Chapter Introduction
Translation: [ Imam Abu-Hamid Al-Ghazali talked in detail about this topic. Below is a quotation from what he said on this topic taken from ' Ihya'a Ulum Al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences) '.
Translation: Kindly be informed that all that exists besides Allah is the creation and work of Allah. Even each atom contains countless numbers of wonders showing Allah's Wisdom, Ability, Majesty, and Greatness. Enumerating these is impossible for, had the oceans been the ink for Allah's Words, it would have been exhausted even if there were other oceans to replenish it.
The Noble Koran orders contemplation of the creation as signs of Allah's Wisdom, Ability, Majesty, and Greatness. Allah says:
Translation: " Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. * " (3: 190)
Translation: The words " among His Signs is... " are often repeated in the Noble Koran, so let us consider some of these signs.
Translation: Among His signs is the creation of man from a drop of coagulated blood. The closest thing to you is your soul. There are countless signs in your creation and one's life could pass without you being able to count even one tenth of them. You who are heedless and ignorant of yourself, how would you be heedful of others. Allah has ordered you to ponder over your soul. He says:
"... as also in your own selves, will you not then see? * " (51:21)
He reminds you of your origin, i.e. that is was water of no value, by His statement:
Translation: " Woe to man! What has made him reject Allah? * From what has He created him? * From a drop of sperm He created him, then He proportioned him * Then He made the path smooth for him * Then He caused him to die, and be buried * Then, when it is His Will, He will raise him up (again). * " (80: 17-22) And
Translation: “ Among His Signs is that He has created you from dust, and then behold you are men scattered (far and wide)! * " (30: 20) And
Translation: " Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in lowly form)? * Then he became a clinging clot. Then Allah created and fashioned (him) in due proportion. (75: 37-38) And
Translation: " Have We not created you from a fluid (held) despicable? * Then We placed it in a place of rest, firmly fixed * For a period (of gestation), determined (according to need)? * ” (77: 20-22) And
Translation: " Has not man seen that it is We Who created him from sperm? Yet behold! He (stands forth) as an open adversary! * " (36: 77) And
Translation: " Verily, We have created man from a drop of mingled sperm... " (76: 2)
Translation: Then Allah mentions that the clot is changed into a clinging object, then into a morsel of flesh. He says:
Translation: " We have created man from a quintessence (of clay) * Then We have placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed * Then We have made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We have made a (fetus) lump; then We have made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then We have developed out of it another creature. So blessed is Allah, the Best to create. *** (23: 12-14)
Translation: The intention for repeating the word annotfah " a drop of congealed blood " in the Mighty Book is not only for recitation. The reader and the listener should ponder over it. So ponder over that clot created from a drop of water of no value. If this fluid is left for a very short time outside the womb, it spoils and goes bad. See how the Lord of lords mixed the two liquids, how He gathered together the male and the female and cast love and passion between them, and then see how He drove them through love and lust to sexual intercourse, and then how the male's semen is ejaculated and how the spawn comes out within veins. Then see how the fetus is fed in the womb until it grows and how He changes the white clot into a red clinging object. Then consider how that morsel of flesh is transferred into bones, tissue, veins, and flesh and how the inner organs, like the heart, the stomach, the liver, the spleen, the lungs, the womb, the urethra, and the intestines are created and function. Each organ has its specific shape, size, and function.
Translation: Then, ponder over each organ separately. Look, for example at the eye, how is it created in various layers, each layer of a certain shape and thickness. If one layer of it is lost, one loses his sight. In brief, had we studied one half of every organ, it would have taken us a very long time.
Ponder over the bones, these solid substances that form the skeletal system, how are they created with a thin jelly-like substance, and how they have different shapes and statures; some are hollow, some are circular, some are wide, and some are delicate.
As man needs to move in various directions, Allah did not create him as one solid mass, He made the joints and knuckles so that man could move easily and without effort. Each joint and knuckle has its own shape that suits its own movement and is precisely fitted inside its cavity. But for such joints and knuckles, man would have not been able to move his limbs.
Then contemplate the skull, how it was created from 55 bones of various shapes and sizes in order that the heads takes its well known shape; 14 bones for the cranium, 14 bones for the upper jaw, 14 for the lower jaw, and the rest form the teeth. The teeth also have their own different shapes and forms; some are wide to grind the food and some are sharp to cut it, these are the front teeth, the molars, and the incisors.
Another organ that should be pondered over is the neck that connects the head to the body; and how this is created from seven bones fitted precisely to meet the various functions of man needs. There are 248 bones, apart from the small bones in man's body, so contemplate how these bones were created from that jelly-like substance.
In brief, the whole body is a wonder and a sign of the creativity and wisdom of the Creator.
We did not intend to inform you of the number the bones by mentioning this, this is a known thing to the physicians and anatomists, we only intended to attract your attention to their Creator, and how He created them in the most accurate form to enable man to perform any function. It is a perfect creation with no excess or deficiency. Had there been an increased or decreased number, man would have faced great pain. The physician examines them to seek remedies, while people of insight ponder over them to deepen their belief. How great is the difference between these two inclinations.
