CHEST CONTRACTION WITH INCREASING HEIGHT 
Human beings need oxygen and air pressure in order to live. Breathing is made possible by the oxygen in the atmosphere reaching the air sacs in our lungs. As elevation rises, however, atmospheric pressure goes down as the atmosphere becomes thinner. Therefore, the amount of oxygen entering the blood stream declines and it becomes harder to breathe. As the air sacs grow narrow and contract, we feel as if we cannot breathe.
 
If the amount of oxygen in the blood is less than the body needs, several symptoms emerge: extreme fatigue, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and loss of judgement. When a certain height is reached, it finally becomes impossible for a human being to breathe at all. (Medical Encyclopedia, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton) This is why we need oxygen bottles and special clothing in order to survive at such elevations.
Someone at 5,000-7,500 metres (16,500-24,500 feet) above sea-level may faint and go into a coma because of breathing difficulties. That explains the presence of oxygen equipment in airplanes. There are also special systems that regulate air pressure when planes fly at 9,000-10,000 metres (29,500-33,000 feet) above sea-level.
Anoxia occurs when oxygen fails to reach the tissues. This oxygen deficiency occurs at heights of 3,000-4,500 metres (10,000-15,000 feet). Some people even lose consciousness at such elevations, but can be saved by immediate oxygen treatment.
In the comparison made in the verse below, this physical truth, the changes that take place in the chest with increasing height, is indicated in these terms:
When Allah desires to guide someone, He expands his breast to Islam. When He desires to misguide someone, He makes his breast narrow and constricted as if he were climbing up into the sky. That is how Allah defiles those who have no faith. (Qur’an, 6:125)
 
CORONARY BY-PASS SURGERY 
Didn’t We open up and expand your breast for you and remove your load from you which weighed down your back? Did We not raise your renown high? For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease. (Qur’an, 94:1-6)
In order for it to survive and function, every organ needs to be nourished by means of the blood. Blood flows to the heart through the coronary artery. In cases of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), narrowing and blockages can arise in these arteries. When the condition progresses, the passage of the blood is obstructed and the heart receives insufficient supply. This leads to chest pains, which show that the heart is unable to function properly and also to heart attacks.  
The expression “A lam nashrah laka sadraka” in the above verse-translated as “Didn’t we open up and expand your breast for you…”-may be a sign of heart disorders of this kind and present-day coronary by-pass surgery. (Allah knows best. ) That is because the first meaning of the term “lam nashrah” expresses the verb “to cut open flesh and similar substances. ” Indeed, in such operations, the heart is accessed by splitting the breastbone into two. As a result of the operation, the blood is enabled to flow again and chest pain is eliminated. The term “expand” in the above verse may be a sign of the removal of such congestion of the arteries.
Furthermore, it is most wise that immediately after this Sura Allah should swear by the olive, which is so beneficial to the heart. (Qur’an, 95:1)
 
