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015 Processes complimenting each other in the divine order
In my latest article, I wrote about the unambiguous unity and coherence in universe. The contrary is impossible because the opposite of such a system will be a complete confusion and chaos. And this would be similar to a situation like people in a jammed public meeting area bustling around in confusion and not being able to do anything but end up crashing into and pushing each other. A chaotic universe, like in this example, would be nothing but a pile of components in undulation.
Whereas, the universe is never like that. It has a perfect "order". Everything on universe was created solely by Allah and rules were set exclusively by Him. The operation of the system is managed by Allah Himself. The only holder, possessor and sovereign of this system is He. "Allah is the Creator of all things." [Zumar, 62] "But Allah has created you and your handwork." [Saffat, 96] "Regulating and governing all things." [Yunus, 3] "He directs the affairs from the heavens to the earth." [Sajdah, 5] "To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth." [Hadid, 2] "To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: for verily Allah,- He is free of all wants, Worthy of all Praise." [Hajj, 64] "Knowest thou not that to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth?" [Baqarah, 107]
Nothing in universe is by coincidence or random. Regardless of we know the reason or not, no object or phenomenon was created without a reason or for nothing. Nothing is causeless, unengaged or useless. There is always a reason that every object and phenomenon was created. "Not without purpose did We create heaven and earth and all between!" [Sad, 27] Every object, situation and event was arranged and organized to accommodate certain purposes. Therefore, every process has certain purposes. And every factor associated with this phenomenon is equipped with the qualities and skills to realize these purposes. This innate disposition is called "fitrah". Fitrah is one of the major factors that provide unity in universe. Because, every factor can only fulfill its role within the divine system through this innate disposition. If any of the factors in universe did not have the attributes required to fulfill their function, the work to be done by that function would not be realized, thus leading to obstruction of other works. After a while, the system would fail. Therefore, it is inevitable that every factor in universe function in accordance with their disposition (fitrah) in terms of maintenance and continuation the system. After all, it is out of the question that inanimate objects to behave against their fitrah. As per the living; a gratification and suffering mechanism was established by the Creator to enable them to do the things that are most suitable for their disposition.
Dear Readers, Every factor, phenomenon and process in the divine system was arranged to complement each other, like the pieces of a jigsaw. The nature is full of tens of thousands of examples of these integrated processes. One of the most striking examples of these processes that complement each other is the carbon cycle. I would like to elaborate this as it is one of the reasons of the existence of every living being. There is a well-known fact by the biologists. When the green parts of plants are exposed to sunlight, the chlorophyll transforms into an active electron acceptor. This takes electron from the hydroxyl ions of the ionized water and enables an oxygen molecule to come out. Hydrogen ions are held by NADP (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) molecules. The energy loss by the high-energy electrons during their journey to H+ ions through carrier molecules are stored in chemical compounds such as ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) and NADH2, and this energy is used in the synthesis of Glucose when combined with the Carbon dioxide and Hydrogen molecule with the help of various enzymes.
As a result, the Water taken from the soil and Carbon dioxide taken from air are used in this very important phenomenon which constitutes the basis of the entire living life. Organic compounds are synthesized from these, which cater for the Carbon and energy requirement of all living beings. The Oxygen that comes out is released to the atmosphere. On the other hand, all living creatures have to have energy for themselves in order to maintain life that continues 24/7, regardless of being able to photosynthesize or not. As you know, this is achieved as a result of the burning of the organic substances with Oxygen that is obtained through respiration. Today, we know about the mechanism of respiration, and it was experimentally proved that a complete opposite is the case in respiration when compared to photosynthesis. Oxygen is taken from the atmosphere and Water and Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere, in other words, those taken from the atmosphere during photosynthesis are returned back to the atmosphere. Can you imagine what would happen if these two phenomenon were not arranged to complement each other? Some authors say that the Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can only cater for 20 years of the plants' requirement if the photosynthesis was one-way process. Not to mention that the atmosphere becoming unlivable as a result of constant increase of Oxygen.