Then see how Allah created the muscles to transmit movement to the bones. Man has 529 muscles of various shapes and sizes to suit their functions. There are 24 muscles to control the pupil of the eye and the eyelids. Had they increased or decreased man would have not have been able to see. Each organ has its own muscles of definite number and definite size. The muscles, veins, and arteries with their various shapes and sizes are more wonderful than this, and the wonders that are not perceived by the senses even are more wonderful.
So, ponder over the external and the internal aspects of man. Ponder over the human body and its characteristics to see its countless wonders. All this has been created from that ejaculated drop of liquid of no value. Such wonders are the outcome of a drop of liquid of no value. What about the kingdom of the heavens with their planets, and stars, their numbers, sizes, orbits, etc.? And do not think that an atom in this kingdom is void of its wisdom. No, it is also perfectly created and has its own countless numbers of wonders as there is no comparison between anything on earth and the kingdom of heavens. For this reason Allah says:
Translation: " What! Are you more difficult to create or the heaven. (above)? (Allah) has constructed it * He has lifted its canopy high, and He has given it order and perfection. * He has endowed its night with darkness, and He has brought out its glow. * " (79: 27-29)
Translation: If we return to the clot and its origin and consider how it was changed, then ponder over the fact that had the jinn and humans gathered together to give it hearing, sight, reason, a soul, a heart, etc. or to create in it a muscle, bone, skin, hair, etc., they would have not been able to do so.
Translation: Moreover had they gathered together to understand the nature of these organs, even after creating them, they would have not been able to comprehend them. One wonders about man's shallow thinking. If he saw a portrait of a man that seemed identical to the man, he wonders at the portrait painter and praises his experience, ability, and wisdom despite the fact that the painter had used only pens, dyes, colors, and his hand, knowledge, and will. He did not produce the tools, they were made or created by a person other than him or by the Creator. His only action was to use the tools made by other than him.
But when he sees that a drop of a no-value liquid that was issued from between the loins and breasts-bones has been formed into the best shape and in the best proportion, he is detracted from it.
Allah is the One Who has proportioned its organs and parts. He has distributed the bones in the perfect manner. He beautified it internally and externally, creating its veins and its muscles to be tubes for its food and drink to guarantee their sustenance.
He is the One Who has endowed it with hearing, and sight, and the other senses. He made the back a foundation for the body, the belly as a container for its small and large intestines, and the head as a container for its senses.
He endowed it with eyes, with its various layers and parts in beautiful colors, and protected it with eyelids and lashes, for man to see with. The pupil of the eye, which is the size of a lentil, can see the heavens that are so incredibly spacious.
He has endowed it with hearing (ear) with a bitter liquid to keep its hearing and to prevent the insects from reaching it. He has provided it with a cochlea, helix, an anvil, a hammer, etc. to enable it to perform its function in the best and most accurate manner.
The inner organs were also created to perform their own specific functions. He provided the body with a stomach, liver, gallbladder, and kidneys, each organ with its specific function.
The hands were created to the most suitable length to enable them to perform their functions perfectly. He provided them with wide palms and fingers, each finger with three joints. The thumb was separated from the other four fingers, which are all of various lengths, so that the thumb can touch them. Had the first and the last people gathered to find another way to arrange the fingers, they would have not have been able to. With this arrangement, the hand became suited to give and to take and if man stretches his hand out, it becomes as a plate. He has created the nails to beautify and protect the fingers, had man lost his nails, that are the most insignificant part of the body, he would not have been able to scratch his body. How is the hand guided to the place to be scratched whether one is asleep or awake. If he were to ask the help of another person to scratch him, the latter could not find the right place to scratch, except with effort.
All this has been created from that clot inside the womb in the three layers of darkness. Had man be able to penetrate through these layers, he would have seen the precise planning, without seeing the One Who plans or seeing the way He has created this creation. So, Glory be to Him How Great He is and how plain is His Evidence.
Besides His perfect Ability, ponder over His perfect Mercy. When the womb becomes narrow for the fetus, Allah guides it to move and come out the womb, as any sane person would do. Then, look how the baby was guided to suck at the breast and have milk that suits his digestive system so perfectly. Then, look how the delicious milk comes out from between the blood veins and how the breasts were created to store the milk, with nipples suitable for the baby.
Then, ponder over the ducts from which the appropriate quantity of milk is sucked gradually by the baby, and then contemplate how the baby was guided to suck milk in greater quantities when it gets more hungry.
Then, ponder over His kindness and mercy how the teeth are created after the two years when the baby is breast-fed. When the baby gets older he needs more solid food that requires grinding and digesting, hence the teeth are created. Glory be to Him. How He created these solid teeth from those soft gums.
Ponder earnestly over the love of the parents who care for the child when he was unable to support himself. Had not Allah cast this love in the parents ' hearts, the baby would not have been able to support himself.
