Page 65 - Beauties for Life in the Qur'an

THE BENEFITS OF ANIMALS MENTIONED IN THE QUR'AN 63

value can be appreciated fully once the laborious phrases
needed for its production are examined.
We need to remember that the producer of this high-quality
fabric is neither a person of intelligence nor a well-designed ma-
chine, but rather an insect that is 5 to 10 cm in length. Most of
this fabric is woven from the silk fibers obtained from cocoons
spun by silkworms.
At the end of the larval stage, a mature larva attaches itself to
a twig and begins to spin its cocoon. Fibroin, a moist substance,
is secreted by a pair of silk glands and emitted from an orifice
on the larva's lower lip. This sticky substance dries quickly in
the air, eventually hardening into a cocoon. Then, the silk-
worm's labor is prepared for the silk production process. 11
The thread produced by silkworms has many usages, ranging
from textiles to medicine. Surgeon's silk thread is used in surgi-
cal suturing, a vital contribution to a person's continued well-
being.
It is awesome that such a tiny insect can secrete a substance
with a formula that has been hidden in its body and then offer it
to humanity. Surely, Allah is responsible for the entire process.
The benefits humanity obtains through animals cannot be lim-
ited to a few items. Given the thousands of existing animal
species, many pages would be required to mention all of the
areas in which animals contribute to human life. This is also re-
lated in the Qur'an:
If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count
them … (Surat An-Nahl: 18)
That Allah equips animals with so many beneficial qualities
manifests His Love for and protection of His servants.
However, we need to remember that anyone who forgets that
these are blessings from Allah will be held accountable on the