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MOVEMENT, WASHING AND DRINKING WATER 
One of the forms of behaviour noted in the Qur’an is concealed in a revelation vouchsafed to the Prophet Ayyub (as):
Remember Our servant Ayyub when he called on his Lord: “Satan has afflicted me with exhaustion and suffering. ” “Stamp your foot! Here is a cool bath and water to drink. ” (Qur’an, 38:41-42)
One of the pieces of advice given to Prophet Ayyub (as) by Allah in the face of the exhaustion and suffering inflicted by Satan is “stamping the foot. ” This expression in the verse may be indicating the benefits of movement or sport.
During sport, blood flow is accelerated, particularly by the movement of long muscles such as those in the legs (isometric movements) and the level of oxygen reaching the cells increases. As a result, the individual’s fatigue is eliminated and he or she is energised as toxic substances are expelled from the body. (Prof. Fehmi Tuncel, Bilim Teknik, January 1993. ) At the same time, the body acquires increased resistance to microbes. People who take regular exercise possess broad, clean arteries and this has the effect of preventing them from clogging and thus of preventing heart disease. (Barbara A. Brehm, “Your Health and Fitness,” Fitness Management Magazine, 1990. ) In addition, regular exercise plays a role in the prevention of diabetes by regularising the blood sugar balance. The beneficial effects of sport on the liver raise the levels of good cholesterol. (Kathleen Mullen, Some Benefits of Exercise, (Medical Times C. Brown Publishers: 1986).
What is more, walking barefoot is a very effective method of releasing the static electricity accumulated by the body. It serves as a kind of earthing of the body.
As emphasised in the verse, washing is also known to be the most effective method of discharging the static electricity in the body. In addition to providing physical cleanliness, washing also reduces stress and tension. Washing therefore has a curative effect on many physical and psychological disorders, especially stress and fevers.
In the verse, in addition to washing, drinking water is also recommended. The beneficial effects of water on allorgans of the body cannot be ignored. The health of many organs-such as the sweat glands, the stomach, the intestines, the kidneys and the skin-is directly related to the presence of adequate amounts of water in the body. The treatment of all such disorders, as may arise in this field, is possible by means of providing extra water. The answer to fatigue, tiredness and drowsiness is again to increase the level of water in the body and thus to cleanse it of impurities.
Implementing each of these recommendations, of vital importance to our physical and mental health, will bring about the ideal results. Each of these recommendations is also a manifestation of the verse “We send down in the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers…” (Qur’an, 17:82)

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THE EXISTENCE OF MICROSCOPIC LIFE 
Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs: from what the earth produces and from themselves and from things unknown to them. (Qur’an, 36:36)
… And He creates other things you do not know. (Qur’an, 16:8)
The above verses indicate the existence of life forms unknown to people at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. Indeed, with the discovery of the microscope, new living things too small to be seen with the naked eye have also been discovered by man. People have therefore begun to learn about the existence of these life forms, indicated in the Qur’an. Other verses which point to the existence of micro-organisms, which are invisible to the naked eye and generally consist of a single cell, read:
… He is the Knower of the Unseen, Whom not even the weight of the smallest particle eludes, either in the heavens or in the earth; nor is there anything smaller or larger than that which is not in a Clear Book. (Qur’an, 34:3)
… Not even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on earth or in heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is not in a Clear Book. (Qur’an, 10:61)
There are 20 times more members of this secret world, which is spread all over the planet, micro-organisms in other words, than there are animals on Earth. These micro-organisms, invisible to the naked eye, comprise bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae and Acarina (mites and ticks). They also constitute an important element in the balance of life on Earth. For example, the nitrogen cycle, one of the fundamental components of the formation of life on Earth, is made possible by bacteria. Root fungi are the most important element in plants being able to take up minerals from the soil. The bacteria on our tongues prevent us being poisoned by food containing nitrates, such as salad stuffs and meat. At the same time, certain bacteria and algae possess the ability to make photosynthesis, the fundamental element in life on Earth, and share that task with plants. Some members of the Acarina family decompose organic substances and turn them into foodstuffs suitable for plants. As we have seen, these tiny life forms, about which we have only learned with modern technological equipment, are essential to human life.
Fourteen centuries ago, the Qur’an indicated the existence of living things beyond those which can be seen with the naked eye. This is another spectacular miracle contained within the verses of the Qur’an. (See Harun Yahya, The Miracle of the Microworld)
 