You also have to consider how Allah provided that helpless creature with discretion, the ability to behave well, and guidance. How he passes through the various stages of childhood, boyhood, manhood, and old age. And we should ponder over his character, whether he is grateful or ungrateful, obedient or disobedient, a believer or an unbeliever, as the Noble Koran states:
Translation: " There had passed a period of time when man was a thing of no mention. * Verily, We have created man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him, so We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight. * We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will). * " (76: 1-3)
Translation: So, then ponder over His Benevolence, His Ability, His Wisdom, and His Generosity so that His Majesty overwhelms you.
Translation: If one considers all this, he then wonders at him who, when he sees a perfectly painted portrait he praises its painter effusively, wondering at the way he painted it; and then he becomes heedless considering the countless wonders that Allah has created within him.
This is a mere glimpse at some of the wonders lying in your own body; they are too numerous to count. But it is the most evident proof of your Creator's Greatness, yet you are heedless of it. You know nothing about yourself, except that when you get hungry you eat and when you are full you sleep; when you are sexually exited, you have sexual intercourse; and when you get angry, you fight. Consider also that the animals have these very same characteristics and senses.
The only characteristic that distinguishes man is his ability to know his Lord through contemplation of the Kingdom of the heavens, the horizons, and oneself. Only through this means, man can be enrolled among the drawn near angels and gathered with the truthful and the Prophets in presence of Allah, the Lord of all that exists.
Such a status is not to be given to the animals, or a man who is pleased with the worldly life and who feels at ease with it. In this case, he becomes worse than the animals, because the animals are deprived of such ability.
As to man, he was endowed with this ability, but he neglected it and rejected Allah's favors for him. Such are more erroneous than animals.
Below are some quotations from a book called: " The Dictionary of How the Human Body Works, " that I see being of great value in explaining this subject:
The Skeletal System³
The skeleton is the framework for the human anatomy, supporting the body and protecting its internal organs. The skeleton comprises 206 bones, about half of which are in the hands and feet. Most of the bones are connected to other bones by flexible joints, which lend to the framework a high degree of flexibility. There is only one bone, the hyoid, is not directly connected to any other bone in such an articulation. It anchors the tongue and is attached to the styloid processes of the 3 Imam Al-Ghazali mentioned the knowledge that was prevailing in his time. Since such knowledge does not correspond with the modern one after the electronic devices and instruments have been discovered, we saw it would be more accurate to quote the modern one as contained in (The Dictionary of How the Human Body Works).
skull by ligaments. The skeletons of the male and female bodies are essentially the same, with the only noteworthy exceptions being that the female bones are usually lighter and thinner than the male bones, and the female pelvis is shallower and wider than the male's. This latter difference makes childbirth easier.
The Digestive System
The digestive system is responsible for processing food, breaking it down into usable proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, fats, and other substances, and introducing these into the bloodstream in order that such substance could be assimilated by the body. The digestive or alimentary tract begins at the mouth, where the teeth and tongue begin the breakdown of food, aided by the saliva secreted by the salivary glands. The chewed food, combined with the saliva, is swallowed, carrying it in peristaltic (contractile) waves down the esophagus to the stomach. In the stomach, the food combines with hydrochloric acid that further assists in breaking it down. When the food is thoroughly digested, the remaining fluid, called chyme, is passed through the pylorus sphincter to the small intestines and large intestines. Within the long, convoluted intestinal canals, the nutrients are absorbed from the chyme into the bloodstream, leaving the unusable residue.
This residue passes through the cobn (where most of the water is absorbed into the bloodstream) into the rectum where it is stored prior to excretion. This solid waste, called feces, is compacted and upon excretion passes through the anal canal and the anus. Along the way through the digestive tract, the pancreas, spleen, liver, and gallbladder secrete enzymes that aid in the digestive process. '
The Muscular System
The human body contains more than 650 individual muscles anchored to the skeleton, which provide the pulling power so it can move around. These muscles constitute about 40 % of your total body weight. The muscle's points of attachment to bones or other muscles are designated as origins or insertions. The point of origin is the point of attachment to the bone to which the muscle is anchored. The point of insertion is the point of attachment to the bone that the muscle moves. Generally, the muscles are attached by tough fibrous structures called tendons. These attachments bridge one or more joints and the result of muscle contraction is movement of these joints. The body is moved primarily by groups of muscles, not by individual muscles. These groups of muscles power all the body's actions ranging from the threading of a needle to the lifting of heavy weights. '
Now, it is the suitable time to read what Imam Al- Nawawi compiled about this question.]
Translation: Allah said:
Translation: " Say (to them O Muhammad!): " I exhort you on one (thing) only. (It is that) you stand up for Allah's sake in pairs and singly, and reflect (within yourselves the life history of the Prophet). There is no madness in your companion (Muhammad), he is only a warner to you in face of a severe torment. * " (34: 46) And
Translation: " Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. * Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): " Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire " * " (3: 190-191) And
Translation: " Do not they look at the camels, how they are created? * And at the heaven, how it is raised? * And at the mountains, how they are rooted (and fixed firm)? * And at the earth, how it is outspread? * So remind them (O Muhammad!) as you are only one who reminds. * " * (88: 17-21) And
Translation: " Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them? Allah destroyed them completely, and a similar (fate waits) the disbelievers. * " (47: 10)