Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 95

Overview (Verse 95)

The Early Signs of Life
 
It is God who splits the grain and the fruit-stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive. Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth? (Verse 95)
 
This is the great miracle whose secret remains unknown to all creatures and which cannot be emulated by anyone. This is the miracle of life, its initiation and progress. At every moment, a grain or seed splits open to produce a shoot of plant and a fruit-stone breaks open to begin the life of a tree. This life which remains latent in the seed, grain and the fruit-stone, and which is evident in plant and tree remains, is in both
 
Right at the beginning, God brought forth the living out of the dead. The universe, or at least our planet earth, existed, but there was no life on it. Then life began after God originated it from something that was dead. How did He do that? We certainly do not know. Ever since that moment, life has been created out of what is dead. Dead particles are transformed every moment, through living creatures, into organic living substances that form part of living bodies. Although they are originally dead particles, they are transformed into living cells. The reverse also takes place. At every moment, living cells become dead particles, until one day a complete living entity becomes a dead body. “He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.” (Verse 95)
 
No one can do this other than God. It is God alone who can originate life from something that is dead, and it is He alone who gives a living entity the ability to transfer dead particles into living cells. Again, He alone can complete the cycle and transform the living cells into dead particles. No one has ever acquired certain knowledge of this cycle: when did it start and how does it proceed? We only have assumptions, theories and probabilities.
 
Every attempt to explain the origination of life in any way other than its being created by God has ended in total failure. At one stage, Europeans ran away from the Church in a flight similar to the one described by the Qur’ān as a flight of those who wilfully turn away from divine guidance “like terrified asses, fleeing from a lion.” (74:50-1) Ever since, they have been trying to find an explanation for the evolution of the universe and for life without having to admit that it is all God’s work. All their attempts, however, have ended in miserable failure. In the twentieth century, there remained only a few lingering attempts, all totally devoid of sincerity. They all share a distinctive characteristic, namely, pigheadedness.
 
An increasing number of scientists admit that there is no way to explain the beginning and progress of life except by a clear acknowledgement that it is all God’s work. What these scientists say is characteristic of the present attitude of modern science to this whole question. Nevertheless, some people in our part of the world continue to feed on the leftovers of eighteenth and nineteenth century Europeans. They turn away from religion because it speaks of `imperceptibles’, while they claim to be `scientific’. Their assertions need no comment from us. What they really need to do is to refer to what scientists nowadays acknowledge and that is that the origins of life lie with God alone. We will select only a few quotations from some Western scientists.
 
Frank Allen, Professor of Biophysics at the University of Manitoba, Canada, says:
 
If in the origin of life there was no design, then living matter must have arisen by chance. Now chance, or probability as it is termed, is a highly developed mathematical theory which applies to that vast range of objects of knowledge that are beyond absolute certainty. This theory puts us in possession of the soundest principles on which to discriminate truth from error, and to calculate the likelihood of the occurrence of any particular form of an event.
 
Proteins are the essential constituents of all living cells, and they consist of the five elements, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur, with possibly 40,000 atoms in the ponderous molecule. As there are 92 chemical elements in Nature, all distributed at random, the chance that these five elements may come together to form the molecule, the quantity of matter that must be continually shaken up, and the length of time necessary to finish the task, can all be calculated. A Swiss mathematician, Charles Eugene Guye, has made the computation and finds that the odds against such an occurrence are 10160 to 1, or only one chance in 10160, that is 10 multiplied by itself 160 times, a number too large to be expressed in words. The amount of matter to be shaken together to produce a single molecule of protein would be millions of times greater than that in the whole universe. For it to occur on the earth alone would require many, almost endless billions (10243) of years.
 
Proteins are made from long chains called amino acids. The way those are put together matters enormously. If in the wrong way they will not sustain life and may be poisonous. Professor J.B. Leathes (England) has calculated that the links in the chain of quite a simple protein could be put together in millions of ways (1048). It is impossible for all these chances to have coincided to build one molecule of protein.
 
But proteins as chemicals are without life. It is only when the mysterious life comes into them that they live. Only Infinite Mind, that is God, could have foreseen that such a molecule could be the abode of life, could have constructed it, and made it live.
 
Irving William Knobloch, Professor of the Natural Sciences at Michigan State University, says: Science has no adequate explanation for the origin of the many sub- microscopic particles of matter known to exist. It cannot explain, solely upon the laws of chance, how atoms and molecules could have come together to form life. The theory which states dogmatically that all higher forms of life have evolved to their present state by chance mutations, recombinations, polyploidy or hybridization, requires an act of faith for adherence to it, an act of unreasoned acceptance.32
 
Albert McCombs Winchester, Chairman of the Department of Biology at Stetson University and former President of Florida Academy of Sciences, says: My field of study has been in the broad field known as biology, the science of the study of life. Of all the magnificent creations of God, there is none which can surpass the living things which inhabit our planet.
 
Consider a small clover plant growing by the roadside. Where among all the marvellous man-made machines can we find its equal? Here we have a living “machine” which unobtrusively, but consistently, day in and day out, brings about thousands of complex chemical and physical reactions, all under the direction of protoplasm, the material of which all physical life is composed.
 
