mukalla

Historical places

Historical places


The Battle of Badar

The first battle between the believers of truth (Islam) and the forces of evil was fought on the battle field of Badar, 60 miles from Madinah towards Makkah. On one side stood a small group of 313 men of whom merely 60 of them wore armour, while facing them was arranged an army of one thousand warriors well armed and equipped. The believers had the strength of their Faith in Allah and His Prophet. They knew that Truth must prevail and falsehood must be destroyed. Thus it was this very Faith which brought about the Miracle and Truth did triumph.






Ghar -E- Hira
(Cave of Hira)

This Cave, the sanctum of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the place of His devotions and meditations and the sacred spot where the Holy Quran began to be revealed. The Cave is situated on mount Al-Noor on way to Mina near Makkah and its peak is visible from a great distance. Muhammad (peace be upon him) had jus stepped into the forty-first year of his life, when during a night in the month of Ramadan the first 5 verses of the Surah Al-Alaque were Revealed to him.








Jist of The Farewell (Hajj) Sermon

O people! Allah says, O men, who were created from a man and woman, divided into castes and tribes to identify each other; you are equal, but he is more respectable who fears Allah. All Muslims are brothers together. Be careful of the rights of your slaves. Men and women have their duties and rights to eachother. Offer prayers to Allah five times a day, fast the full month of Ramadan, pay zakat every year, perform Hajj and obey your rulers. Thus enter the Heavan created by Allah







Qiblahtain Mosque

This Mosque is situated in Madinah. In the beginning the Muslims offered their prayers facing in the direction of "Baitul-Maqdis" (Jerusalem). Once during the second year of Hijrah the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was leading the prayers on this mosque, at Banu Salma, when Allah's command came to turn from then on towards The KAABA. So the Mosque came to be called as Masjid-e-Qiblahtain, or the Mosque of two Qiblahs.







Battle of Ehzaab

Abu Sufyan had succeeded in forming a military alliance composed of the Jews and various tribes of the Arabs. The news of this great army was brought to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). He called a meeting of His Companions. On the suggestion of Hazrat Salman Farsi, a trench of a depth of five cubits and width of more than ten cubits was dug, all around. The ten thousand strong army of Quresh tried to cross it for 25 days but in-vain. At last, the army began to defect and Abu Sufyan was forced to lead it back to Makkah in utter depression.







Battle of Ohud

Ohud is a hill near Madinah. The famous battle of Ohud was fought in the valley of this hill. The non-believers from Quresh, invaded Madinah with an army of three thousand, in the third year of Hijra.







Birth Place of The Holy Prophet

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was born on the early morning of Monday the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal (April 3rd, 571 AD) in Makkah. He was named Muhammad (the Praised one, peace be upon him) by his grand-father Abdul Muttalib. The ravages of time have destroyed the original building but the place is the same where stood Abdullah's house the father of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), who belonged to the family of Hashim the noblest tribe of the clan of Quresh.

My Journey Unto Him

Why did I accept Islam? This is a question that I have been asked many times by others, and a question that I have asked myself many times. Firstly, it was the Will of God because it is He that changes hearts and guides someone to a way that is straight! Secondly, because I was looking for the truth, the real truth and nothing but the truth! Thirdly, because there were doctrinal elements in my previous religion of Christianity that at first hearing seemed acceptable but when reflected, analyzed, and prayed upon, proved to be not only unacceptable but also contradictory, inconsistent, and even blasphemous! But why ISLAM? Why, when I was looking for the real and whole truth did God guide me to Islam and not to one of many religions available to man or just another branch of Christianity? The answer to this important question was to unfold as I took my first steps towards my spiritual quest. The basic seed of God-consciousness was implanted in me from birth, but my soul was molded to the teachings of the Christian church.

My religious upbringing was never something that was forced, nor was it just occasional or just habitual. It seemed to be a natural and essential part of the fiber of my family. One of my fondest childhood memories till this day is of my mother reading me Bible stories every Sunday. But when I reached my teens and especially when I entered college, that spiritual nurturing became tainted more and more. The college scene is where most people of religious background either completely abandon that upbringing or like in my case, just put it on pause. It's really hard not to when you are surrounded by co-ed dorms, open promiscuity, easy access to alcohol, 24 hour parties, and curfew-free nights. There weren't any churches around campus that I was interested in so my Sundays began to feel like any other day of the week. While in college experienced many things and learned many lessons of life but one particular experience had brought me right to the edge of cliff of death! The situation was so unexpected so shocking, so overwhelming, that I honestly felt that the only solution was suicide. It took someone whom I had known for just a little while, breaking down and crying when he realized what I was about to do, for me to just pause and think. I thought that something was truly wrong if this guy had a higher value for my life than I did. As I stood there, I never felt so empty in my life. There was the big void where my soul was supposed to be and I felt like Moses (pbuh) and his followers being chased by the enemy from all sides only to be confronted by the impassable Read Sea! I realized that it was time to make the call they had made. The call of faith--the call of God!

I decided to return to the church of my youth, a Baptist church in Washington D.C. I heard that there was a new pastor preaching there that was thorough and I decided to try him out. Praise God, the preacher was young, dynamic, and effective. He really made the Bible come to life in his sermons and made living for God seem real and worthwhile. Coming from the position of a person who was ready to kill himself, these messages were beginning to fill my emptiness and make me want to live and give life another chance. I remember the nervous excitement of accepting the call to new membership at church and the newness and freshness of being dipped into the water at my baptismal ceremony. I felt reborn! Clean1 With the lips I accepted Jesus (pbuh) as my "lord and savior" but deep down in my hearth, I was just reaccepting the reality of God in my life! As I went deeper in my walk of faith the problem that had almost caused me to slay myself vanished like an illusion! Life it was only there to make me turn to my Creator! This gave me a new drive, motivation, and a sense of purpose. I became very active to the extent of encouraging a few of my friends to join the church. I would watch and listen to the pastor in awe, day dreaming of becoming one myself. I honestly felt that the best thing to do for a living would be to help people turn to God. Something that had proven to be so successful in my life. But at the same time I was always very open-minded, especially when it came to spiritual truth, I think this is what made me a vessel to receive the full truth, in Islam.

After a while I began a private hobby of studying world religions. The first book I read, "The Religion of Man", was actually one that I had borrowed from a friend. The first chapter I read was the chapter on Islam and it was a tremendous surprise! It began with a little Arabian history and a biography of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) followed by an explanation of the basic tenants and doctrines of Islam. I could not believe the similarity and relationship that it had with Christianity. It wasn't some foreign religion made up by some foreign man who worshipped some foreign God. It was the true Abrahamaic (pbuh) religion, revealed through a man whose very lineage traced back to Abraham's (pbuh) first son Ishmael (pbuh) who worshipped the same one true God. This further fed my curiosity and interest in Islam. I had decided to keep myself open so I also read the history and doctrines of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Native American spirituality, and other smaller religious sects, cults, and movements. Buddhism seemed to renounce the world too much yet was not clear on the after-life. In Hinduism the worship seemed too loose and unfocused with it's great deity residing in many reforms, Judaism seemed basically true but had had too much of a racial bias, and Native American to vary by the tribe. Islam was the only one whose theology and practices seemed truly universal.

