Harmony on Earth
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At the beginning of the 1990s, scientists were working on one of the world’s greatest ecological projects, Biosphere-2.
The project took its name from a giant structure constructed in the Arizona Desert in the USA.
It was a habitat totally closed off to the outside world, built mainly out of glass and concrete over an area of 13,000 square meters in the Arizona Desert. It resembled a giant greenhouse in appearance.
The plan was for a functioning ecosystem to be established in this giant structure closed off to the outside world in which bio-mechanisms were maintained by the water, oxygen and nitrogen exchanges that serve as the basis for life on Earth.
This ecosystem, which would function despite being isolated from the world outside, would also provide life support for 8 human beings over the 2 years of the project’s planned duration.
But when the experiment ended and the doors were opened, scientists saw that matters in this artificial habitat had not gone at all according to plan.
The oxygen level had fallen to 14%, that of 5,300 meters above sea level.
There had been sudden rises in carbon dioxide levels, while nitrogen levels had become high enough to damage the human brain.
The system that provided clean water had become polluted, and 19 of the 25 species of vertebrate living in Biosphere-2 had died.
All the insects that pollinated the plants had died, the algae in the ponds had grown enormously, and the food plants were smothered by weeds and died.
These were by no means all the catastrophes in Biosphere-2; the whole facility had become infested by ants, grasshoppers and cockroaches …
In short, despite all these efforts, it proved to be impossible to create in this closed system known as Biosphere-2 the balances that have been functioning perfectly on Earth for millions of years; and it was therefore impossible to produce an environment that was habitable for human beings, plants and animals.
In the wake of the failure of the Biosphere-2 research, Professor of Population Joel Cohen and Professor of Ecology David Tilman summarized the lesson to be drawn from the study in these words:
“No one yet knows how to engineer systems that provide humans with the life supporting services that natural ecosystems produce for free. (Joel E. Cohen, David Tilman, "Biosphere 2 and Biodiversity—The Lessons So Far", Science, Vol. 274, No. 5290, 15 November 1996, p. 1151)
In the wake of that admission, one single question will be enough to free oneself from a perspective resulting from lazy thinking and familiarity:
What would happen if all the life forms that perform the services in question on our behalf were to disappear?
The answer is obvious: we could never survive.
The harmony between the magnificent wealth of life on Earth and living things is the result of a special creation. And that creation belongs to Almighty and Omniscient Allah, which is described in the following verse:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and earthand all the creatures He has spread about in them... (Surat ash-Shura, 29)
THE PLACE OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IN THE HARMONY ON EARTH
A terrifying tremor, a cloud of smoke and ash that totally blocks out the Sun, poisonous gases that kill living things, temperatures high enough to melt iron and molten rock raining down from the sky …
People have always been terrified of volcanoes because these miracles of creation are at the same time deadly threats. Like everything in the world, Allah has created volcanoes on the basis of great knowledge and wisdom.
Let us now examine some of the delicate ecological balances created by volcanoes under a number of different circumstances.
They Permit the Emergence of Fertile Soil
The magma thrown up by volcanoes is in a very hot, dense and viscous form as it leaves the depths of the Earth. As it reaches the surface it cools down and begins to solidify. As a result of this solidification, its structure changes and gives rise to the formations known as volcanic rock. This is gradually broken down by wind, rain, freezing and erosion and turns into soil.
In addition, volcanic activity is one of the main reasons for the formation of many minerals and precious stones. Copper, diamond, iron and granite are just a few of these important substances.
Thermal Springs
Thermal springs are water sources with healing properties that appear along fault lines in volcanic regions, and are higher than 200 °Celsius in temperature. Thanks to courses of treatment using thermal spring water and hot mud, diseases such as rheumatism/sciatica, bone breaks and fractures, skin disorders, physical and mental fatigue, stress and nervous tension can all be treated.
Were There No Volcanic Activity on Earth …
What would happen if there were no volcanic activity on Earth? Well, many of the substances we rely on in our daily lives and in industry would not come into being. They might perhaps be obtained artificially, or other alternative substances might be found. But that would involve a great deal of effort, brain power and financial expenditure.
In the same way, the hot waters and thermal springs that contain various minerals would not have formed.
The earth would be poor in minerals and it would be impossible for us to benefit sufficiently from the plants that represent our main food source.
Our Earth might well have remained a dead, barren planet with no surface features or atmosphere, just like other planets.
What If There Were Constant Volcanic Activity on Earth?
Now imagine a world in which there was constant volcanic activity.
