Page 84 - For Men of Understanding

the most flawless manner possible.
It operates with a special electrical system: The muscle which makes
the heart beat and which is called the heart muscle, is different from all other
muscles in the body. Ordinary muscle cells in the body contract whenever stim-
ulated by the nervous system. However, heart muscle cells contract by them-
selves. Those cells have the capability of initiating and spreading their own
electrical current. Although each cell possesses this capability, none of them
contracts independently from the others because then they would function
against the instructions of the electrical system controlling them. In other
words, they do not cause a chaos that would disturb the regular pace of the
heart, in which one part contracts while the other relaxes. These cells, which
are found in the form of a chain, act together as per the instruction given by
the electrical system. Again, a flawless harmony is at work.
As seen in all of its features, the structure of the heart shows us its flawless
design, that is, its "being created", and it thus presents us its Designer. It pre-
sents us Allah, the Sustainer of all the worlds, Who is not seen, yet presents
Himself to us in everything He has created:
That is Allah, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Creator of
everything. So worship Him. He is Responsible for everything. (Surat
al-An’am: 102)

THE HAND
Our hands, which enable us to perform some very ordinary acts such as
stirring a cup of tea, turning the pages of a newspaper, or writing, are incred-
ible engineering wonders.
The most important feature of the hand is its ability to operate with high
efficiency in very distinct activities, despite having a standard structure. Being
furnished with a great number of muscles and nerves, our arms help our hands
grip objects strongly or softly according to different circumstances. For instance,
the human hand, although when not formed into a fist, can strike a blow strike
against an object with a weight of 45 kilograms. However, our hand can also
feel, between its thumb and forefinger, a sheet of paper one tenth of a mil-
limetre in thickness.
Obviously, these two acts are of a totally different character. As one requires
sensitivity, the other requires great force. We, however, never even think for a
second what we have to do when we take a sheet of paper between our fin-

gers or hit with a fist. Nor do we think how to adjust the strength for these two
acts. We never say, "Now I will pick up some paper. Let me apply a force of
500 g. Now I will lift this bucketful of water. Let me apply a force of 40 kg."

82 For Men of Understanding