THE EXISTENCE OF ANIMAL SOCIETIES
 
There is no creature crawling on the Earth or flying creature, flying on its wings, who are not communities just like yourselves… (Qur’an, 6:38)
As a result of modern-day animal and bird ecology study, we know that all animals and birds live in the form of separate societies. Lengthy and wide-ranging studies have shown that there is a rather systematic social order among animals.
Honey bees, for example, whose social life amazes scientists, build their nests in colonies in tree hollows or other covered areas. A bee colony consists of a queen, a few hundred males and 10-80,000 workers. As we have already mentioned, there is only one queen in every colony and her fundamental task is that of laying eggs. In addition, she secretes important substances which maintain the unity of the colony and allow the system within the hive to function. The males’ only function is to fertilise the queen. All other functions-such as building honey combs in the hive, gathering food, creating royal jelly, regulating the temperature of the hive, cleanliness and defence-are carried out by the workers. There is order in every phase of life in the hive. All duties, from caring for the larvae to provision of the general needs of the hive, are performed without fail.
Despite having the greatest numbers in the world, ants also exhibit an order which can serve as an example to human beings in many areas: technology, collective labour, military strategy, an advanced communications network, a hierarchical order, discipline and flawless town planning. Ants live in societies known as colonies and in such order amongst themselves that one could even say that they have a civilisation similar to that of human beings.
As ants produce and store their food, they also watch over their young, defend the colony and wage war against their enemies. There are even colonies which engage in “sewing,” “agriculture” and “animal rearing. ” These animals have a very powerful communications network amongst themselves. Their social organisation and expertise are far superior to any other living thing. (See Harun Yahya, The Miracle in the Ant, Goodword Books, 2002)
Communal animals with ordered lives also operate together in the face of danger. For instance, when birds of prey such as hawks or owls enter the area, smaller birds surround these birds en masse. They then produce a special sound to draw other birds to the area. The aggressive behaviour displayed by small birds en masse generally drives birds of prey away. (Edward O. Wilson, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, (England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: 1975), 123. )
A flock of birds flying together protects all its members in the same way. For instance, a flock of starlings flying together leave a wide distance between one another. When they see a hawk, however, they close the distance between them. They thus make it harder for the hawk to dive in amidst the flock. Even if the hawk does so, it will be acting to its own detriment. Its wings will be damaged and it will be unable to hunt. Mammals also act in consort when there is an attack on the group. For example, zebras take their young into the middle of the herd when they flee from enemies. Dolphins also swim in groups and fight off their greatest enemy, sharks, as a group. (Russell Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, (USA: Penguin USA: 1978), 69. )
There are countless examples of and a great many details concerning the social lives of animals. These facts acquired about animals are the result of long years of research. As we have seen, the information about animals given in the Qur’an-as in all areas-shows that the book of Islam is indeed the word of Allah.
 
LOCUSTS MOVING IN SWARMS 
They will emerge from their graves with downcast eyes, like swarming locusts. (Qur’an, 54:7)
This verse describes all people’s situation in the Hereafter as one resembling swarming locusts. There is great wisdom in this simile.
A great deal of information was obtained about locusts in the twentieth century by conducting wide-ranging studies using micro-cameras. Locust swarms contain huge numbers of individual locusts that behave as a single body. Coming together in swarms that are kilometres long and wide, they look just like a dark cloud. It has been established, for instance, that a single swarm of desert locusts can cover 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) and contain between 40 and 80 million locusts per square kilometre. (The Reach of the Desert Locust)
In addition, they deposit their eggs in sandy soils like seeds and, after the larvae have remained underground for a long period of time, they all emerge together. After digging a 10-15 cm (4-6 inch) long tunnel in the ground, a female locust lays 95-158 eggs at once. Females can lay eggs at least three times in their lifetime. When the larvae have matured after 10-65 days, depending on the air temperature, they emerge in a large group. Up to 1,000 egg pods have been found in one square metre. Locust swarms are large enough to cover several hundred square kilometres, with the number of adult locusts per square kilometre varying from between 40 to 80 million. (Frequently Asked Questions, Desert Locust Information Service) Their long underground existence and sudden emergence in vast numbers all at the same time may resemble the resurrection of human beings on the Day of Judgement. (Allah knows best. )
Today, locusts are being studied by special units, which employ remote control imaging systems. Even NASA satellite data are used to identify areas in Africa where desert locust colonies have developed.
Thanks to satellite data, it is possible to carry out wide-ranging research on land and in space over an 18 million square kilometre area.
As we have seen, the fact that the Qur’an made such a comparison at a time when these technologies did not exist is one of the proofs that it is the revelation of the Omniscient Allah.
 

