Page 242 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

He splits the sky at dawn, and appoints the night as a time of stillness
and the Sun and Moon as a means of reckoning... (Qur'an, 6:96)

The Arabic word sakan, which appears in the original of the above
verse, means "repose, rest, time to withdraw to rest, time for a break."
As indicated by Allah, night is the time when human beings rest. The
hormone melatonin, secreted at night, prepares the body for sleep by
slowing down peoples' physical movements, making them sleepy and
tired, and functioning as a natural tranquilliser that eases their
minds. 180 During sleep, heartbeat and respiration rhythms slow down
and blood pressure falls. In the morning, the production of the hor-
mones stops and the body is stimulated to awaken. 181
At the same time, sleep allows the body's muscles and tissues to
repair themselves and the body to replace old or dead cells. Since ener-
gy expenditure is reduced during sleep, the body stores energy
throughout the night. Several chemicals vital for the immune system
and growth hormones are also secreted during sleep. 182

In the event that people fail to get enough sleep, therefore, the
immune system is immediately affected and the body becomes more
susceptible to sickness. If people are unable to sleep for two nights, they
will find it harder to concentrate and their error levels will rise. If they
are deprived of sleep for three nights, they will begin to hallucinate and
be unable to think logically. 183
Night is as much a time for rest for other living things as it is for
human beings. This situation, referred to by Allah in the verse "the
night as a time of stillness," indicates a fact that cannot be observed by
the naked eye: Many activities that take place during the day slow
down and rest during the night. In plants, for instance, perspiration in
leaves and photosynthesis begin to rise when the Sun rises. In the after-

noon, the situation is reversed. In other words, photosynthesis slows

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