From whence came this complex, living “machine”? God did not personally mould it with His own hands and shape every leaf and root on it. No — He has created life with the ability of self- perpetuation; the ability to continue the species down through the generations with all the characteristics which make it recognizable as a clover plant. To me, this is the most fascinating branch of biology and the greatest revelation of the majesty of God. Here we are dealing with a world of infinite smallness, because the pattern for the construction of a new clover plant must be contained within a portion of a single cell, so small that it can be seen only with a powerfully lensed microscope. Every vein, every hair, and every branch on the stems, roots and leaves have been formed under the direction of tiny engineers within the one cell from which the plant grew.
 
There is a definite beauty in the way this Qur’ānic verse relates the operation of the life and death cycle to God alone. It first makes a clear statement: “It is God who splits the grain and the fruit-stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.” (Verse 95) It then attributes all to God: “Such is God.”
 
He is the originator of this ever-renewable miracle which remains covered with secrecy. He is the Creator and the Lord to whom everyone should submit themselves and obey without hesitation: “Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth?” (Verse 95) This is the truth which is clearly apparent to eyes, hearts and minds. How can anyone pretend not to see it or refuse to admit it?
 
The Qur’ān frequently mentions the miracle of bringing life out of that which is dead, as also the creation of the universe in order to turn our attentions to the nature of Godhead and the manifestations of the oneness of the Creator. The inevitable conclusion is that submission must be to God alone who is the only God and the only Lord. People must, then, address all their worship to Him alone and refer to Him in order to make their laws and formulate their code of living.
 
None of these aspects is mentioned in the Qur’ān in a form of an abstract, philosophical theory or religious dogma. This religion of Islam is too serious to allow people to waste their energies in such discussions. It aims to give people a proper concept, outlining true beliefs for them, so that they can enjoy a proper and sound life both in public and in private. This can only be achieved by freeing people from enslavement to other creatures so that they worship God alone and submit themselves only to Him in this life, in all its entirety. People will then refuse to acknowledge any authority claimed by usurpers who supposedly exercise the rights of Godhead, making their own laws and legislation for human life. Such people try to make of themselves false gods. By doing so, they undermine human life and cause people to be enslaved. Hence, this verse which begins with a wonderful description of the miracle of life concludes with this comment: “Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth?” (Verse 95)
 
Such is God who alone deserves to be acknowledged as the overall Lord who sustains life, provides guidance, exercises control and rules over the whole universe. Hence, no one else can be acknowledged as Lord.

Overview (Verse 95)

The Early Signs of Life
 
It is God who splits the grain and the fruit-stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive. Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth? (Verse 95)
 
This is the great miracle whose secret remains unknown to all creatures and which cannot be emulated by anyone. This is the miracle of life, its initiation and progress. At every moment, a grain or seed splits open to produce a shoot of plant and a fruit-stone breaks open to begin the life of a tree. This life which remains latent in the seed, grain and the fruit-stone, and which is evident in plant and tree remains, is in both
 
Right at the beginning, God brought forth the living out of the dead. The universe, or at least our planet earth, existed, but there was no life on it. Then life began after God originated it from something that was dead. How did He do that? We certainly do not know. Ever since that moment, life has been created out of what is dead. Dead particles are transformed every moment, through living creatures, into organic living substances that form part of living bodies. Although they are originally dead particles, they are transformed into living cells. The reverse also takes place. At every moment, living cells become dead particles, until one day a complete living entity becomes a dead body. “He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.” (Verse 95)
 
No one can do this other than God. It is God alone who can originate life from something that is dead, and it is He alone who gives a living entity the ability to transfer dead particles into living cells. Again, He alone can complete the cycle and transform the living cells into dead particles. No one has ever acquired certain knowledge of this cycle: when did it start and how does it proceed? We only have assumptions, theories and probabilities.
 
Every attempt to explain the origination of life in any way other than its being created by God has ended in total failure. At one stage, Europeans ran away from the Church in a flight similar to the one described by the Qur’ān as a flight of those who wilfully turn away from divine guidance “like terrified asses, fleeing from a lion.” (74:50-1) Ever since, they have been trying to find an explanation for the evolution of the universe and for life without having to admit that it is all God’s work. All their attempts, however, have ended in miserable failure. In the twentieth century, there remained only a few lingering attempts, all totally devoid of sincerity. They all share a distinctive characteristic, namely, pigheadedness.
 
An increasing number of scientists admit that there is no way to explain the beginning and progress of life except by a clear acknowledgement that it is all God’s work. What these scientists say is characteristic of the present attitude of modern science to this whole question. Nevertheless, some people in our part of the world continue to feed on the leftovers of eighteenth and nineteenth century Europeans. They turn away from religion because it speaks of `imperceptibles’, while they claim to be `scientific’. Their assertions need no comment from us. What they really need to do is to refer to what scientists nowadays acknowledge and that is that the origins of life lie with God alone. We will select only a few quotations from some Western scientists.
 