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A HUMAN BEING’S CREATION – II
 
The Wrapping of Muscles over the BonesAnother important item of information provided in the verses of the Qur’an is the developmental stages of a human being in the mother’s womb. It is stated in these verses that in the mother’s womb, the bones develop first, and then the muscles form which wrap around them.
[We] then formed the drop into an embryo and formed the embryo into a lump and formed the lump into bones and clothed the bones in flesh; and then brought him into being as another creature. Blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators! (Qur’an, 23:14)
Embryology is the branch of science that studies the development of the embryo in the mother’s womb. Until very recently, embryologists assumed that the bones and muscles in an embryo developed at the same time. Yet, advanced microscopic research conducted by virtue of new technological developments has revealed that the revelation of the Qur’an is word for word correct.
These observations at the microscopic level showed that the development inside the mother’s womb takes place in just the way it is described in these verses. First, the cartilage tissue of the embryo ossifies. Then, muscular cells that are selected from amongst the tissue around the bones come together and wrap around the bones.
This event is described in a scientific publication titled Developing Human in the following words:
. . . [T]he shape of the skeleton determines the general appearance of the embryo in the bones stage during the 7th week; muscles do not develop at the same time but their development follows soon after. The muscles take their positions around the bones throughout the body and therefore clothe the bones. Thus, the muscles take their well known forms and structures. . . The stage of clothing with muscle occurs during the 8th week. . . (Keith L. Moore, Developing Human, 3rd ed. (W. B. Saunders Company: 1982), 364a. )
In short, developmental stages of man, as described in the Qur’an, are in perfect harmony with the findings of modern embryology.
 
Three Dark Stages of the Baby in the Womb
In the Qur’an, it is related that man is created through a three-stage process in the mother’s womb.
. . . He creates you stage by stage in your mothers’ wombs in threefold darkness. That is Allah, your Lord. Sovereignty is His. There is no deity but Him. So what has made you deviate? (Qur’an, 39:6)
The expression “fee thulumaatin thalaathin,” translated into English as “a threefold darkness,” indicates three dark regions involved during the development of the embryo. These are:
a) The darkness of the abdomen
b) The darkness of the womb
c) The darkness of the placenta
As we have seen, modern biology has revealed that the embryological development of the baby takes place in the manner revealed in the verse, in three dark regions. Moreover, advances in the science of embryology show that these regions consist of three layers each.
The lateral abdominal wall comprises three layers: the external oblique, the internal oblique, and transverses abdominis muscles. (Dr. Mark Hill, “This is an educational resource developed for learning concepts in embryological development;”)
Similarly, the wall of the womb also consists of three layers: the epimetrium, the myometrium and the endometrium. (”Reproductive System,” MJC)
Similarly again, the placenta surrounding the embryo also consists of three layers: the amnion (the internal membrane around the foetus), the chorion (the middle amnion layer) and the decidua (outer amnion layer. ) (”Reproductive System,” MJC)
It is also pointed out in this verse that a human being is created in the mother’s womb in three distinct stages.
Indeed, modern biology has also revealed that the baby’s embryological development takes place in three distinct regions in the mother’s womb. Today, in all the embryology textbooks studied in departments of medicine, this subject is taken as an element of basic knowledge. For instance, in Basic Human Embryology, a fundamental reference text in the field of embryology, this fact is stated as follows:
The life in the uterus has three stages: pre-embryonic; first two and a half weeks, embryonic; until the end of the eight week, and fetal; from the eight week to labor. (Williams P. , Basic Human Embryology, 3rd ed. , 1984, 64. )
These phases refer to the different developmental stages of a baby. In brief, the main characteristics of these developmental stages are as follows:
- Pre-embryonic Stage
In this first phase, the zygote grows by division, and when it becomes a cell cluster, it buries itself in the wall of the uterus. While they continue growing, the cells organize themselves in three layers.
- Embryonic Stage
The second phase lasts for five and a half weeks, during which the baby is referred to as an “embryo. ” During this stage, the basic organs and systems of the body start to appear from the cell layers.
- Foetal Stage
From this stage onward, the embryo is called a “foetus. ” This phase begins at the eighth week of gestation, and lasts until the moment of birth. The distinctive characteristic of this stage is that the foetus looks much like a human being, with its face, hands and feet. Although it is only 3 cm (1. 18 inch) long initially, all of its organs have become apparent. This phase lasts for about 30 weeks, and development continues until the week of delivery.
Information on the development in the mother’s womb became available only after observations with modern devices. Yet, just like many other scientific facts, in a miraculous way, Allah draws our attention to these items of information in the verses of the Qur’an. The fact that such detailed and accurate information was given in the Qur’an at a time when people had scarce information on medical matters is clear evidence that the Qur’an is the word of Allah. (See Harun Yahya, The Miracle of Human Creation, Goodword Books, New Delhi, 2003)
 
