Page 108 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

106 THE MIRACLE OF ELECTRICITY IN THE BODY

Forebrain

Brain stem Cerebellum

which we clench our jaws, how forcefully we tread while walking, or the
speed at which we will beat an egg—easily and the flawless coordina-
tion. If you consider the countless movements we perform every day
without ever calculating them, you can better appreciate the special sys-
tem we have been provided with. Thanks to the electrical design in your
body, you can carry out all the infinite number of movements you per-
form throughout the day, such as getting up and washing your face in
the morning, combing your hair, putting on your slippers, using a knife
and fork, turning the key in the lock when you leave for work, holding
a pen, when speaking on the telephone, even smiling and closing your
eyes before going to sleep.
In order to lift a spoon to your mouth, you need to bend your arm
in the direction of your mouth. After the brain has made that decision, it
sends a signal to contract to the muscles that will bend the arm. But be-
fore that signal reaches your arm, it’s transferred to nerve cells in the
spinal column, where electrical circuits perform a number of tasks.
First, they send a signal to the arm muscles. At this point, however,
in order for the biceps to bend, the triceps muscles at the back of the arm
also have to relax. Thus while sending a message for the biceps to con-
tract, the circuits in the spinal column also send a message to the muscles
that open your arm. Therefore, your arm approaches your mouth.
These systems, over which we have no control whatsoever, are a re-
minder that we live in constant need of our Lord, “ “God is Rich Beyond
Need” (Surah Luqman, 12) and one “has power over all things.” (Surat
al-Baqara, 20)