The information that I had gathered so far was not enough to make me want to change my religion but that was soon to change when I came into contact with the Qur'an! I was working at a music store where a young woman used to come to the store with whom I used to have general conversations and on one occasion happened to bring up the topic of Islam. I then found that she was a Muslim and she told me that I could get more information on Islam at a little session that her father helped teach with some other Muslim. I was both nervous and excited at my first visit but it was my first time being around real Muslim! I was initially impressed by the racial variety, the simple environment, and the warm humbleness of the attendants. They answered a few basic questions of mine but I was there mostly to listen. When it was prayer time, I quietly watched from a distance with a smile. Seeing all the men, women, and children bow in unison and put their faces flat against the ground in prayer seemed a little strange and funny, yet so humble, so unified, and so natural. It seemed like this was the ultimate way that we as God's creations were supposed to pray. I recalled in my mind accounts in Bible of other prophets like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (pbuh), throwing themselves to the ground in humility and prayer to God yet this is not the way we prayed in church as "Christians", but the Muslims did! Jesus (pbuh) told us to greet each other by saying "Peace be with you", yet we Christians didn't do this. It was the Muslims who greeted each other saying "As-Salaamu Alaikum" which means "Peace be with you". In Christianity only "orthodox" nuns covered their heads and bodies, but this was a standard practice of modesty, chastity and humbleness for millions of practicing Muslim women who were interactive members of the society. It wasn't something reserved for the "orthodox". I left that little session engulfed in a maze of thoughts.

When I saw my Muslim friend at the music store again I thanked her and told her how wonderful it was and that I was sure to return. She then asked me if I had a Qur'an yet. I said "No". I thought that the Qur'an was only in a foreign language and that I couldn't read it but she said that she would give me an English translations from the original Arabic. I gladly accepted the offer and was even more excited when I received it! "WOW! My first real Qur'an". I couldn't wait to start reading it. The first thing I did was to look up Jesus(pbuh) in the index and look up every verse it listed under his name. This was the prophet that I was raised on and was dear to me so I had to know what God had revealed in this book about him. If it degraded, ridiculed, or rejected him in any way I was going to close the book and leave Islam alone.

I agreed when I read that God was not three in one but one in an exclusive and unique sense. I agreed even when I read that Jesus (pbuh) was born of a virgin but was not God's "Son". When I was studying idioms in ancient Hebrew and other Semitic languages "Son" meant nearness and was used in the old testament in reference to other people and prophets, the term "Son of God" meant one who was near and closely attached to God, as the term "Son of man" meant one near and close to man. Incidentally, the use of the term "Son of man" outnumbers the use of the term "Son of God" in reference to Jesus (pbuh). Even though, in the Qur'an Jesus (pbuh) was always referred to as the "Son of Mary". God revealed that the birth of Jesus (pbuh) was like that of Adam (pbuh)-He merely said "BE" and "He was", and Adam had neither a physical father or mother and no one worshipped him as the "Only Begotten Son of God"!

I agreed when I read that Jesus (pbuh) was not God in human form but a human prophet that was created by God, sent by God and who himself needed, depended on, feared, and prayed to God. I agreed when I read that the Jews had no victory in killing him and that God raised him to Himself. But when I read that they also did not crucify him I was in shock! The impact of the 157th verse in the 4th chapter of the Qur'an was to dramatically change my life from that point on! I'm not one to just accept something right away or to just reject something right away. I investigate. In the day I would reflect on that one verse, and at night I would pray over it. I would beg God in tears to show me in a dream what actually happened in detail to Jesus (pbuh) if he was not crucifed. What was real? What was false? I wanted to know badly. I was looking hard. Examining, searching, debating. The soul was the most important thing in the world to me and mine was on a quest.

I always wanted to know my Creator and serve my Creator but I wanted to make sure that I knew Him the right way and I wasn't going to let up until I found what I felt was the right path. When I finally stopped waiting for that big dream and asked myself "Well, what does this word crucifixion mean for the Christian?". For the Christian this word meant salvation! Salvation meaning the deliverance from the penalty of sin which was spiritual death in Hell. It also meant success in this life and the next. To me this is the vital thing that religion must give man or else it is useless. To say that if Jesus (pbuh) was not crucified, there's no way that God Almighty could forgive His beloved mankind did not sound right. Jesus(pbuh) was very dear to my heart and to think that the Loving, Forgiving Do sent him on earth only to be murdered for an innumerable mass of suns that he himself never committed did not seem fair or even sensible. If God could create the whole universe by saying "Be" and "IT WAS" then why couldn't He do the Same for the tiny littler sinner who is admitting his guilt and asking Him for forgiveness? Why couldn't He say to the person "Be forgiven" and he or she is forgiven? Why was the murder and blood of an innocent man a necessity for this forgiveness?

I said to myself, "If this book can map out a plan of salvation that has nothing to do with murder or blood then I will submit to God and His plan". This made me deeply review my Bible and try to find what was essential necessity for salvation. The Jews and the Muslims never put anything in between them and their prayer to God so why did the Christians? There was nothing in between Adam and God, or Abraham and God, or Moses and God, or David and God, or Jesus and God! God had taught through the Bible that a person was individually responsible for his sins and that no one else could pay for or be penalized for them. Jesus(pbuh) was preaching repentance and telling people that their sins were forgiven before this supposed crucifixion! So why all of a sudden was the blood of one martyr necessary for humanity to be forgiven? This issue of sacrifice, blood, and forgiveness seemed to be summed up in just a few verses in the Holy Qur'an. Concerning sacrifice chapter 22:37, had the answer, "It is not their meant nor their blood that reaches God, it is your piety that reached Him. He has made them (animals) subject to you, that you may glorify God for His guidance to you". Concerning sin and forgiveness God revealed in chapter 12:87, "No one despairs of God's mercy except those who have no faith". Also, in chapter 39:53 "do not despair of God's mercy for God forgives all sins. He is indeed OFTEN Forgiving and Most Merciful". I found exacting parallels in the Bible in Psalms 30:5, 32:5, 62:1-2, 1st Samuel 15:22-23, Luke 15:7-10, Ezekiel 18:20-35, Isaiah 12:2-3, and Luke 7:47-50, 10:25, 18:24, and many others if you just look them up and reflect.

When I read in the Qur'an in chapter 10:57, "O mankind! There has come to you a direction from you Lord and a healing for the diseases in your hearts - and for those who believe, A Guidance and a Mercy!" I said to myself "This is it. This IS THE WORD OF GOD!!" My Muslim Friend from the music store had shown me a mosque that to my surprise was 10 minutes away from my home! On my second visit to the mosque, I declared my faith in 1994 and stated that "There is no God worthy to be worshipped except the ONE, Most High God or Allah. That Muhammad (pbuh) is His Last Messenger to mankind. That the Qur'an is the last revealed and written will and testament of Allah to and for mankind to follow until the Day of Judgment". I had finally come home and found peace!

As I gradually built my faith and practice in ISLAM, I found that Islam was not the religion of killers and terrorists! It is the true religion of humankind, nature and all creatures seen and unseen. Islam is by name the religion of those who seek peace and success through obedience and submission to the will of Allah! I had found the path to success, the path to true salvation! Allah in the revelation of the Qur'an has refocused all forms of worship, prayer, fear and thanx to Him and Him alone! You are High, Lord of all creations, and has reminded mankind and all creations of their true place-dependent and subservient to Allah and Allah alone!

