Page 34 - Allah's Art of Detail

32 ALLAH'S ART OF DETAIL

The Amazing Hatchet Fish

The hatchet fish, a great marvel of creation, lives at depths of

around 1,000 m (3,280 ft). Its large eyes, which face upwards, ena-
ble it to see in the dark and hunt their prey, which passes overhead.
However, these creatures also have to be invisible to threats that
might arise from above. Their superior bodily structure, which is
flat and silver colored, protects them from this danger by allowing
them to camouflage themselves easily in the dark.
But how are they protected against potential threats coming
from below, for those fish living at even greater depths are, thanks
to their own large eyes, just as predatory. This problem is solved by
a superb method of deception, thanks to special cells located in its
stomach: photophores. These extraordinary cells, which produce a
biological light by combining two chemical substances to initiate
the necessary reaction, imitate the changing color of the light filter-
ing down from above and emit light of exactly the same color. As a

result, predators below cannot see the hatchet fish’s shadow as it
passes over them.
You may never have heard of this fish or what it looks like or
how it lives. So how does knowledge of its magnificent features
benefit you? Had Allah so willed, He could have created this fish
without all of its attributes or willed to not create any of the count-
less attributes necessary for its survival.
The details that His creatures display for human beings may
transform them from discontented and restless individuals chasing
after worldly interests into happy and contented people with faith
and hope in the Hereafter. It is enough to see His blessings in ev-
erything and to consider His absolute existence for this to happen.
Every beauty and detail belong to Allah, Who constantly bestows
them upon us: