Page 76 - The Miracle In The Seed

THE MIRACLE IN THE SEED

cur by chance. It is evident that chance could not calculate the amount
of nutrients a plant needs for its journey and then provide the seed
with exactly that amount. In contrast to all other plants’ seeds, these do
not germinate in water, but as soon as they come into contact with
land. Such timing could not possibly be achieved by coincidence.
All these delicate calculations and measurements are carried out
to perfection by God, the Creator of seeds, Who knows all their needs
and characteristics. He has eternal intelligence and knowledge. A ver-
se of the Qur’an tells how God has created everything in due measure:
As for the earth, We stretched it out and cast firmly embedded mo-
untains in it and made everything grow in due proportion on it.
(Qur’an, 15:19)

Plants that Get Others to Disperse Their Seeds

As you wander through long grass, the seeds that stick to your
clothing or your dog’s fur have special structures that let them be car-
ried in this way. To cling to animate objects, some of these seeds use ne-
edles, hooks, tacks and thorns. Other species have attractive smelling,
colorful or tasty fruits, as though they are decoratively created in terms
of color, smell, shape and presentation, to entice animals into carrying
them away. The fruits, which are rich in sugar, water, energy and mine-
ral salts, are attractive to animals that eat them, thus helping prolifera-
te plants by dispersing their seeds over a very wide area.

As the illustration to the left shows, the
fruit of the devil's claw (Ibicella lutea),
growing in Mexican scrublands, pro-
duces seedpods with two formidable
horns – a good means of protection,
since no animal dares to eat them. The
seeds use their horns to attach them-
selves to passing animals and travel to
new locations. (Grains de Vie, p. 45.)