- Aaron "Haroon" Sellars

Signs Of The Doomsday

NARRATED Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him): While the Prophet (peace be upon him) was saying something in a gathering, a Bedouin came and asked him, "When would the Hour (Doomsday) take place?" Allah's Apostle continued his talk, so some people said that Allah's Apostle had heard the question, but did not like what that Bedouin had asked. Some of them said that Alllah's Apostle had not heard it. When the Prophet finished his speech, he said, "Where is the questioner, who enquired about the Hour (Doomsday)?" The Bedouin said, "I am here, O Allah's Apostle." Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday)." The Bedouin said, "How will that be lost?" The Prophet said, "When the power or authority comes in the hands of unfit persons, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday.)"

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 56

eyes

A special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the theory of evolution
because this theory constitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies.
Since Darwinism rejects the fact of creation—and therefore, God's
Existence—over the last 140 years it has caused many people to abandon
their faith or fall into doubt. It is therefore an imperative service, a
very important duty to show everyone that this theory is a deception.
Since some readers may find the chance to read only one of our books,
we think it appropriate to devote a chapter to summarize this subject.
All the author's books explain faith-related issues in light of
Qur'anic verses, and invite readers to learn God's words and to live by
them. All the subjects concerning God's verses are explained so as to
leave no doubt or room for questions in the reader's mind. The books'
sincere, plain, and fluent style ensure that everyone of every age and
from every social group can easily understand them. Thanks to their
effective, lucid narrative, they can be read at one sitting. Even those
who rigorously reject spirituality are influenced by the facts these
books document and cannot refute the truthfulness of their contents.
This and all the other books by the author can be read individually,
or discussed in a group. Readers eager to profit from the books will
find discussion very useful, letting them relate their reflections and
experiences to one another.
In addition, it will be a great service to Islam to contribute to the
publication and reading of these books, written solely for the pleasure
of God. The author's books are all extremely convincing. For this
reason, to communicate true religion to others, one of the most effective
methods is encouraging them to read these books.
We hope the reader will look through the reviews of Harun Yahya's
other books at the back of this book. His rich source material on faithrelated
issues is very useful, and a pleasure to read.
In these books, unlike some other books, you will not find the author's
personal views, explanations based on dubious sources, styles
that are unobservant of the respect and reverence due to sacred subjects,
nor hopeless, pessimistic arguments that create doubts in the
mind and deviations in the heart.

Now writing under the pen-name of HARUN YAHYA, he was born in
Ankara in 1956. Having completed his primary and secondary education in
Ankara, he studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at
Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political,
scientific, and faith-related issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the author of
important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their invalid claims,
and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ideologies as fascism
and communism.
His pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John),
in memory of the two esteemed Prophets who fought against their people's
lack of faith. The Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to
their contents. It represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and the Prophet
Mohammed (may God bless him and grant him peace), last of the prophets.
Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet),
the author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental tenet of godless
ideologies and to have the "last word," so as to completely silence the objections
raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prophet, who attained
ultimate wisdom and moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the
last word.
All of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: To convey the Qur'an's
message, encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues such as God's
Existence and Unity and the Hereafter; and to expose godless systems' feeble
foundations and perverted ideologies.
Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India to
America, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia, and Spain to Brazil. Some of
his books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish,
Malay, Uygur Turkish, and Indonesian.
Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental
in many people recovering faith in God and gaining deeper insights into
their faith. His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a distinct style that's
easy to understand, directly affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously
consider these books, can no longer advocate atheism or any other perverted
ideology or materialistic philosophy, since these books are characterized by
rapid effectiveness, definite results, and irrefutability. Even if they continue to
do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such ideologies
from their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial are
now ideologically defeated, thanks to the books written by Harun Yahya.
This is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author
modestly intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for God's right path.
No material gain is sought in the publication of these works.
Those who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds and
hearts and guide them to become more devoted servants of God, render an invaluable
service.
Meanwhile, it would only be a waste of time and energy to propagate other
books that create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideological chaos,
and that clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the doubts in
people's hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is impossible for
books devised to emphasize the author's literary power rather than the noble
goal of saving people from loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who
doubt this can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome
disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral values. The success and
impact of this service are manifested in the readers' conviction.
One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing cruelty,
conflict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is the ideological
prevalence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the ideological defeat
of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of creation and Qur'anic morality
so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the world today, leading
into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and conflict, clearly this service
must be provided speedily and effectively, or it may be too late.
In this effort, the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. By the will of
God, these books will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century
will attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an.
Translated by Michael Daventry
Edited by Tam Mossman
Published by
GLOBAL PUBLISHING
Gursel Mh. Darulaceze Cd. No: 9 Funya Sk. Eksioglu Is Merkezi B Blok D: 5
Okmeydani-Istanbul/Turkey
Phone: (+90 212) 320 86 00
Printed and bound by Secil Ofset in Istanbul
100 Yil Mah. MAS-SIT Matbaacilar Sitesi 4. Cadde No: 77
Bagcilar-Istanbul/Turkey
Phone: (+90 212) 629 06 15
All translations from the Qur'an are from The Noble Qur'an: a New Rendering
of its Meaning in English by Hajj Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley, published by
Bookwork, Norwich, UK. 1420 CE/1999 AH.
Abbreviation used:
(pbuh): Peace be upon him (following a reference to
the prophets)
www.harunyahya.com
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
The Perfect Design of the Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
How Vision Is Assembled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
The Creation of the Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
The Eye and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Animal and Insect Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Who Sees? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
The Deception of Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

