A.Chromosomes
A.Chromosomes
The human body contains hundreds of billions of cells, and most of these cells are extremely small, so small that the diameter of a single one does not exceed 0.03mm (three-hundredths of a millimeter) on average.
A living cell is a structure of the utmost perfection and complexity to an extent the human mind cannot imagine. Every person with insight can see that it is testimony to the Absolute Power of its Creator, to the Wonders of His Design, and to the Perfection of His Creation. He would see it as a complete negation of randomness or chance.
So we see the cell has a central body called the nucleus (except for a few types of cells, such as red blood cells).
The cell's nucleus is like the mind that thinks for it and the center that controls it. It holds all the genetic instructions for it and the body that contains it.
The genetic information is carried in the cell's nucleus on a fixed number of chromosomes which are made up of deoxidized sugar and nitrogen-phosphate residues, such that these pairs are bound together by four nitrogen bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine.
The number of chromosomes in the cell's nucleus is 46, made up of 23 pairs, half of which are from the sperm cell of the male and the other half of which are from the ovum of the female. When the man's sperm cell is united with the woman's ovum, the number of chromosomes equals 46.
In other words, there are 23 chromosomes in each of the woman's ova and 23 chromosomes in the man's sperm. These chromosomes are in the shape of a spiral, with extreme twists and folds, which is known as the double helix. The thickness of the walls of each one of these double helixes is one in fifty millionths of a millimeter.
The diameter of one spiral is one in half a millionth of a millimeter.
The size of the double helix when it is coiled in on itself inside a normal body is one millionth of a millimeter cubed. If it were stretched out, it would be four centimeters long.
If this double helix (the chromosome) were stretched out inside a normal cell in the human body, of which the diameter is at the most 0.03mm, and they were laid out next to each other like a stretched out string, it would be about two meters long.
If this were done for all the chromosomes found in the trillions of cells that make up a single human body, its length would be more than many times the distance between the earth and the sun, which is approximately 150 million kilometers.[1] Glory be to God the Creator!
The human mind has its limitations. It is incapable of imagining what we have mentioned scientifically, since the size of what is contained within these chromosomes, as far as has been discovered by science, is considered to be nothing to the human mind, yet it had been confirmed by modern science and there is no denying it, even if the limited, created human mind cannot fathom it.
This in itself should be considered a catastrophic, definitive repudiation of the atheists and deniers of divinity who reject the Existence of God the Creator simply because they cannot see Him (Glorious & Exalted).
If they are not able to imagine and comprehend with their limited minds what modern science has confirmed, then can they deny it?
Of course not, for what modern science has confirmed is undeniable.
Thus, if the human mind is unable to fathom such things that exist in his weak, created body, could he fathom God the Creator and the inner workings of His Great and Absolute Power?
All of this demonstrates the Great and Absolute Divine Power and confirms for us scientifically that Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is Able to do anything.
Nonetheless, human beings were created to glorify their God and Creator and to attribute to Him all qualities of beauty and grandeur, such as Absolute Power, Comprehensive Knowledge, and Perfect Wisdom (may He be glorified and exalted).
What we have shown and explained through intuition and science confirms this for us, even if human logic is too feeble to imagine it, for it is nothing but a limited mind.
It would be worth mentioning that:
Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), alluded to these chromosomes. He informed us of their characteristics in a noble hadith, using one word to indicate all the qualities discovered about them.
The word is `asab. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Verily, when Allah wills to create a person, the man lays with the woman and his water rushes through her every vein (`irq) and nerve (`asab)." [Its chain of transmission is good (jayyid), and it was related by al-Tabarani.]
The words `irq and `asab, here translated as" vein" and "nerve" are of the same meaning in the noble hadith, and they represent the chromosomes that we are speaking about. However, the word `asab is linked to the word `irq in order to cast more light on the characteristics of these chromosomes whose description has been discovered by modern science.
Thus, chromosomes resemble a long rope that has been twisted and tightly folded so that it looks like the DNA double helix.
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) alluded to these characteristics with a single word, `asab since this word gives all the following meanings:
1.A long rope
2.The folding and twisting of this rope
3.Not only that, but it indicates twisting and folding so extreme that it appears that the rope is all tangled up on itself.[2]
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) alluded to this scientific fact more than 1400 years ago, when no one had the slightest knowledge of chromosomes and their description.
This scientific fact alluded to by Allah's Messenger (pbuh) is a dazzling light and a testament to the truth of his message and call to the Oneness of God the Creator. It is a confirmation of His Existence and the Oneness of His Divinity and Lordship.
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[1]Scientific Miracles in the Sunnah of the Prophet(Al-I`jaaz al-`Ilmi fil-Sunnah al-Nabawiyah), by Dr. Zaghlul al-Naggar
[2]Ibid.
