University, and philosophy at
Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, the author has published many books on
political, faith-related and scientific issues. Greatly appreciated all around
the world, these works have been instrumental in helping many to return their
faith in Allah, and, in many others, to gain a deeper insight into their faith.
Harun Yahya's books appeal to all kinds of readers, regardless of their age,
race, or nationality, for they focus on one objective: to broaden the reader's
perspective by encouraging him or her to think about a number of critical
issues, such as the existence of Allah and His unity, and to live by the values
He
prescribed for them.
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