efore you finish reading this sentence, approximately one
hundred billion (100,000,000,000) operations will have
been completed inside your eyes. However fantastic it may
seem, you possess an example (two, in fact) of the
Universe's ultimate technology. No scientist has ever come
close to fully grasping it, let alone inventing anything remotely
similar.
Whatever you have in your life is meaningful through your senses—vision
and others. Your family, your house, your office, your friends and everything
else in your surroundings, you quickly identify thanks to your vision.
Without eyes, you could never get a quick, complete sense of everything that's
happening around you. Without them, you could never imagine colors, forms,
scenes, human faces, or what the word beauty means. But you do have eyes,
and thanks to them, you can now read these printed words before you.
Nor does the act of vision cost you very much effort. To see an object, all
you have to do is to turn your gaze at it. You don't need to bother giving "project,
capture, and analyze" orders to your eyes, the components inside them, the
optical nerves running to the back of your brain, nor to the brain itself. You
need only look, just like the rest of the billions of creatures who have ever lived
on our planet. Without having to work out the optical measurements, your
eye's lens can focus onto distant objects. Without needing to accurately compute
the precise contractions of various muscles surrounding the lens, you only
desire to see, and within a fraction of a second, that process is carried out for
you. Like many people, you may never have realized what a miracle it is that
thousands of independent processes can operate in a perfect harmony to enable
you to see.
Nor did you have to struggle to develop a pair of those wonderful instruments.
At birth, your eyes came as standard equipment, with free installation
and, unless you had a particular defect, in perfect working order. Since then,
you're not likely to have felt any urge to ask the kind of questions you might
upon receiving an expensive, anonymous gift, such as "Why did I get this?" or,
"Who sent this to me?" or, "Exactly what do they want from me in return?." Be
9
assured that the Creator, Who lent you this blessing, will call you to account
when the contract ends—which is sooner than you imagine.
Those who best understand how irreplaceable this blessing is, are people
who lose their eyesight later in life. In the possible event that you are
struck blind, your long list of lifetime plans and ambitions will be sidelined
by just one wish: To regain your lost eyesight.
Had you been blind all your life, since birth, and after an operation, you
could see all of a sudden, the reverse would be no less dramatic. Without a
doubt, no gift in the world would seem more valuable. You would experience
no greater happiness than at the moment your bandages were removed, and
on the days that followed.
At this very moment, if you are not acknowledging the unique blessing
of your eyes to the Gracious One Who has granted it to you, then you are
being deeply ungrateful—a state of mind that, unfortunately, is shared by a
substantial part of humanity.
Say: "It is He Who brought you into being and gave you hearing, sight
and hearts. What little thanks you show!" (Qur'an, 67: 23)
Evolution Back on the Ropes
How did such a vital sense like seeing come to be? How could a formerly
nonexistent concept—seeing—suddenly appear? Let's generalize the
question by widening our scope. How did man come to existence in the first
place, complete with his five senses, brains, internal organs, limbs, and with a
soul and a functioning body?
Anyone with common sense can tell you that life is the work of a superior
and flawless creation. Rejecting this clear truth, the theory of evolution,
provides "coincidence" as its answer to this question. Evolutionists claim that
all living things in this world, past and present, came to evolve through a
chain of countless coincidences, with never an original creation to start the
process. But this claim defies all laws of logic and science, inasmuch as it's impossible
for lifeless matter to create an organism. The theory of evolution tries
to explain the universe's flawless nature through coincidental happenings,
but science has been proven it wrong in every way. Scientific proof has shown
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
10
not only how evolutionary claims are unreasonable and unscientific, but also,
has revealed how evolutionists have forged their evidence. Science has
demonstrated that life cannot possibly be explained through coincidences,
since it is the work of a superior design. The Creator of this flawless design is
God, Who created the entire universe.
Despite this unavoidable truth, today 's dominant academic establishments
and media conglomerates collaborate in a joint effort to uphold the
theory of evolution. Their standard technique is to issue a news bulletin that
some recently excavated skull proudly provides a link heretofore missing of
the grand evolutionary chain. Not only are there any evolutionary chains to
complete, but the excavations do not reveal anything closely resembling the
long-awaited figments of evolutionists' imagination—such as the half-fish,
half-reptile or the half-reptile, half-bird. Yet their press-release hype leaves
the impression that evolution as a whole has been already proven, except for
a few random details regarding the lineage from ape to human.
Of course, there is a reason behind the evolutionists' constant emphasis
on excavating skulls. Throughout the history of the world, there have been
thousands of species of ape, of all shapes and sizes, of which 97 percent are
now extinct. It is simple child's play to array the skulls of extinct apes on a
long table according to cranial volume or one structural characteristic and declare
this lineup to be "the evolutionary chain joining ape and man." The evolutionist's
basic toolkit consists of fossil forgeries, false lineages, and creative
drawings of ape-men that have little to do with scientific evidence.
In reality, evolution's supposedly strong progression crumbles at its beginning
stage of microbiology. The most probing questions about the emergence
of complex organelles again fall on deaf ears. No wonder the
evolutionists avoid discussing these fundamental subjects, except occasionally
by pretending to explain them by piling up numerous technical details
that, in the aggregate, hardly constitute an answer.
The eye, the subject of this book, is one of those organs of the body that
have kept evolutionists on the ropes ever since Darwin, who himself confessed,
"I remember well the time when the thought of the eye made me cold
all over."1 A close examination of the eye's structure and functions will make
Introduction
11
it clear why evolutionists have felt compelled to avoid it. The eye's complex
structure has several distinct components and systems. An amazing scope of
distinctly different functions are realized individually, but only as a result of
harmonious cooperation between all of these components and systems. If
even one of them is missing or fails to cooperate, the eye can't perceive images.
This is a Catch 22 for the evolutionists, who hold that all body parts have
emerged gradually by themselves. That the eye can only function as a whole
only when all its every system and component are present and intact rules out
any such gradual formation.
To illustrate this crucial point, let us give a true-life example. An eyeball
that does not secrete teardrops to lubricate itself will dry up and eventually go
blind. Tears, with their antiseptic properties, also protect the eye against microbes.
The evolutionists do not even want to consider the fundamental question
of how the eye, which would desiccate within hours without tear
secretion, could have persisted for millions of years before tear glands had yet
to emerge via the evolutionary progression. For the evolutionist camp, insult
is added to injury when they must account for the fact that for the eye to accomplish
its function, it requires a full body, intact with its systems and organs—
components and tissues such as the cornea, retina, conjunctiva, iris,
pupil, lens, choroid, eyelid, and the eye muscles. In addition, vision requires
the brain's complex visual area and the amazing neural networks connecting
the eye to the brain. All of these subsystems feature structures that are far too
complex and specialized to have ever emerged by chance.
Of these components, if only one—the lens, for example—were missing,
the eye would become a useless lump of tissue. Again, it would again be rendered
useless if any two of them—for example, the pupil and the lens, exchanged
places. In short, the eye's structure is the result of a very special
planning. These components' harmonious coexistence and cooperation,
which are impossible to have appeared by themselves as a result of accidents,
have one single valid and logical explanation: Each of the eye's components is
created with supreme intelligence, which belongs to God.
Accepting such an obvious truth is the first step that leads to a person's
eternal life. This book, along with displaying the truth of creation, intends to
guide you in taking those steps towards your salvation.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
12