 
 

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A HUMAN BEING’S CREATION – I
 
Many diverse subjects are mentioned in the Qur’an while also inviting people to believe. Sometimes the heavens, sometimes animals, and sometimes plants are mentioned as evidence of Allah’s existence. In many of these verses, people are called upon to consider their own creation. They are often reminded how man came into the world, which stages he has passed through, and what his essence is:
It is We Who have created you. Why, then, don’t you accept the truth? Have you ever considered that [seed] which you emit? Is it you who create it? Or are We the Creator? (Qur’an, 56:57-59)
The miracle of man’s creation is emphasised in many verses. Some of the information within these verses is so detailed that it was impossible for anyone living in the 7th century to have known it. Examples of these are as follows:
1. Man is not created from the entire semen, but only a very small portion of it (sperm).
2. It is the male that determines the sex of the baby.
3. The human embryo adheres to the mother’s uterus like a leech.
4. The embryo develops in three dark regions in the uterus.
The items of information just quoted were far above the level of learning of the people living at that time. The discovery of these facts could only become possible by the technology attained in the 20th century.
Now, let us examine these items one at a time.
 
A Drop of Semen
Sperm undertake a journey into the mother’s body until they reach the ovum. Only a thousand out of 250 million sperm succeed in reaching the ovum. At the end of this five-minute race, the ovum, half the size of a grain of salt, will let only one of the sperms in. That is, the substance of man is not the whole semen, but only a small part of it. This is explained in the Surat al-Qiyama as follows:
Does man reckon he will be left uncontrolled [without purpose]? Was he not once a drop of ejected semen? (Qur’an, 75:36-37)
As we have seen, the Qur’an informs us that man is made not from the entire semen, but only a small part of it. That the particular emphasis in this verse announces a fact only discovered by modern science is evidence that the Qur’an is the word of Allah.
 
The Mixture in the Semen
The fluid referred to as semen, which contains the sperm, does not consist of sperm alone. On the contrary, it is made up of a mixture of different fluids. Seminal fluid is a collection of substances secreted from the testicles, the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland and glands linked to the urinary tract. A detailed analysis of this fluid shows that it consists of a great many separate substances, such as citric acid, prostaglandin, flavin, ascorbic acid, ergothioneine, cholesterol, phospholipids, fibrinolysin, zinc, phosphatase acid, phosphase, hyaluronidase and sperm. These fluids exercise different functions, such as containing the sugar necessary for providing energy for the sperm, neutralizing the acids at the entrance of the uterus, and providing a slippery substance for the easy movement of the sperm.
When semen is mentioned in the Qur’an, this fact, which was discovered by modern science, is also referred to, and semen is defined as a mixed fluid:
We created man from a mingled drop to test him, and We made him hearing and seeing. (Qur’an, 76:2)
In other verses, semen is again referred to as a mixture, and it is stressed that man is created from the “extract” of this mixture:
He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay; then He made his progeny from an extract of discarded fluid. (Qur’an, 32:7-8)
The Arabic word “sulaalah,” translated as “extract,” means the essential or best part of something. By either meaning, it refers to “part of a whole. ” This shows that the Qur’an is the word of Allah, Who knows the creation of man to its minute details.
 
