What Is Life? (2/4)

Inanimate beings cry, hear and talk

Hence, there is motion in inanimate beings, which the eye fails to notice and we know nothing about. But it occurs in order for inanimate beings to carry out their role in life as a living entity, not as dead inanimate objects. We assume that there is not life in inanimate beings, but those inanimate beings we claim to be lifeless have sentiments we are unaware of. Recite the Qur’anic Statement of The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, (which means):

“And the heavens and the earth wept not for them, nor were they given a respite.” (Surah Ad-Dukhan, 44: 29)

Indeed, the heavens and the earth have sentiments. They cry and perhaps laugh, even if we do not perceive it and think them inanimate, neither sense nor cry. The heavens and the earth can also hear the Words of Allah, understand them and answer them, as the Lord of Majesty and Sovereignty, all praise and glory be to Him, has told us in His Noble Book, (what means):

“Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: ‘Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.’ They both said: ‘We come, willingly.’” (Surah Fussilat, 41:11)

Allah has addressed His Words to the heavens and the earth, which understood the Command of the Most Exalted, and they spoke with a language that none but Allah knows. If so, we have no right to say that the heavens and the earth are deaf. Even more, the earth has what resembles the ears whereby it listens and obeys. Recite the noble Qur’anic verse in which Allah, glory be to Him, says (what means):

“When the heaven is split asunder, and listens and obeys its Lord, and it must do so; and when the earth is stretched forth, and has cast out all that was in it and became empty, And listens and obeys its Lord, and it must do so.” (Surah Al-Inshiqaq, 84: 1-5)

What is then meant by ‘Listens and obeys’ (in the noble Qur’anic verse)? It means that it heard by its own ear, that is to say the heaven has an ear wherewith it hears, and the earth has an ear wherewith it hears. So, when Allah commands them, they listen and obey. But we know nothing about all this.

Furthermore, Allah reveals to us that such inanimate beings have emotions and show due fear of Allah that transcend the emotions and fear evinced by the human heart. Allah, all praise be to Him, says (what means):

“Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness. And indeed, there are stones, out of which rivers gush forth, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which split asunder so that water flows from them, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which fall down for fear of Allah.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 74)

Thus, we have seen that inanimate beings have forms of life, some of which are mentioned in the Noble Qur’an, and we knew nothing about, whereas others are stated in the Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about the pebbles glorifying Allah between his hands and the mountains that used to glorify the Praises of Allah along with Dawud (David, peace be upon him). In this Regard, the Noble Qur’an says (what means):

 “And We subjected the mountains and the birds to glorify Our Praises along with Dawud (David), And it was We Who were the doers (of all these things).” (Surah Al-Anbiya’, 21: 79)

Plants as well

If we move from inanimate beings to plants we will find life pulsing in them also. Plant is also a glorifier and rememberer of Allah. The story of the date palm trunk, which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to deliver sermons while leaning his back on it, is a famous one. When they made for him a pulpit afterwards, instead of it, the trunk whined out of grief for being parted from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). It indicates the sensibility and feelings of plants, even if we are unaware of their language. Also, the date palm that kissed the hand of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is one of his several miracles.

All this draws to us a picture of the life of plants we are unaware of. We know that plants grow but there is also a Divine power of choice created in them. The plants imbibe water from the soil through small capillaries known as (osmotic pressure) which causes the water to rise in these capillaries.

We have conducted this experiment while in school: they brought us some capillary tubes and placed them in a vessel containing water and the water rose in the capillary tubes by osmotic pressure. They inferred that plants feed in this manner but they forgot something. If plants were fed in this manner, there would not have existed different fruits since the water and the land are one. But Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has granted plants the particularity of choice besides that of kind. Therefore, we find that every tree chooses from land the elements appropriate to its kind and its fruits.

An apple tree, for instance, chooses from the elements of the land what ensures endowing a sweet taste, color and a special charming fragrant to its fruits, while having a colocynth tree growing just by its side. On the other hand, the colocynth tree chooses what makes it hard and bitter with a special color, while a pepper tree is growing by its side; which in turn chooses what makes it hot with a special flavor. All this is watered with the same water, yet the life that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has endowed the plants with makes every kind of tree chooses from the elements of the land what suits it. Recite the noble Qur’anic verse in which Allah, all glory be to Him, says (what means):

“And in the earth are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops (fields etc.), and date-palms, growing out two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise (one stem root for every palm), watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat.” (Surah Ar-Ra‘d, 13: 4)

These are some colors of life in plants that we pay them no attention: sense, movement, choice and fulfillment of their role.

(Continued)