onsidering the eye's complex structure and special function,
it occupies only a very small volume of our body.
Like a precious artifact kept in a safe, it is guarded by the
skull to withstand injury from outside blows. The superbly
designed protection is proportional to its vital purpose.
Within their sockets, the eyeballs rest upon a protective cushion of fat,
are encircled with special tissues, and joined to the skull by six bony extensions.
They are protected against external harm by the brow ridges, by the
arch of the nose and the cheekbones. Collectively, these surrounding bones
and tissues are termed the orbit.
Beside the tight protection, the eyes are ideally positioned at an area
most comfortable for vision. The location of this area enables us to control and
direct our bodies and limbs in an optimum way.
Imagine for a moment if our eyes were fixed somewhere on our knees or
worse, our ankles. Since we could see nothing more than the path we were
walking upper parts of our bodies, especially the head, would keep banging
into unseen obstacles. Given such a mismatched anatomy, many routine tasks
like eating or using tools would become problems in their own right. There
would be countless difficulties, had our eyes been situated anywhere else
than exactly where they are.
The head is the optimum location where the eyes can be maintained in
health and safety. You can move your head quickly, with instant reflexes at the
right time, so as to protect your eyes from the slightest contact with any harmful
material.
Your eyes are also situated at a perfect position on the face. Were they
anywhere else—under the nose, for example—it would be a literally uphill
struggle to provide the same safe viewing angle, not to mention the aesthetic
appearance.
The eyes' position achieves its aesthetic ideal by means of symmetry.
They are separated from each other by the approximate width of an individual
eye. This golden proportion is surrendered, and the expression lost, when
the two eyes are closer or further apart.
The eye, together with all its attributes, is a glittering proof that the
14
(Figure 1.1). A cross section of the eyelid. Glands inside the eyelid produce
tears, and also secrete a lubricant that covers the eyelashes, allowing
them to curl upwards, broaden the visual perspective and become
aesthetically attractive.
Did the eyelashes or eyelid get the idea to secrete such an oil? Of course
not! Every aspect of the eye was designed by the Lord of everything, God.
Meibomian glands
human being was created by God. To better understand this proof, let us now
take a closer look at the eye's components. Once again, we'll see the theory of
so-called evolution's helplessness in trying to explain away the eye's form
and function.
Eyelids
The eyes are the body's windows to the outside world. With the help of a
specialized system, these windows' protection and maintenance are perfectly
maintained. Eyelids, the most important part of this system, undertake the
double function of protecting the eyeball from harmful contacts, and also
keeping the cornea (the transparent membrane covering the front of the
pupil) and the conjunctiva (the delicate mucous membrane lining the eyelid's
inner surface), both at a constant moisture level. During sleep, when the eyes'
surfaces are not exposed directly to the air, veins on the conjunctival layer inside
the eyelid feed needed oxygen onto the eyeball.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
15
The skin of the eyelid—which can cover the eyeball firmly and completely
when necessary, is far thinner than the skin on other parts of the body.
The lower skin layer of the eyelid is very loose and lacks fat, allowing for easy
accumulation of blood to the area. If this skin were any thicker and fattier,
shutting and opening the eyelids would be a troublesome undertaking.
Without being aware of it, people blink their eyes thousands of times a
day. These mostly involuntary movements make it possible for the eyes to
preserve themselves from intense light and external particles. This unconscious
operation, which most people take for granted, is actually an important
blessing.
What if this reflex were not automatic? Human beings would remember
to blink only after detectably large amounts of dirt had already accumulated
in their eyes, which would lead to infection. Due to this incomplete half-way
cleaning, vision would be blurred. The task of blinking would have to be consciously
remembered, all through the day.
But by blinking every few seconds as if on autopilot, the eyelids moisten
and cleanse the eyes like a car's windshield wipers. Closed during sleep, they
defend the eye against drying out.
While opening and shutting, the eyelid perfectly fits the convex shape of
the eye, contacting the entire surface of the eye's outside layer. Did the eyelid
not fit the eyeball's curve so precisely, it would be impossible to remove dust
particles remaining in the unreachable corners of the eye enclaves.
During blinking, an oily lubricant is pumped from the special meibomian
glands inside the eyelid. This liquid eases the sliding of the eyelids
while keeping them from sticking to themselves when they fold up.2
During sleep, it is important for the eyelids to be closed. If the eyelids did
not cover our eyes, sleeping would be painful and awkward. A darkened
room would always be required, without which, catnaps, siestas, or even
sleeping under a bright moon would be unthinkable.3 Eyes would be defenseless,
exposed to outside dangers.
To show how irreplaceable the eyelids really are, let us consider the complete
reverse of what the case is now. If we had no eyelids, all of mankind
would lose their eyesight in a very short time. The cornea, which forms the
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
16
eye's upper layer would dry out, costing the eye immediate loss of function.
The tiniest dust particle lodged in the eye would create serious problems from
infection, thanks to the bacteria on its surface. The eye, left unprotected from
even the gentlest impact, would be in constant danger of going blind.
As a real-life example, take lagophthalmos, an illness in which sufferers
cannot close their eyelids completely. Infection, along with drying of the
cornea, become inevitable. Chronic cases can result in permanent eye damage.
Since the eyelids cannot be fully shut and the cleansing fluids are not available,
the patient needs to constantly cleanse and disinfect the eyes. Even then, an eye
that remains partly open all night collects aerial dirt and dust by the morning.4
An Early-Warning System
The eye is protected with the help of a built-in early-warning system.
Whenever danger threatens, nerves activate to engage the eyelids, stimulate
the muscles that close the lids.
Different types of muscle groups specialize in eyelid movements, whose
closing takes three forms:
- By blinking,
- By reflex,
- And consciously.
Blinking is a property of vertebrates that possess eyelids and live in contact
with the atmosphere. In humans, the rate of blinking is between ten to
twenty per minute depending on activities such as reading and intense concentration,
and conditions like the rise of air humidity—all of which reduce
the rate. Grief, a rise in temperature and intense light all accelerate blinking.
Thus the hygiene of the eye is maintained by automatically adjusted rates of
blinking, freeing us from worry over when to close our lids.
Reflexes are involuntary and rapid responses to various stimuli. The reflex
mechanism that activates eyelids when necessary protects the eye
against external threats. Stimuli that create reflexes include contacting the
cornea, the eyelashes or even the forehead.
A close inspection of the neural network controlling eye reflexes reveals
the immaculately fine design of its architecture. For every reflex described
The Perfect Design of the Eye
17
above, different impulses are routed from different neural paths. The eye's
peripheries are stuffed by such early-warning nets (Figure 1.2).
The brain, evaluating these fast-traveling warnings, dispatches neural
impulses to the relevant muscles, routing them without ever making a single
error along the chaotic network. Within a thousandth of a second, the warning
signal reaches the brain and returns as a command, by which the eyelid
closes in time to protect or cleanse the eyeball. The process of identifying the
emergent danger and creating different reflexes by means of signals traveling
along different neural paths is extremely complex.
For survival, man needs to be informed, with no interruptions, of his
ever-changing environment. To satisfy this condition, blinking occupies only
a very brief time without disrupting the continuity of perception. Any
longer blinking time might cause serious dangers—while driving on the
highway, for instance, and not noticing a suddenly appearing truck in time
to swerve.
18
(Figure 1.2). The eyelids
are automatically triggered
whenever contact
is made with the cornea,
eyelashes, forehead or eyebrows.
As in an early warning
system, the alert is sent down
nerve paths to activate the eyelids.
This diagram shows just a few
of the special nerves constituting
this early warning system—an example
of God's flawless art of creation.
Acknowledging the Granted
