Here is Our Body!

Our bodies are perfect organisms that allow us to live on earth in comfort, to run and play, to read and write and, in short, they let us perform each and every task. These organisms are so wonderful that one cannot make anything that resembles them even with the most advanced technology.

How much do you know about this body of yours, which works non-stop and repairs itself when it runs down?

OUR WINDOWS ON THE WORLD: EYES

 Each organ in our bodies is very important to us. Our lives would change if even only one of them were missing. For example, our eyes… Did you ever think what you would have done if you didn’t have your eyes? You wouldn’t be able to know what your parents, brothers or sisters, or friends look like. You wouldn’t be able to see all the beautiful things. You wouldn’t be able to play most of the games you now do. You wouldn’t be able to read this book or see the colourful pictures in it. You wouldn’t be able to imagine what a rabbit or a dog looks like, because you would never have seen one. You wouldn’t be able to watch cartoons on TV. You wouldn’t be able to perform your tasks with ease. You might not even be able to find your way around home. You wouldn’t be able to see any colours or shapes, nor would you know what light is or be able to notice any of these things. The list is endless.

 Allah created all humans with eyes with which they can see. Allah has given humans this very important asset.

Our eyes serve very important functions. They perform critical processes of which we are completely unaware, and only after which we can see around.

Let us briefly examine how we see:

Every object in the world reflects and emits light on to its surroundings. For instance, while you are looking at this book, the light reflected and emitted from this book is going to the back of your eye through your pupil.

This light, after going through a series of processes at the back of your eye, turns into an electrical signal. This electrical signal goes to your brain. At the back of your brain is the centre of vision that makes it possible for you to see. The centre of vision is a small area. This is the tiny area where the electrical signals form the image of the book and that is when you see this book.

Even trying to explain these processes as briefly as possible takes such a long time, whereas the process is instantaneous. These processes happen so fast that when you look at the book, at that instant you are able to see it.

Isn’t it such a perfect system? If you remember, we had mentioned evolutionists earlier in the book. We also mentioned that these people believe that earth, the universe, the stars and all living things are a result of chance. Those who say this say the same about our eyes. They say, “The eyes occurred by themselves and through coincidence.” Can such a complex and wonderful system form by itself? Let us give an example to clarify how ridiculous this opinion is:

Engineers have manufactured the photographic and video cameras by copying the human eye. However, none of this equipment gives as clear a view as your eyes do. Now lift your head from the book and look around you. Isn’t your vision clear? There is no blur, snowy dots or missing lines in your vision. Now look at your television set. Quite often, you see snowy dots or skipped lines in the image. Even when these don’t happen and even with all the new technology, televisions still do not produce the perfect images that your eyes do.

Now, let’s think for a moment. This means that our eyes are a lot more advanced and are of better quality than any video or photographic camera or television. What would you do if someone came up to you and said something like the following?

“There was a storm that caused some electrical cables, screws, hammers, screwdrivers to fly out the door and windows, to fly out of the house, and then all of them got together in the backyard. Then there was some rain and thunder and these things were mixed with the soil. Some time passed and I saw a television set emerge. I picked it up and brought it home.”

You would probably think that that person is either insane or lying, because as we all know, television sets are made in huge factories where there are hundreds of engineers, designers and specialised personnel. It is impossible for a television set to form on its own.

could it be that our eyes, which are of much better quality than television, have occurred by themselves? Of course not! Just as a television doesn't come about on its own, but someone does manufacture it, our eyes are also not a result of coincidence. Allah is the One Who created our eyes in such a way that they see in three-dimensions and with coloured images so clearly. This is why we have to thank Allah for everything beautiful that we are able to see.
 

OUR EARS THAT HEAR WITHOUT ANY CRACKLE

Allah has created our ears perfectly just like our eyes. Imagine a stereo, for instance. Even if you turn on the best of stereos, you hear some crackling and hissing sounds. Radio channels often become mixed up. Right now, don’t talk but just listen! Do you hear any hissing? Your ears never produce any. You hear the sounds marvellously clearly. Well don’t you think that your ears could also have produced crackling just like stereos? Allah has created our ears perfectly and we are able to hear the sounds around us without experiencing any distortion.