What would such a planet be like? The answer is very short and clear: “Life on such a planet would be impossible.”
Everywhere would be covered in red hot lava, and all living things would be burned to ashes.
The poisonous gases given off by volcanoes would reduce the oxygen level, and the atmosphere would no longer be able to sustain life, and we would be poisoned and die with the first breath we took.
Volcanic activities would cause constant earthquakes and the Earth would no longer be a safe place for any living thing.
Allah has created volcanoes, like everything else, on the basis of a sublime order and delicate balance, under “the most appropriate conditions.”
Human beings’ duty is to reflect on this sublime Creation of Allah’s and to see out Lord’s might and turn to Him:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are Signs for people with intelligence:
Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. (Surah Al ’Imran, 190-191)
Lightning hitting the Earth, intense rains, snow, howling winds and cloudless drought...
These are all climatic phenomena we witness on the planet we inhabit.
The shape of the Earth, its orbit, the mountains, the distribution of land and sea, proximity to and distance from the sea, the winds and the oceanic currents are the main factors behind climatic diversity.
One of these, the currents of the oceans, is defined as “the movement in a specific direction of a limited mass of water.”
There is no doubt that Almighty Allah created warm and cold water currents for a purpose. He has surrounded us with much knowledge and wisdom to reflect on. Let us now look at one of these miracles and see the examples we provide.
They Produce Climatic Variety
Warm currents transmit heat by traveling from warm regions to cooler ones.
Some warm currents consist of water from cold regions or else cool water from the sea bottom, and despite the water temperature being 15° Celsius, they are still considered as cool currents in warm latitudes. They therefore reduce heat and decrease the oppressive effects of the air.
The Coast Play a Role in Desert Formation
The reason why coastal deserts appear on the western edge of continents is cool ocean currents. However, this desert type is very different to very dry deserts with high temperature variations because the air is very humid in deserts of this type and temperature variations are unimportant. This makes it possible for a weak grass cover to form, and for animals to graze on it.
They Increase Biological Diversity
Currents carry food and oxygen in the seas and thus increase feeding potential and fish diversity. They also increase the number of sea birds, and the species thereof, that feed on these fish.
Spores and various plant seeds are carried by the currents thousands of kilometers to different parts of the world.
In the same way, plant seeds that adhere to icebergs are also carried to distant parts in the same way.
They Provide Food for Human Beings
Almighty Allah manifests His title of Rezzak through the diversification of economic activity by way of these currents.
For example, currents may directly affect cities’ revenues. One of two cities on the same latitude may have a harsh climate, while the other has a moderate climate because of warm water currents. This then has an impact on activities such as agriculture and tourism.
No rain is seen on the shores of various cities in South America under the influence of cool water currents, but in winter they permit the formation of a grass cover known as “Loma.” And that vegetation cover made the development of animal husbandry possible.
In addition, sea birds living on the islands near these coasts depend on the food chain set up by cold water currents. The natural fertilizer known as guano these birds deposit on the islands is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and has been extracted in blocks since the 19th Century, representing a significant source of income for the countries around the islands.
If Ocean Currents Were to Deviate from the Delicate Equilibrium on Earth.....
● Temperature changes in the sea would happen very fast, oxygen and salt levels would change, and that would lead to the death of fish and other marine organisms.
● Climatic abnormalities would appear. Dense fogs and floods caused by severe rain could have lethal results.
● Climatic obstacles would arise. Temperate region plants could not spread to colder areas, or tropical plants to other regions, as much as they do today, and the frontiers that would be established in agricultural regions would mean that human habitats would not be as broad as they are now.
As we have seen, warm and cold water currents heat or cool the air to just the right extent. These characteristics expand the possible areas of human habitats on Earth, making it possible to obtain food and increase the variety of other species. It is, of course, impossible for such an order to have come about by chance. This sensitive equilibrium was established by Allah, Lord of the earth and sky:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are Signs for people with intelligence:
those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. (Surat al-‘Imran, 190-191)
Most people think that the soil is part of the Earth’s crust, just a few centimeters thick, largely used in agriculture. Looked at more closely, however, soil has a very complex structure indeed.
A wide variety of physical, chemical and biological activities take place in this layer, which ranges from 20 to 30 centimeters, to a few meters at most in thickness.
THE FORMATION OF THE SOIL IS A MIRACLE ALL BY ITSELF
One of the most complex and interesting things about soil is that it forms by itself.
This begins with the physical breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments. But that is not enough for soil to form.
Among other factors, climate has a direct and indirect importance; Because it is climate which determines breakdown, dissolution, plant cover and micro- and other organism activities.
Later on, under the effects of water, chemical breakdown takes place and the minerals inside the rock emerge. But these minerals are not soil in the true sense of the word.
This material, that we can refer to as broken down rock, is inanimate. To put it another way, it is “dead.”
Algae and grasses begin growing on this inorganic material that contains various minerals.
The roots of these plants accelerate the breakdown of the main substance, while falling leaves and branches initiate the activities of the micro-organisms that break them down.
As plants lose their leaves and branches, and these mix in with the soil and are broken down by micro-organisms, the organic material of the soil comes into being. Various types of plant can now grow on it.
This process, which has taken about a minute and a half to describe, actually happens over millions of years in nature. The miracle of the formation of soil, with its sensitive and detailed equilibrium, once again shows us the perfection of the creative artistry of Allah, the sublime Creator.
Almighty Allah reveals this in another verse from the Qur’an:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
A Sign for them is the dead land which We bring to life and from which We bring forth grain of which they eat. (Surah Ya Sin, 33)
Certainly, had Allah so wished, He could have created the soil at once, without going through all these transitional stages, in a form ready for agriculture. But Our Lord creates everything within a specific chain of cause and effect in this world, a place of testing, and has created the soil in the same way. Almighty Allah clarifies this with an example in another verse:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Do you not see how your Lord stretches out shadows? If He had wished He could have made them stationary. Then We appoint the sun to be the pointer to them. (Surat al-Furqan, 45)
THE SOIL PLAYS HOST TO MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES
There is a very closely designed and delicate relationship between the soil and life forms of various sizes.
Plant, bush and tree seeds carried from elsewhere by the wind gradually mix in with the soil and allow plant species to diversify. But this growth of plant life does not happen by chance.
Every stage takes place under the supervision of Almighty Allah, who reveals this in a verse of the Qur’an:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and nothing moist or dry which is not in a Clear Book. (Surat al-An’am, 59)
As you watch this film, millions of cubic meters of water are being carried from the oceans to the atmosphere, and from there to the land.
We, and all the other life forms on Earth, can only survive thanks to this giant water cycle and purification system. If we tried to organize such a system we could never do so, not even if we were to use all the world’s technology. Yet water, the prime necessity for our survival, is provided for us free and easily, thanks to natural evaporation and condensation.
Rain is one of the most essential elements for life on Earth.
During rain formation, water circulates between the oceans and seas, the atmosphere and the land.
Water vapor that reaches the atmosphere in various ways condenses under appropriate conditions and returns to the earth as rain, snow and hail.
Almighty Allah reveals this about the formation of rain, which we have described only very briefly:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
It is Allah Who sends the winds which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them. When He makes it fall on those of His slaves He wills, they rejoice, (Surat ar-Rum, 48)
But not all the rain that falls goes to form above-ground water; some permeates below ground when the conditions are right, and gives rise to subterranean water.
One of the miraculous features of subterranean waters is that they emerge completely clean and ready to drink from among different muddy layers of soil.
This is most definitely one of Almighty Allah’s countless blessings upon us. One example that our Lord provides on this subject in the Qur’an reads:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky and threads it through the earth to emerge as springs and then by it brings forth crops of varying colors, which then wither and you see them turning yellow and then He makes them into broken stubble? There is a reminder in that for people of intelligence. (Surat az-Zumar, 21)
THE WISDOM BEHIND THE CREATION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS
For reasons we have just seen, water that seeps under the ground does not immediately accumulate under the soil.
There is a region above underground water known as the “aeration region.”
The water collects here without being absorbed by the soil or rock fragments, and without percolating even further down, as the result of capillary formations.
The way that this layer holds onto these water particles allows plants whose roots cannot extend down as far as subterranean regions to make use of this water.
But what if there were no water particles suspended in the aeration region; how could plants meet their basic water needs in times of drought when there is no rain?
They would all fade and die in times of drought, and there would be no brightly colored flowers and different fruits and vegetables on Earth such as there are now.
Subterranean waters are shaped by the lay of the surface
The way that subterranean waters are shaped by the lay of the surface prevents possible overflows. If the waters in a low-lying surface feature, such as a valley or plain, extended as much as areas with formations such as the tops of hills, then the infrastructure in these areas would be impaired and the result would be swamps.
If underground waters did not reflect the overlying surface features, then it would be impossible to make use of these waters because they would be lower down than where they needed to be.
Almighty Allah refers to this situation in several verses of the Qur’an:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
...or morning finds its water drained into the earth so that you cannot get at it. (Surat al-Kahf, 41)
Say: ‘What do you think? If, one morning, your water disappears into the earth who will bring you running water?’ (Surat al-Mulq, 30)
Wind…
A natural phenomenon created by Allah with much wisdom ...
Allah reveals in one verse that He has created the wind, like all the other signs of Creation, in order for people to grasp and reflect on His evident existence and might:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people’s benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky – by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara, 164)
How Do Winds Form?
The warming of the air and movement in large masses gives rise to various pressure centers on the Earth.
The pressure created by the atmosphere is not equal everywhere in the world.
Air moves from high pressure areas to low pressure ones, like water running down a slope, and gives rise to winds.
Almighty Allah describes winds as “bearing good news” in a number of verses:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Among His Signs is that He sends the winds bearing good news, to give you a taste of His mercy, and to make the ships run by His command, and to enable you to seek His bounty so that hopefully you will be thankful. (Surat ar-Rum, 46)
Winds That Determine Air Temperature
Off-shore breezes are winds that blow from the sea and cool the air in warm seasons.
Some winds are warmer than the places they originate from. The best known of these are those called the Foehn.
These winds serve to moderate harsh climatic conditions that dominate in cool and mountainous parts of the world.
Wind and Rain
Several verses of the Holy Qur’an describe in detail the effect of the winds on rain formation and the mechanism by which rain forms.
Water droplets, the raw material of rain, are formed by the process of evaporation, are carried into the air through winds called thermal updrafts, and afterward give rise to clouds.
In one verse Almighty Allah reveals how moisture-laden clouds push the winds before them:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
It is Allah Who sends the winds which raise the clouds which We then drive to a dead land and by them bring the earth to life after it was dead. That is how the Resurrection will be. (Surat al-Fatir, 9)
Winds Are a Source of Energy
Global energy demands are rising 4% to 5% every year.
Resources such as fossil fuels commonly used in the production of electricity are decreasing all the time. In addition, the use of fossil fuels severely damages the atmosphere.
This encourages the search for alternative energy sources.
One such alternative, wind energy, is the most advanced of renewable energy resources, and the most efficient in commercial terms.
Winds of course played a major role in the age of sailing ships. That is the reason why they are often known as “trade winds.”
Ships still make use of the propulsive power of wind today. One verse of the Qur’an reveals how ships are able to sail across the sea with the help of the wind;
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
It is He Who conveys you on both land and sea so that when some of you are on a boat, running before a fair wind, rejoicing at it, and then a violent squall comes upon them and the waves come at them from every side and they realize there is no way of escape, they call on Allah, making their religion sincerely His: ‘If You rescue us from this, we will truly be among the thankful.’ (Surah Yunus, 22)
The Seeding Effect of the Wind
The wind also pollinates plants by carrying seeds and the clouds that carry crystals that will turn into rain drops. This feature of the wind is described as follows in a verse of the Qur’an;
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
We send forth the pollinating winds and send down water from the sky and give it to you to drink. And it is not you who keep its stores. (Surat al-Hijr, 22)
If the wind did not have a specific measure appointed by Almighty Allah, then shortages could arise with a decline in rains in monsoon countries, where rain only occurs thanks to the winds.
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
It is He Who sends out the winds, bringing advance news of His mercy. And We send down from heaven pure waterso that by it We can bring a dead land to life and give drink to many of the animals and people We created. (Surat al-Furqan, 48-49)
Just like the countless other miracles on Earth, the wind has been created as a great blessing for human beings. What we must do is give proper thanks to Allah for this blessing and properly appreciate His might:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
If He wills He makes the wind stop blowing and then they lie motionless on its back. There are certainly Signs in that for everyone who is steadfast and thankful. (Surat ash-Shura, 33)
A CALL TO REASON
We have witnessed many miracles of Creation during the course of this film. Anyone who looks carefully will see many miraculous events, from his own body to the skies. But the important thing is to have the character to grasp and understand these miracles, because no matter how great or small a miracle may be, only believers can understand the existence and infinite might of Allah from it. What someone who sees and understands these miracles all around us must do is to give constant thanks to Allah for every blessing and pleasure. For people who are capable of using their conscience and comprehending the harmony on Earth, the whole universe is full of reasons to increase one’s love and fear of Allah. For that reason, people must at once turn to Allah, give thanks for all they have, and bind themselves to Him with an intense love