Blinking is an involuntary action that is executed thousands of times
every day. No one struggles to blink, nor does anyone contemplate why we
blink when we do. We take this irreplaceable perfection for granted.
A person can best realize the value of healthy eyes when he awakens in
the morning with his eyelids stuck together and filled with sticky mucus.
These symptoms belong to an illness called blepharitis, which turns the eyes
into a virtual Petri dish—a breeding ground for germs. Blepharitis, an inflammation
of the eyelids, initially emerges as swelling and redness of the
margins of the eyelids, but advanced cases can lead to small abscesses and
ulcers in the eyelid.
Of course, there are many other eyelid illnesses. One of the more common
ones is caused by the weakness of the muscles that raise the upper eyelid.
As a result, one or both eyelids remain lowered, giving the face a bored,
sleepy expression. These tiny muscles' incomplete functioning, also narrows
the sufferers' angle of vision, making them see less than they should.5 It is incredible
that the cells making up these muscles, which can be seen only
through a microscope, are tirelessly in action all through our lives, and almost
entirely beyond our control.
We don't need to suffer from a painful illness to understand what a
blessing health is. Those who believe constantly thank our Creator for their
health. When confronted with disease, they simply ask help from God and
then face it with the grace and confidence that the Qur'an requires.
Any blessing you have is from God. Then when harm touches you, it
is to Him you cry for help. (Qur'an, 16: 53)
Tears: The Perfect Eye Drop
Many people assume that tears are just the salty fluid shed when they
cry. But actually, it's a very unusual liquid, with various ingredients serving
different special functions.
Primarily, a teardrop protects the eye against germs. The eye is disinfected
by lysozyme, a germicidal enzyme, able to kill microbes and tear apart
many types of bacteria. The mighty lysozyme is actually stronger than some
The Perfect Design of the Eye
19
chemicals used for disinfecting whole buildings—yet miraculously, such a
strong substance does not cause the slightest damage to the eye.
It's worthwhile to pause and reflect on this surprising evidence. How
can such a powerful substance not harm the most delicate organ? The answer
is clear: The tear's powerful disinfectants are created to serve perfectly
under the eye's chemical system. The perfect harmony existing at every
level and in every aspect of creation is evident in the eye as well.
No artificial disinfectant with similar effects can be applied to the eye.
Nor is there any manmade substance that can replace tears—a situation that
raises some questions evolutionists cannot answer. How did systems such
as the eye and tears, working together in complete harmony, come about at
the same time? Clearly, blind coincidences could never have created such
perfect structures in the human body. But to illustrate how far away evolutionists
are from science and logic, let us for a moment assume the impossible:
That coincidences are able to bring about something.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
20
(Figure 1.3). A diagram
of the channels
through which tears
are released. With its
superior abilities, the
tear is a miracle in itself.
The perfect systems
that produce
and discharge tears,
combined with the
delicate balance in its
production, provides
us with solid evidence,
with no room
for coincidence.
Lacrimal gland
(tear gland) Canaliculi Lacrimal
points
Considering that billions of other disinfectant substances exist, how did
accidental processes synthesize one so powerful, yet which causes the eye no
harm? Before the trial-and-error "evolution" of such an ideal liquid, how did
the eye protect itself? The eye can function only if its present chemical structure
and the chemical makeup of tears are working together. Consequently,
we must add that this simultaneous cooperation includes the functions of
the brain, as well as all the other body parts and processes.
21
(Figure 1.4). In the system that produces and ejects tears, a superior design is
involved. This diagram indicates the ducts through which tears are emptied
into the eye and those through which tears drain. If tears are a fluid that
evolved coincidentally, why are there systems dedicated just to producing and
ejecting them, in the eyelids and the bone of the skull? If tears evolved coincidentally,
how did the ducts come to be? Just like water fittings beneath the
ground, these ducts are within the bones, so as not to diminish the beauty of
the human face. These are all examples of flawless creation.
Meibomian
glands
Lacrimal
point
Lacrimal
point
Lacrimal gland
(tear gland)
For a moment, imagine that the eyes appeared suddenly, by accident,
in an organism complete with all its organelles, tissues, liquids, glands
and extensions including the relevant vision center of the brain. That
would still be far from being enough for the eyes to function. They require
the body's digestion system, the liver and bone marrow for the essential
chemical and subsystems that support them. If such systems haven't yet
evolved, then the accidental appearance of complete and perfect vision is
pointless, since it cannot function. In short, it is not possible for any single
portion of the eye to have evolved coincidentally. The eye and all its components
were created by God:
Say: "Have you thought about your partner gods, those you call
upon besides God? Show me what they have created of the earth;
or do they have a partnership in the heavens?" Have We given them
a Book whose clear signs they follow? No indeed! The wrongdoers
promise each other nothing but delusion. (Qur'an, 35: 40)
To continue observing this miracle of creation, let's take an in-depth
analysis of a teardrop's content.
98.2 percent of it is water, the rest being urea, found in the same proportion
as in the blood plasma and, in lesser proportions, glucose, salts
and organic substances,6 of which lysozyme constitutes only a small fraction.
In other words, tears are a special liquid that contains different substances
in different proportions.
Among the various components of the teardrop, a thin film of fat secreted
by glands slows the teardrop's evaporation. This thin film, yet another
amazing detail, rules out our eyes' drying out prematurely.
So who has coated the teardrop with a protective fatty layer that retards
the effects of evaporation? How could such a specialized formula
come about?
Tears are also secreted in accurate quantities, just enough to protect
the cornea from drying and to maintain the eyeball's characteristic slipperiness.
Thus, when the eyeball rotates, there is no uncomfortable friction
between its upper layer and the conjunctiva inside of the eyelid.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
22
If tears were produced at a lower rate, then friction between eyeball
and eyelid would create never-ending pain. People suffering from a
drought of tears experience a constant burning sensation, as if sand were
in their eyes. Their eyes swell and turn red. In the advanced stages of the
illness comes the inevitable blindness.
Once any irritating stimulus—foreign particles such as dust, for instance—
contacts the eyeball's surface, tear production increases automatically.
More lysozyme is secreted for antiseptic purposes, while more sheer
liquid is secreted to help in quick disposal of the foreign element.
The fact that the tear glands are equipped with an accurate balance
mechanism that controls secretion in precisely the necessary amounts.
That by itself is enough of a miracle to refute the claims of coincidental
evolution.
No sensible person imagines that a small bottle of eye drops,
stamped with its production date and factory, can compose itself via a series
of accidents. There must be someone who invented the drop's formula,
manufactured the product and packaged it. Anyone who thinks
otherwise would have his sanity questioned. Teardrops, possessing features
that are superior, are produced with unique chemical ingredients in
delicate proportions. There are also the glands that secrete them, sensorbased
systems to control secretion, and sensitive canals through which
they are ejected. Taking these into account, it's not logical to claim that
tears came about coincidentally and were—again accidentally—located
in the eyes. Every human being past and present has had tears, which do
not differ from person to person. It is Almighty God Who created the eye
as a complete whole, for every person, as yet another of God's flawless
creations.
The Fine Art of Defense
By now, it's clear that the eye's sensitive structure is granted VIP protection.
But it's vital to keep in mind the aesthetic perfection in which this
maximum security is realized. The eyes might have been encased in a
thick, rough, armor-like shell, but creation presents a more pleasant aes-
The Perfect Design of the Eye
23
thetic view, with the bone circling the eye, and with eyelids, eyebrows and
eyelashes. The result is only one of the countless examples of the unequalled
beauty to be found in the creations of God.
He is God—the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form… (Qur'an, 59:
24)