Frank Allen, Professor of Biophysics at the University of Manitoba, Canada, says:
 
If in the origin of life there was no design, then living matter must have arisen by chance. Now chance, or probability as it is termed, is a highly developed mathematical theory which applies to that vast range of objects of knowledge that are beyond absolute certainty. This theory puts us in possession of the soundest principles on which to discriminate truth from error, and to calculate the likelihood of the occurrence of any particular form of an event.
 
Proteins are the essential constituents of all living cells, and they consist of the five elements, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur, with possibly 40,000 atoms in the ponderous molecule. As there are 92 chemical elements in Nature, all distributed at random, the chance that these five elements may come together to form the molecule, the quantity of matter that must be continually shaken up, and the length of time necessary to finish the task, can all be calculated. A Swiss mathematician, Charles Eugene Guye, has made the computation and finds that the odds against such an occurrence are 10160 to 1, or only one chance in 10160, that is 10 multiplied by itself 160 times, a number too large to be expressed in words. The amount of matter to be shaken together to produce a single molecule of protein would be millions of times greater than that in the whole universe. For it to occur on the earth alone would require many, almost endless billions (10243) of years.
 
Proteins are made from long chains called amino acids. The way those are put together matters enormously. If in the wrong way they will not sustain life and may be poisonous. Professor J.B. Leathes (England) has calculated that the links in the chain of quite a simple protein could be put together in millions of ways (1048). It is impossible for all these chances to have coincided to build one molecule of protein.
 
But proteins as chemicals are without life. It is only when the mysterious life comes into them that they live. Only Infinite Mind, that is God, could have foreseen that such a molecule could be the abode of life, could have constructed it, and made it live.
 
Irving William Knobloch, Professor of the Natural Sciences at Michigan State University, says: Science has no adequate explanation for the origin of the many sub- microscopic particles of matter known to exist. It cannot explain, solely upon the laws of chance, how atoms and molecules could have come together to form life. The theory which states dogmatically that all higher forms of life have evolved to their present state by chance mutations, recombinations, polyploidy or hybridization, requires an act of faith for adherence to it, an act of unreasoned acceptance.32
 
Albert McCombs Winchester, Chairman of the Department of Biology at Stetson University and former President of Florida Academy of Sciences, says: My field of study has been in the broad field known as biology, the science of the study of life. Of all the magnificent creations of God, there is none which can surpass the living things which inhabit our planet.
 
Consider a small clover plant growing by the roadside. Where among all the marvellous man-made machines can we find its equal? Here we have a living “machine” which unobtrusively, but consistently, day in and day out, brings about thousands of complex chemical and physical reactions, all under the direction of protoplasm, the material of which all physical life is composed.
 
From whence came this complex, living “machine”? God did not personally mould it with His own hands and shape every leaf and root on it. No — He has created life with the ability of self- perpetuation; the ability to continue the species down through the generations with all the characteristics which make it recognizable as a clover plant. To me, this is the most fascinating branch of biology and the greatest revelation of the majesty of God. Here we are dealing with a world of infinite smallness, because the pattern for the construction of a new clover plant must be contained within a portion of a single cell, so small that it can be seen only with a powerfully lensed microscope. Every vein, every hair, and every branch on the stems, roots and leaves have been formed under the direction of tiny engineers within the one cell from which the plant grew.
 
There is a definite beauty in the way this Qur’ānic verse relates the operation of the life and death cycle to God alone. It first makes a clear statement: “It is God who splits the grain and the fruit-stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.” (Verse 95) It then attributes all to God: “Such is God.”
 
He is the originator of this ever-renewable miracle which remains covered with secrecy. He is the Creator and the Lord to whom everyone should submit themselves and obey without hesitation: “Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth?” (Verse 95) This is the truth which is clearly apparent to eyes, hearts and minds. How can anyone pretend not to see it or refuse to admit it?
 
The Qur’ān frequently mentions the miracle of bringing life out of that which is dead, as also the creation of the universe in order to turn our attentions to the nature of Godhead and the manifestations of the oneness of the Creator. The inevitable conclusion is that submission must be to God alone who is the only God and the only Lord. People must, then, address all their worship to Him alone and refer to Him in order to make their laws and formulate their code of living.
 
None of these aspects is mentioned in the Qur’ān in a form of an abstract, philosophical theory or religious dogma. This religion of Islam is too serious to allow people to waste their energies in such discussions. It aims to give people a proper concept, outlining true beliefs for them, so that they can enjoy a proper and sound life both in public and in private. This can only be achieved by freeing people from enslavement to other creatures so that they worship God alone and submit themselves only to Him in this life, in all its entirety. People will then refuse to acknowledge any authority claimed by usurpers who supposedly exercise the rights of Godhead, making their own laws and legislation for human life. Such people try to make of themselves false gods. By doing so, they undermine human life and cause people to be enslaved. Hence, this verse which begins with a wonderful description of the miracle of life concludes with this comment: “Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth?” (Verse 95)
 
Such is God who alone deserves to be acknowledged as the overall Lord who sustains life, provides guidance, exercises control and rules over the whole universe. Hence, no one else can be acknowledged as Lord.