The Sex of the Child
Until fairly recently, it was thought that a baby’s sex was determined by the mother’s cells. Or at least, it was believed that the sex was determined by the male and female cells together. But, we are given different information in the Qur’an, where it is stated that masculinity or femininity is created out of “a drop of sperm which has been ejected. “
He has created both sexes, male and female from a drop of semen which has been ejected. (Qur’an, 53:45-46)
Wasn’t he a drop of ejaculated sperm, then an embryo which He created and shaped, making from it both sexes, male and female? (Qur’an, 75:37-39)
The developing disciplines of genetics and molecular biology have scientifically validated the accuracy of this information given by the Qur’an. It is now understood that sex is determined by the sperm cells from the male, and that the female has no role in this process.
Chromosomes are the main elements in determining sex. Two of the 46 chromosomes that determine the structure of a human being are identified as the sex chromosomes. These two chromosomes are called “XY” in males, and “XX” in females, because the shapes of the chromosomes resemble these letters. The Y chromosome carries the genes that code for masculinity, while the X chromosome carries the genes that code for femininity.
The formation of a new human being begins with the cross combination of one of these chromosomes, which exist in males and females in pairs. In females, both components of the sex cell, which divides into two during ovulation, carry X chromosomes. The sex cell of a male, on the other hand, produces two different kinds of sperm, one that contains X chromosomes and the other Y chromosomes. If an X chromosome from the female unites with a sperm that contains an X chromosome, then the baby is female. If it unites with the sperm that contains a Y chromosome, the baby is male.
In other words, a baby’s sex is determined by which chromosome from the male unites with the female’s ovum.
None of this was known until the discovery of genes in the 20th century. Indeed, in many cultures, it was believed that a baby’s sex was determined by the female. That was why women were blamed when they gave birth to girls.
Fourteen centuries before human genes were discovered, however, the Qur’an revealed information that denies this superstition, and referred to the origin of sex lying not with women, but with the semen deriving from men.
 
The Alaq Clinging to the Uterus 
If we continue to examine the facts announced to us in the Qur’an, about the formation of human beings, we again encounter some very important scientific truth.
When the sperm of the male unites with the ovum of the female, the essence of the baby to be born is formed. This single cell, known as a “zygote” in biology, will instantly begin reproducing by dividing, and eventually become a “piece of flesh,” called an embryo. This, of course, can only be seen by human beings with the aid of a microscope.
The embryo, however, does not spend its developmental period in a void. It clings to the uterus, with something like roots that is firmly fixed to the earth by its tendrils. Through this bond, the embryo can obtain the substances essential to its development from the mother’s body. (Keith L. Moore, et al. , Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, (Makkah: Commission on Scientific Signs of the Qur’an and Sunnah, 1992), 36. )
Here, an important miracle of the Qur’an is revealed. While referring to the embryo developing in the mother’s womb, Allah uses the word “alaq” in the Qur’an:
Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from alaq. Recite: And your Lord is the Most Generous. (Qur’an, 96:1-3)
The meaning of the word “alaq” in Arabic is “a thing that clings to some place. ” The word is literally used to describe leeches that cling to a body to suck blood.
Certainly, the use of such a specific word for the embryo developing in the mother’s womb, proves once again that the Qur’an is the word of Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds.
 
 
 

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