The eyelashes attached to the outer edges of the eyelids protect the
eye from outside dust and larger particles. When lost or cut, they grow
again from the same roots. An eyelash stops growing when it reaches its
previous length.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
24
(Figure 1.5). Thanks to its three sets of muscles,
the eye is capable of moving in all directions.
Eyelashes are straight and soft with slight curves towards their tips.
This shape is not just attractive, but optimally practical. It is no coincidence,
of course, that eyelashes have adopted this unique shape. They attain their
curved, elastic form with the help of the greasy secretion from sebaceous
glands (known as glands of Zeis) inside the eyelids.7 Without this suppleness,
the lashes would be rough as bristles and tend clump together annoyingly
with every blink.
The eyebrows' function is to block the sweat draining down from the
forehead into the eyes. The brows also save the eye from reflected or direct
sunlight by blocking and obscuring the rays from above. Third, they are one
of the most distinctive elements of the human face, beautifully completing
the eye's visual appeal.
Say: "Who is the Lord of the heavens and the Earth?" Say: "God." Say:
"So why have you taken protectors apart from Him who possess no
power to help or harm themselves?" Say: "Are the blind and seeing
equal? Or are darkness and light the same? Or have they assigned
partners to God who create as He creates, so that all creating seems
the same to them?" Say: "God is the Creator of everything. He is the
One, the All-Conquering." (Qur'an, 13: 16)
Muscles Unvisited by Time
Muscles surrounding the eye are among the most active in the body,
making possible some one hundred thousand movements a day. Over a
lifetime, the average human performs literally billions of eye movements—
even while asleep. Despite this heavy, never-ending duty, the eye muscles
never complain of fatigue. In fact, few people are even aware of the muscles
in their eyes, regardless of their lifestyle or age, which have no effect on
the muscles at all.
Surrounding each eyeball are six muscles: One pair each for horizontal,
vertical, and side-to-side oblique movements (See Figures 1.6 and 1.7). Each
muscle in a pair moves the eyeball in an opposite direction. But this is no ordinary
partnership that tolerates imperfection. Each member of the pair, as
well as all three groups, must work together in perfect coordination so that
The Perfect Design of the Eye
25
both eyes turn to the object of interest, such that its image falls on both retinas.
If even one of these twelve muscles, in six groups, is not sufficiently precise,
focusing becomes a problem and the individual sees double. (To get an
idea of how difficult the result becomes, simply press gently against the side
of one eye with your finger and try to view any nearby object.)
Apart from the effect of double vision, when the harmony between
the muscles is gone one's facial expression is distorted as is the case with
squinting.
If the eyes did not possess such muscles, they would remain motionless
like a pair of frozen glass buttons. The face would have an unchanging, uncommunicative
expression, without any meaning or message. To see anything,
we would have to aim the head directly in the direction of the object,
costing us much mobility and flexibility in the course of our daily lives.
Conjunctiva: Lifetime Care
In addition to the tears lubricating and disinfecting the eyeball roundthe-
clock, the eyes have another liquid maintenance system that secretes
greasy liquid to smooth the eye's some hundred-thousand-a-day rotational
motions against friction and external particles.
The eyeball consists of many tissue layers one atop the other. The conjunctiva
membrane's job is to lubricate the eyeball's surface layer.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
26
(Figures 1.6 and 1.7). The eye muscles, as seen from the front and from behind.
The extraocular
muscle that moves
the eye to the left
The extraocular
muscle that
moves the eye up
The extraocular
muscle that
moves the eye
down
The extraocular
muscle that
moves the eye to
the right
The Perfect Design of the Eye
27
(Figure 1.8). A diagram of the eye muscles, seen from the side. They
are designed to allow eye movement in every direction. Such a special
structure cannot have developed coincidentally, by itself. The
eye was flawlessly created by God.
Conjunctiva is situated between the inner surface of the eyelid and the eyeball,
together with another tissue called sclera (commonly known as the
white of the eye). This is a firm, transparent membrane that covers about fivesixths
of the eye's surface. Both of the membranes are composed of living
cells and fed by tiny, invisible veins—a fact that demands attention.
The section of the conjunctiva coating the anterior portion of the eyeball
is very movable, easily sliding back and forth over the front of the eyeball it
covers.
During secretion from the tear glands, the conjunctiva plays an instrumental
role. Covering the two surfaces where teardrops function—the inner
surface of the eyelid and the outmost layer of the eyeball—and activating
tiny mucus glands embedded within it, conjunctiva supplies tears with the
lubrication necessary for smooth, slippery rotation and blinking.
Whether it's a hinge or a car engine, no mechanical device with movable
parts can run efficiently without regular lubrication. Forget the grease
and oil and soon the engine will burn out. But with the eyeball making approximately
hundred thousand movements per day, you don't need to do a
thing. Lubrication is provided automatically by the system just described.
If that system were absent or even interrupted temporarily, each movement
of the eye would cause unbearable pain. Yet thanks to God's flawless
creation, a healthy person will never have such difficulties.
Cornea: The Window of the Eye
The eye is a round sphere, except for the small raised bump at the front,
where it receives light. Surrounding this sphere is the sclerotic layer—white
as milk, hard and tough, protecting the eyeball's internal tissues. The white
area of the eye surrounding the colored iris in the center is only the visible
part of this layer.
Suppose that the white of the eye was not hard and tough, but much
softer, like jelly. Were this the case, the eye's internal layers would not be protected.
Also, any external substances that entered the eye would adhere to
the eyeball, becoming difficult to remove and causing potential damage.
However, tear drops easily clear the eye of any foreign particles thanks to the
fact that the white of the eye is fairly hard.
The structure of this hard white tissue changes suddenly at the center,
when it approaches the bulging spot at the front of the eye. This structure,
the cornea, is made up of a transparent layer permeable to light. Despite
being a continuation of the sclera or white of the eye, it is distinctly separate
and possesses a completely different structure (Figure 1.9). If the eyeball
were compared to a building, the white of the eye would be the marble exterior;
and the cornea would be its single round window.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
28
The reason for the cornea's small size is
quite simple: If the eye were completely
covered by the thin tissue making up the
cornea, it would be effectively defenseless,
and would almost certainly wind
up blinded.
However, if the white of the eye were
to cover the eye completely, including the
transparent layer, then light would be unable
to penetrate and enter, thus making it impossible for the eye to see. How
is it that two distinctly different tissues, lying along the same layer and continuous
with one another, are clearly separated by a circular border? Who
drew this border?
The cornea's function is to focus (or refract) incoming light, thus allowing
it to pass through the lens towards the retina at the rear of the eye. This
process refracts some two-thirds of the light needed to focus on an object,
while the remaining third is processed by the lens.
In order for objects to be seen clearly, it's crucial that the cornea be always
transparent. This is vital because even one drop in it causes misty vision,
while alertness is equally important: The eye must be able to detect even
the smallest dust particle that may enter.
The cornea owes its perfect transparency to the delicate arrangement of
fibers inside it. Any interference will stain the cornea and cloud vision.
Think of the importance of objective in photography—for the eye, the
cornea is equally important. So clear that it cannot be seen from a distance, it
is one of the most sensitive parts of the body.
The cornea is made up of countless nerves and lymph vessels which,
however, do not, disrupt vision. The slightest movement around the cornea
triggers reflexes that command the eyelids to close. Thereupon, the eyelids
swiftly eject anything which may have stuck to the cornea and protect against
possible damage by closing over the eyeball.
The cornea is like a window, behind which the eye operates. It is possible,
for instance, for wind to blow a sand grain or wood chip into the eye and
The Perfect Design of the Eye
29
(Figure 1.9)
Cornea
Sclera
(Figure 1.10). The cornea
