Page 80 - The Miracle in the Spider

80 THE MIRACLE IN THE SPIDER

Silk's elasticity is balanced by its strength. Because it is a composite
material, like glass fibers embedded in a resin, silk is strong. Its crystals
and matrix resist breaking. A stretched thread usually snaps because a
crack on the surface cuts into it like a wedge. Forces acting along the fiber
concentrate at the crack and cause it to rip with increasing speed ever
deeper into the material. Such cracks, however, can travel only if they do
not encounter resistance. The crystals in the rubber matrix of the spider
silk provide obstacles that divert and weaken the rending force. 27
For something under tension even minor damage to the surface can
be dangerous. But this risk is avoided by a precautionary measure in
spider thread. While the garden spider spins its silk, it coats it with a
liquid material at the same time, in such a way that any cracks that might
appear on the surface of the silk are avoided. This method, which spiders
have been employing for millions of years, is used in today's industrial
cables, which bear heavy loads and need to be very strong.

The descriptions given so far have been technical ones of an existent
miracle of construction. But now we must stop and think. What is the
truth underlying these technical explanations? It is obvious that the
spider is unaware of proteins and the crystal states of the atom. It also
knows nothing about chemistry, physics, or engineering. It is a creature
bereft of the capacity of thought. But as for the features it possesses, it is
impossible for these to be explained by means of chance. But in that case,
who is it who makes all these plans and calculations? As we study the
spider's web and silk, and its ways of hunting and living, it is
immediately clear that it could not have brought about this flawless
technical operation all by itself.
Any spider we can see at any moment in a hidden corner or among
the plants in a garden is, with its concentration of chemical, physical and
architectural capability, yet another clear proof of God's art of creation. In
this living creature God is revealing to us His limitless wisdom, His
infinite power of creation. It is God Who inspires everything the spider
does. God announces this truth in the Qur'an: