 
Plants: Professors of Mathematics
 Some
plants "calculate" that its aerodynamic structure
is suited to pollen dispersal by wind, and every subsequent
generation employs the same method. Others "understand"
that they will not be able to make sufficient use of the wind
and, for this reason, make use of insects to carry their pollen.
They "know" that they have to attract insects to
themselves in order to be able to multiply, and try various
methods to bring this about. They particularly identify what
insects like. After finding which nectar and scents are effective
for which insects, they produce scents by a variety of chemical
processes and give them off when they have established the
exact time to do so. They identify the taste in the nectar
that insects will find pleasant and the totality of the substances
in it, and produce these themselves. If the scent and nectar
are not enough to draw insects to them, they decide to try
another method, and, to suit this situation, make "deceptive
imitations". Furthermore, they "calculate"
the volume of pollen which will reach another plant of the
same species and also the distance it has to travel, and on
the basis of this, begin to produce it in the most suitable
quantities and at the most appropriate time. They "think"
of the possibilities that might prevent the pollen from reaching
its destination and "take precautions" against them.
Of course, such a scenario could not ever be
a reality: in fact, this scenario breaks all the rules of
logic. None of the above-mentioned strategies could be devised
by an ordinary plant, because a plant cannot reason, cannot
calculate time, cannot determine size and shape, cannot calculate
the strength and direction of the wind, cannot determine for
itself what kind of techniques it will need for fertilization,
cannot think that it will have to attract an insect it has
never seen, and furthermore, cannot decide what methods it
will need to be able to do any or all of these things.
 No
matter how much the details multiply, from what direction
the subject is approached, and what logic is employed, the
conclusion that there is something extraordinary in the relationship
between plants and animals will not change.
These living things were created in harmony with
one another. This flawless system of mutual benefit shows
us that the force which created both flowers and insects knows
both kinds of living things very well, is aware of all their
needs, and created them to be complementary to one another.
Both living things are the work of the Lord of all the worlds,
God, Who knows them very well, Who indeed knows everything.
They are charged with presenting God's greatness, His supreme
power, and His flawless art to men.
A plant has no knowledge of its own existence,
nor of the miraculous functions it performs, because it is
under the control of God, Who planned its every feature, Who
created everything in the universe, and Who continues to create
at every moment. This truth is announced to us by God in the
Qur'an:
Shrubs and trees both bow down in prostration
(to Him). (Qur'an, 55:6)
|
