Page 152 - For Men of Understanding

THE MYSTERIES IN THE

REPRODUCTION OF ANIMALS

hat living things can keep their generation going can only be possible
T through the perfect functioning of their reproductive systems. It is,

however, not enough for men and animals to have reproductive sys-
tems; they also need a special instinct, namely the sexual instinct, which makes
reproduction attractive. Otherwise, despite having the chance to reproduce,
most animals would not attempt it. As well as that, once they become aware of
the difficulties of birth, laying eggs and the subsequent incubation period, they
would avoid involvement in the sexual act, which is the cause of everything
that follows.
The sexual drive is not enough by itself either. Although living beings cop-
ulate and bring new living beings into the world, their species is still likely to
become extinct if they were not created possessing the instinct to protect and
care for their young. If parental affection, as possessed by most living species,
did not exist, species would become extinct. At this point, those who advocate
evolution talk about "the consciousness of breeding generations". According to
them, just as every individual spends a considerable effort to protect itself, so
must it spend an effort to breed its species. However, it is evident that an ani-
mal cannot think, "my generation must continue after me, so I have to do what
I can". The animal protects and cares for its offspring not because it hopes for
something or expects some future benefits, but because it was created so.
On the contrary, some living things lack such affection and abandon their
offspring as soon as they bring them into the world. These animals produce
many offspring at a time and some of them survive without any protection. If
they were created with a drive to protect their offspring, there would be a pop-
ulation explosion in their species and the balance of nature would be dis-
turbed.
In short, reproduction, the prerequisite for the continuation of life, is a sys-
tem Allah created for life to continue. Allah is the "Life-Giver". He is the One
Who has brought all living things into being and He is the One Who brings
new living beings out from those He created. All living things live thanks to
Him. They owe their lives not to their parents, as generally supposed, but to
Allah Who created their parents as well as them. In the Qur’an, Allah says:

150 For Men of Understanding