The above cycle for carbon is also applicable for nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur. These elements are taken from the soil and air into living bodies through sophisticated mechanisms. They then are returned back to the same place through sophisticated mechanisms -which will take too long to explain- including many microorganisms. If it wasn't for these recycling or a few parts of the chain that enable this recycling was broken in few places, life could not be maintained. Allow me to elaborate with some details. As you know, when animals die, the proteins in the dead tissue decomposed by various microorganisms. As a result of this decomposition, certain gases are released such as Ammonia and Hydrogen Sulphide. These are very stinky and toxic gases. This process is called putrefaction. If these gases did not go through the process of turning into ion molecules such as Nitrate and Sulphate, which can be used by various microorganisms in the soil, the atmosphere would be polluted by these bad smells and life on earth would be unbearable. We owe our comfort on earth to the fact that a few bacteria do the tasks they are assigned to efficiently.
I, now, would like to guide you with a short story from my own professional life in order to present you another striking example. The Creator granted me a life which was mostly spent in the southern cities of Turkey. This region is much closer to the equator so the sun is at the top. Therefore, spring passes very quickly. Once the clouds clear, the summer arrives. However, the autumn is a long season. This year, the plum trees in front of my house blossomed once again. It was a spectacular view. The plants are at their stage of growing. Tens of thousands of flowers... The petals have created a layer on the ground like snow. I wouldnt even notice how gorgeous the flowers of the plum tree smelled if it wasn't to my neighbor pointing it out. Bees keep traveling from one flower to the other... Seeing those bees suddenly reminded me a message on the internet about the widespread destruction of the bees. The introduction to the massage was a quote allegedly by Einstein. A statement like "If bees were destroyed, it would be the end of humankind." I can't remember the exact words. But something along those lines. Ideas bring other ideas to mind. Suddenly, this took me 10-15 years back. During my first few years here, I had prepared a project about the potential biological fight against some common diseases in Antalya. One of these common diseases was Botrytis Rot which causes major damage to many plants. A Bacillus species seemed to be quite effective on Botrytis cinerea, the cause of the disease. Bacillus spp. were easy to produce, prepare and stored. They were also heat and cold resistant. In addition, there was no problem from the point of the human health for this species. Following a series of in vitro tests at the lab, I wanted to see the effect on living plants.
At the time, Biological Control Research Institute joined the Citrus Research Institute. I visited the Institution Manager. I explained the situation. They allocated a section for me at the fully controlled greenhouse in Karaburun. I decided to do the experiment on "broad beans" due to practicality reasons. We planted the broad beans in the greenhouse. The plants grew. They had so many flowers on them. Yet, no fertilization was taking place and no capsules were being formed. Dear readers, you wouldn't believe this, but only one or two plants formed one capsule each amongst tens of thousands. At those times, we did not have Bumble bees that are now used as pollinators in greenhouses. When I remembered this event and judged it in the context of the words in the message, I had a goose bump. If the referred holocaust of bees were spread, this could really be the end of humankind. If it wasn't up to these bees, how many fruits we would be able to get from this huge plum tree? Now, think about the same on the basis of tens of thousands of plant types... Not to mention that the female and male flowers on certain types of plants, such as gourd family, grow on different parts of the plant and if there were not any fertilizer insects like "bees", there wouldn't be any fertilization. Can you imagine the scale of this disaster? Such a big favor these hardworking bees doing to us without realizing when they travel around daily for their livelihood. What would happen to humankind if these bees were not programmed to fulfill a function like providing the fertilization on plants?
Dear Readers, When even humans organize everything to complement each other in every system they establish using their own minds, would almighty Allah, the Creator of both the human and human mind, ever leave anything out? Therefore, nothing was left missing in the divine system. Everything was arranged to complement each other, every factor was equipped with suitable qualities to fulfill their roles and tasks they are given within the system. I am hoping that the above examples will assist you in understanding the content and functioning of this perfect system. I am also hoping to finalize this subject in my subsequent articles with a few more compelling examples, insha'Allah. Be entrusted to Allah. Dr. Ismail Ulukus
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