Allah has created our ears in such a way that we are unable to hear certain sounds that would disturb us. The blood in our body, for instance, flows very fast and it makes a lot of noise during its circulation. However, our ears do not hear the noise that it makes. Our planet also produces quite a strong noise while it spins. Nevertheless, Allah has created our ears so ideally that we don't hear this noise. Allah is very caring towards us. This is the reason why, throughout our lives, He doesn’t let us hear noises that will disturb us.

This is why we have to thank Allah for His benevolence. Allah has stated the following in a verse in the Qur'an:

"Allah brought you out of your mothers' wombs knowing nothing at all, and gave you hearing, sight and hearts so that perhaps you would show thanks." (Surat an-Nahl, 78)

Here is a diagram that shows the inside of your ear. Your earflap collects the sounds, and the sound finally reaches the centre of hearing in your brain by moving inside your ear. And it is there that your hearing takes place.

  
  OUR HEART THAT NEVER TIRES 

For us, our heart is an essential organ. It beats about seventy-two times per minute and about forty million times per year. To understand what a tiring activity this is, just make a fist with your hand and then relax it, and continue making a fist and relaxing it. How many minutes do you think you will be able to keep this up?

Your heart, which is about the size of your fist, continues this action throughout your life without becoming tired or even stopping once. Our hearts don't stop even while we are asleep. If we become excited, our heart beats faster, and it beats slower while we rest. Our heart makes all these adjustments automatically while we are totally unaware.

Every time our heart beats, it pumps blood around our bodies. What we need to survive is in this blood. Every one of our cells receives the necessary oxygen and food they need from the blood. Our heart pumps about 43,000 litres (approx. 11,000 gallons) of blood per day. Do you know just how much blood this means? This is about enough to fill 150 bathtubs. Wouldn’t you become tired if you tried to empty a single bathtub full of water with just a cup? Now imagine having to empty 150 bathtubs of water with just a single cup. Probably you wouldn’t have been able to accomplish such a difficult task. However, our heart does such a task and has done so since the day we were born and will continue to do so until the day we die. Moreover, it never takes a break. You, for example, would take a break while doing a difficult chore. You would probably need to lie down, or take a rest, but our hearts don’t become tired, because they are essential for our survival. It is small but its task is enormous. This is why Allah has created it in such a way that it never tires.

It is unimaginable for a country to be without a network of roads, railways or seaways. A unique network in your body allows it to function faultlessly. These are the blood vessels of our circulatory system. Inside these vessels, the blood flows that the heart continuously pumps. The blood carries countless materials from one part of the body to another. It distributes food continuously to each part of the body and collects waste materials.

 

DO YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS AN ARMY IN THE BODY THAT PROTECTS US AGAINST GERMS?

The places where we sit, the air we breathe, the things we hold are full of germs and viruses, but we are unable to see them. Germs and viruses are small organisms that cause diseases in human beings. We cannot see them with our eyes but they can cause us to become sick and to lose strength.

There are other organisms we are unable to see. These make up the army that lives inside us and protects us against our germ and virus enemies. This army is called the “Immune System”.

Our immune system exists within our blood. The cells that make up our immune system are called the white blood cells.

When an enemy enters our body, our blood works just like a laboratory. It immediately produces very special substances to fight the enemy and reproduces more cells matching the enemy’s strength. A ferocious battle begins. Sometimes the army in our body wins the battle without us feeling it and the germs and viruses die.

The importance and benefits of vaccination:Dangerous germs are given to the body after being made ineffective. In this way, the immune cells recognise them and take measures to protect you against them

Sometimes we do feel this battle. You say how? When we have a fever! Of course, you must have had a fever at least a couple of times by now. That was when your enemy was fighting the army inside your body. During the battle, your body uses up all its energy and needs some more. If you go out to run, while your body is engaged in a battle, you would be using up all the energy that your body needs to fight. In this case, your army would lose the battle and you would fall sick. However, when you get a fever, you naturally lie down to rest, and your army uses all your available energy. In doing so, the army could be victorious. When our temperature rises, our body gives us the message “rest!”

Do you know what would have happened, if we did not have an immune system? Shortly after we were born, the first germ that entered our body would have killed us. Because Allah is very merciful and caring towards all humans, He has created each human being with an immune system. As we have realised from the beginning of this book, we owe Allah each minute of our lives for our being able to see beautiful things and being able to eat delicious food. That is why we have to think about Allah in everything we see and say “O Allah, I am grateful to You for giving me all these blessings”.