Page 238 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an
P. 238
Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an
Allah splits the seed and kernel. He brings forth the living from the dead,
and produces the dead out of the living. That is Allah, so how are you
misguided? (Qur'an, 6:95)
In the above verse, our attention is drawn to a food cycle of which
people at the time of the Qur'an's revelation could have known noth-
ing.
When a living thing dies, micro-organisms quickly cause it to
decompose. The dead body is thus divided up into organic molecules
that mix with the soil and form the basic source of food for plants, ani-
mals, and, ultimately, humanity. Were it not for this nutritional cycle,
life would not be possible.
Bacteria are responsible for meeting all living things' mineral and
food needs. Plants and some animals, which remain almost dead
(hibernation) throughout the winter, revive in the summer and meet all
of their mineral and food requirements through the activities of bacte-
ria during the winter. Throughout the winter, bacteria separate organic
wastes (i.e., dead plants and animals) and turn them into minerals. 175
Thus, when living things reawaken in spring, they find food ready and
waiting for them. Thanks to bacteria, a "spring cleaning" has been car-
ried out in their environment and the necessary amount of food has
been prepared for nature as it returns to life in the spring.
As we have seen, dead creatures play a vital role in the emergence
of new ones. This transition, indicated in the Qur'an as "He brings
forth the living from the dead, and produces the dead out of the liv-
ing," is carried out in the most perfect manner. This is one of the proofs
that the Qur'an is the word of Allah.
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