Page 115 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

Selfless Devotion of Creatures Within the Family

ming around its nest made of water weeds. If one of the young strays,
the male fish will follow, suck it in into his mouth and release it back at
the nest.
Ants carry larvae and developing eggs in their jaws from one nurs-
ery chamber to another. Every morning, worker ants carry the colony's
larvae to a chamber near the top of the anthill, where it's warmed by the
sun. As the sun moves across the sky, the larvae are transported from
one side of the nest to the other. Come evening, the workers carry them
back down to a chamber at the bottom of the anthill which has retained
the sunlight's heat. At night, the entrance to the nursery chambers is
closed off in order to keep out cold air. In the morning, the entrances are
opened again, and the larvae are carried back up. 110
As we see, all living things from lions to insects, frogs to birds,
carry their offspring to safety. For the parents, this is always hard work
and often endangers their own lives. How can such a strong protective
impulse be explained? We've examined in detail how many creatures
take on the responsibility of rearing offspring until they can fend for
themselves. They cater without fail to all their offspring's needs, and it
is possible to see examples of this devotional behavior in a wide variety
of beings.
Once again, the obvious truth confronts us: Each of these creatures
is under the protection of God, Who inspires their behavior. All act ac-
cordingly, bowing to His will. The Qur'an reveals this truth in the fol-
lowing way:
Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him. All are sub-
missive to Him. (Qur'an, 30: 26)

113