Botany and Surat Abasa (4/4)

Man needs the following basic elements in his food:

a. Carbohydrates

They are important organic compounds whose components are made through the union of carbon atoms with both hydrogen and oxygen (with the same proportion found in water). The existence of carbohydrates in both plants and animals is found in different forms, the simplest being the monosaccharide like glucose and fructose. This monosaccharide combine with each other through special links to form disaccharides, such as sucrose found in sugar cane and beet, lactose (milk sugar), and maltose (barley sugar). These also combine into trisaccharides like raffinose, starch, and cellulose. Starch is found in many plants. It is enclosed in their seeds, nodules and fruits. The cell walls of plants, on the other hand, are mainly made of cellulose; and it is found in straw, wood, cotton and in other groups of vegetables.

b.     Proteins

They are organic compounds. They are formed by the union of carbon atoms with hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms. Some of their components may contain sulfur and phosphorus atoms. These elements exist in long amino acid chains. Proteins are made of as many as twenty amino acids that are linked through a special linkage called peptide bond. The protein component enfolds on itself into a spiral. Proteins can be found in very simple varieties made of only amino acids, and in very complex varieties combined with other chemical compounds. They exist in living creatures’ tissues and protoplasm, and play very important roles in many of their biological activities such as the support and movement of bones and muscles, transport and communication in blood and between the nerves, writing the genetic code and stimulating different interactions like secretion of enzymes and some hormones.

c.     Oils and Fat

They are basically formed by the union of carbon atoms with hydrogen and oxygen atoms in higher proportions than that found in water and carbohydrates. Some fats also contain sulfur and nitrogen. Oils and fats have an identical chemical composition; if this composition remains liquid at twenty degrees centigrade, it is called oil; but if it solidifies, it is called a fat. Fats are known as glycosides because they are composed of fatty acids and glycerin linked together. Glycerin, oil, and fat are called lipids. Some plants such as olives, sesame, black-eyed peas, soy beans, linseeds, cotton seeds, sunflower seeds, palm seed oil, walnut; and some crops such as wheat, corn, and rice are all considered as important sources of vegetable oil.

All these compounds--carbohydrates, proteins, and fats--are characterized by symmetry, precision and complexity in their form. This definitely means that they could not have created themselves nor could they have been created by accident. They are rather a proof of Allah’s absolute ability, creative genius, complex creation and precise control. That is why man’s attention was drawn to the creation of his food.

2.“We pour forth water in abundance,” (Surat Abasa (He Frowned):25)

“We pour”means water is poured in abundance from the sky, as what happens when it rains. And if there was no water cycle around the earth, all the water which is the main source of life where billions of living creatures live and die every moment, would have been completely polluted. The amount of water on earth is 1.4 billion cubic kilometers; 380,000 cubic kilometers evaporates every year and then comes back to earth through rain which is spread on earth according to Allah’s knowledge, wisdom and ability! No one can govern the water cycle but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), and nobody can cause one drop of water to pour down from the sky whenever and wherever he wants but Allah. That is why there is this reference in the ayah that pouring water from the sky is a clear evidence of Allah’s capability.

3.“And We split the earth into clefts,” (Surat Abasa (He Frowned):26)

Fissures are long cavities formed on any surface. “We split” here means the vertical effusion of rain water when it is poured on earth; and it has been proved that rain water spilled on earth can cause fissures in which the depth varies between a few meters to two hundred meters. This permits water to pierce through permeable rock layers so that water is stored under the surface and its freshness and content is renewed due to the presence of oxygen. These fissures connect with similar varied rock fissures, stratification levels in sedimentary rocks, and dissolved caves in calciferous and saliferous rocks that can reach dozens of kilometers resulting in holes, routes, galleries, and agoras. This connection promotes weathering of rocks and storage of underground water, and enhances its role in making the fissures wider. This is done through different aspects; by mechanical erosion (the effect of frost), erosion caused by living creatures, and chemical erosion (through dissolution, carbonization, conversion, liquidizing and oxidation) which weaken the rocks’ cohesion and helps them to split and fragmentize to make topsoil. It also helps plants get all they need from water and nutritious components.

This seems to me - Allah only knows--the closest meaning for “We split the earth” since it comes immediately after reference to pouring water. However, there is another possibility. The ayah may be referring to the fact that the splitting of the earth is a result of the mixture between the soil and rain water. Agricultural soil is composed mainly of calcic minerals which are basically made of hydrated aluminum silicates that are piled up on one another forming thin layers. This chemical compound has a great affinity for water, so when it becomes wet, it inflates and becomes fluffy, which allows it to float to the top.  As a result, the soil becomes very supple; it splits to let the stalk emerge from inside the seed buried in the soil and takes it to the surface. This occurs due to the water being displaced in an amount equal to the amount of air found between calcic layers and due to the colloidal movement of the collagenous substance through the soil’s calcic minerals.  This also occurs as a result of the repulsion of the similar electric charges on the surface of those layers on one hand, and of both poles of the bipolar water component on the other hand.

Also, there is a microcosm of life in the soil, where billions of dormant living creatures are found. When water reaches them, they arouse and become active. These are seeds, tiny eggs and larva as well as bacteria and fungi. The earth’s store of these living creatures varies from microscopic organisms to vertebrates. So, it seems clear that the force that leads to the growing of seeds is something not to be taken lightly!

4."And we cause therein the grain to grow, and grapes and clover plants (i.e. green fodder for the cattle), and olives and date-palms, and gardens dense with many trees, and fruits and herbage, (To be) a provision and benefit for you and your cattle.” (Surat Abasa (He Frowned): 27-32).

These ayahs refer to all plant varieties that man and his cattle need for their nourishment. The term “corn” covers the family of cereals like wheat, barley, corn and rice. This is the most important family of plants as far as the economy is concerned for both man and his cattle because it also includes animal feed and pasturage; and its fields cover most of the agricultural land on earth. Grapes belong to a family that contains eleven genera and more than six hundred plant varieties.

“Clover plants” refer to the wild forage for cattle and animals such as grasses and berseem, but it is not always available. Olives represent the entire olive family that contains twenty-two genera and more than five-hundred plant varieties. Date palms represent the palm family; it contains two-hundred genera and more than four thousand varieties of trees, bushes and climbers across tropical and temperate regions.

Gardens are described as enclosed and full of high, abundant trees. Fruits are all soft, delicious and sweet produce. It is said that “fruits” here refers to all the produce except for grapes and pomegranates. Fodder is all the herbage and pasturage eaten by cattle and animals such as grass and different fresh and dried plant parts (straw and hay). This term is far more general than the term “nutritious plants”; that is why this section of ayahs ends with the explanation, "(To be) a provision and benefit for you and your cattle.” (Surat Abasa (He Frowned): 32).

These scientific truths were not known until the twentieth century. Their existence in the Qur’an which was revealed to the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) fourteen centuries ago is evidence that it is Allah’s words and also a proof of the Prophethood of the last Messenger, May peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his companions and all those who follow his guidance until the last day.

Praise be to Allah, Master of the universe.