Islam and Evidence

Dead creatures are essential to the food cycle, as bacteria turn organic wastes into minerals which living things use for food. The Qur'an mentions this cycle, which was unknown at the time it was revealed, when it says "He brings forth the living from the dead, and produces the dead out of the living". Bacteria are responsible for the winter "spring cleaning" so when living things reawaken, they find food ready for them. This transition is proof that the Quran is from Allah.

Note 175. Bilim ve Teknik, no.234, May 1987, 17.

That it is He Who brings about both laughter and tears. (Qur'an, 53:43)

It is Allah Who creates every condition that people need to survive. The location of the Earth in the solar system, the atmosphere that provides the required environment for life, water, an essential part of life that covers a great part of the Earth, the movements of the Earth that enables the rise of the Sun every morning and its sinking every evening and many such other happenings take place by Allah’s Will.

The Prophet Muhammad (saas) reminded his people about Allah's superior might:

Say: “Think! If Allah made it permanent night for you till the Day of Rising, what god is there other than Allah to bring you light? Do you not then hear?” Say: “Think! If Allah made it permanent day for you till the Day of Rising, what god is there other than Allah to bring you the night to rest in? Do you not then see?” (Surat al-Qasas, 71-72)

The Prophet Muhammad told his people to look at the signs of creation in this world and to take lessons from them. Seeing these flawless signs of creation, people should grasp another important fact. Allah, Who is able to create all these things, will surely create their exact counterparts in the Hereafter. The Prophet Muhammad(saas) explained this important fact to his people:

Say: “Travel about the Earth and see how He brought creation out of nothing. Then later Allah will bring about the Second Creation. Allah has power over all things.” (Surat al-’Ankabut, 20)

The word “unseen” in the Qur’an means everything beyond one's perceptions and knowledge, everything concealed from the eyes. Knowledge of the unseen is Allah’s alone. And Allah informs us that He grants this knowledge only to those He wills. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) stated that it was Allah alone Who knew the “unseen":

Say: “Allah knows best how long they stayed. His are the secrets of the heavens and the Earth. How perfectly He sees, how well He hears! Man has no protector apart from Him. Nor does He share His rule with anyone.” (Surat al-Kahf, 26)

Say: “No one in the heavens and on Earth knows the Unseen except Allah.” Men shall never be aware of when they will be raised to life. (Surat an-Naml, 65)

Say: “My Lord hurls forth the Truth—the Knower of all unseen things.” (Surah Saba’, 48)

Ants are small animals with complex communication networks to organise their social lives. They use a variety of methods to communicate, such as alarm, recruitment, grooming and exchange of oral and anal liquid, with 500,000 nerve cells squeezed into their 2-3 mm bodies. Most communication is on the chemical level, using semiochemicals known as pheromones which are secreted by internal glands. These pheromones are emitted according to the needs of the colony, and their intensity varies according to the urgency of the situation. Thus, ants rely heavily on chemical communication in order to organise their social lives.

The scientific miracle of the Qur'an in regards to ants is that it accurately described the complex communication network of ants and their use of semiochemicals, or pheromones, to organize their societies 1,400 years ago, when there was no such knowledge about ants.

Note:

172. National Geographic 165, no. 6, 777.

173. Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson, The Ants (Cambridge: Harvard University Press: 1990),227.

174. Ibid., 244.

The Qur'an compares people's situation in the Hereafter to swarming locusts. Using micro-cameras, researchers in the twentieth century discovered that locust swarms contain huge numbers of individuals that behave as a single body and can cover 1,200 square kilometres. They deposit their eggs in sandy soils and emerge in large groups. Up to 1,000 egg pods have been found in one square metre. Special units and NASA satellite data are used to identify and study locust swarms over an 18 million square kilometre area. This comparison of the Hereafter to swarms of locusts is a proof that the Qur'an is the revelation of the Omniscient Allah.

Notes:

170. "The Reach of the Desert Locust;" http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Locusts/locusts2.html

171. Frequently Asked Questions, Desert Locust Information Service;

www.fao.org/NEWS/GLOBAL/LOCUSTS/LOCFAQ.htm#q5

Every event in the eternal past was predetermined by Allah. A man is also bound by a destiny ordained for him. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) told his people that they would not encounter anything other than what was predestined for them, for which reason they need to trust in Allah moment by moment and earn the rewards of such an attitude:

Say: “Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Guardian. It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust.” (Surat at-Tawba, 51)

The Prophet (saas), by his submission to Allah, was an example to all Muslims, and he warned people that they would never have the power to change anything that came from Allah:

"Everything is by decree—even incapacity and ability.” (Malik’s Muwatta)

“… When you ask for anything ask it from Allah, and if you seek help seek it from Allah. Know that if the people were to unite to do you some benefit, they could benefit you only with what Allah had recorded for you, and that if they were to unite to do you some injury, they could injure you only with what Allah had recorded for you. The pens are withdrawn and the pages are dry.”(Tirmidhi)