is the eye's window to
the outside world. Its
transparency is similar
to a window's, the only
difference being that the
cornea is biological,
composed of tissue,
whereas windows are
made of glass. It is God
Who allowed a piece of
human tissue to become
clearer than glass.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
31
scratch the cornea. But thanks to its built-in self repair system, the cornea can
repair itself.
During the day, the cells composing the cornea are fed with glucose
from the tear fluid and, since the cornea contains no blood vessels, with oxygen
from the air. During sleep, however, when outside oxygen cannot penetrate
the closed lids, the cornea is supplied by the capillaries on the inner
surface of the eyelids.
If this precise balance in the cornea were never maintained, we would
always have misty vision and never know the meaning of clear sight. Safe to
say, the world would be a very different place, looked at it through unclear
eyes. It's amazing to think how much this thin layer of tissue does for us.
The cornea is completely isolated from the body, making it easier for
surgeons to transfer it from one patient to another. A new body does not reject
the cornea, because antibodies in the bloodstream never reach it.
An intensely transparent layer, the cornea allows some 98% of light to
pass through, thus approaching the transparency of window glass (Figure
1.10). Of particular note is that the cornea is a living tissue, made up of cells
and constantly fed with glucose and oxygen.
How can a living part of the body be so utterly transparent? How did it
acquire this transparency? Even though we are looking through countless
capillaries and vessels, how is it that we still see the world so very clearly?
From the divisions of one single cell came all the cells in our body, including
the ones in this delicate, transparent living layer of the eye, in the
rigid bones, in the kidney tissues and in the blood. What is the power that,
with the division of a single cell, can create two structures as entirely different
as rock-hard bone and a crystal clear cornea? How did the cells differentiate
from one another to that extent? Do they possess the faculties of
planning and decision-making to carry out these plans?
Cells, made up of inanimate and unconscious atoms, do not possess
such faculties, of course. It is God Who inspires the cells what to do, to form
various organs and perform a multitude of tasks.
That the fibers and the nerves making up the cornea are so sensitive
again evidences the superior creation. Thanks to a complex early-warning
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
32
system, this extremely delicate layer summons the eyelid to its defense in the
event of danger. But how does that happen? Can the cornea cells really have
developed their own life-support system to stay alive, and then made an
agreement with the brain for the eyelids to guard them?
Another miraculous aspect of the eye lies in the shape of the cornea. The
focusing of light requires calculation, not to mention experience in the field
of optics. However, this very complicated process is carried out flawlessly by
corneal tissue, which came into being in the mother's womb through the simple
splitting of a few cells. Every cornea is angled so as to allow light to enter
directly into the retina. Does the cornea have the intelligence to predict this
angle, or did each cornea cell attain this knowledge individually? One conclusion
is certain: No calculation this complicated was solved through a series
of coincidences.
Many other details—besides the cornea's shape that focuses light on the
retina, its extraordinary structure providing a clear vision through its fibers,
the conjunctiva and vessels of the lymphatic system feeding it, its early
warning system—are all flawless, synchronized mechanisms that couldn't
have come into existence coincidentally.
The cornea has a most superior design, which can have been created
only by a uniquely superior intelligence, whose Owner is God.
O man! What has deluded you in respect of your Noble Lord? He Who
created you and formed you and proportioned you and assembled
you in whatever way He willed. (Qur'an, 82: 6-8)
Fluids in the Eye
The inside of the eye is divided into three sections. Of the two chambers
toward the front of the eye, the first lies between the back of the cornea and
the iris. The rear chamber, on the other hand, is a small gap between the iris
and the lens. A wide space beyond the eye's center and the lens, often referred
to as the dark chamber, is filled with a clear, colorless fluid known as
the vitreous humor or the "glassy fluid."
This jellylike fluid is enclosed in a sac between the lens and the retina
and holds the retina in place. The back chamber (between the iris and the
The Perfect Design of the Eye
33
lens), and the front chamber (between the iris and the cornea) are also filled
with a watery fluid. Produced by the ciliary body, this fluid feeds both the
cornea and the lens, for neither has access to oxygenated blood vessels.
To nourish the components of the eye, this fluid contains a large number
of chemicals and minerals, including salts, sugars and disinfecting substances
drawn from the blood vessels and then mixed into the fluid through
microscopic pumps in the ciliary body.
This fluid, which gives life to the eye, doesn't remain stationary, but is
constantly circulating in a manner similar to the basic flow of water in the
oceans, in which the colder water flows deeply below, while warmer currents
flow closer to the surface.
Along with delivering nutrients and disinfectants, this fluid also expels
waste matter in an exceptionally delicate, microscopic manner. Another of
the fluid's functions is maintaining internal pressure, so as to keep the eyeball
distended and stable.
Pressure within the Eye
The eyeball can be considered to be a sphere with restricted flexibility.
The gelatinous fluid the sphere contains gives it a certain amount of internal
pressure, determined by the quantity of the aqueous humor—which in turn
is produced by the ciliary body. After being secreted, first it flows into the
back chamber, then through the pupil into the front chamber, before being absorbed
by tissues between the back of the cornea and the iris. If the rates of
production and absorption become unbalanced, this can affect the eye's internal
pressure.
When these two rates are equal, however,—that is, when the amounts of
the produced and absorbed aqueous humor are equal, due to the continuous
flow of fluid—the volume of fluid within the eye does not change. But if the
production increases while the flow of absorption is reduced or somehow obstructed,
pressure within the eye builds.
To recap: This fluid is produced at a discrete quantity, and the same
amount of excess is absorbed. More importantly, this process is constant, ongoing
in every human eye.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
34
In this respect, the eye is similar to an aquarium that's filled at one end
while it empties at the other: If the flow of water is blocked, it will overflow.
However, if the water from the source is cut off, then the aquarium will dry
up. Likewise, the amount of liquid contained in the tanks in many industrial
and chemical plants, is maintained with the use of computerized control systems.
These systems, demanding highly delicate measurements and calculations,
are programmed and supervised by specialized engineers. Any disorder
in the system can lead to catastrophe.
To ensure the balance in such a small volume as the fluid within the eye,
measurements and calculations need to be even more delicate and precise. The
slightest inaccuracy, even smaller than mere millimeters, would result in blindness.
In a healthy eye, however, these calculations and the cycle of fluid in the
eye remain balanced throughout a lifetime. That the fluid exists is a miracle, but
the fact that this very fluid is carefully produced and accurately absorbed is an
even greater miracle that one should reflect on deeply.
But what if the sensitive balance of eye fluid is disrupted, as in an overflowing
aquarium? When the fluid is not absorbed properly or the production of
fluid is increased unnecessarily, the result is a quite painful condition known as
glaucoma, marked by abnormally high pressure within the eyeball. This causes
intense discomfort and sometimes loss of vision. The eyeball inflates like a balloon
ready to burst, and the smallest impact can rupture it.
As with most other bodily processes, it's natural not to be aware that your
eye fluid is constantly being secreted into, and absorbed out of, your eye—until
you read this book. Some people, however, learn about the presence of this fluid
the hard way, by developing glaucoma. Like any critically ill person, they realize
how much of a blessing good health is and, as a last resort, turn to God.
You differ from those in such a situation, in that you learned of this miracle
by reading this book, rather than through developing the disease and suffering
the pain. But this doesn't mean you'll never experience pain in your life. If God
desires it, He may impose such a condition or even a more painful one on you at
any time, so that you may remember the value of good health and be thankful.
But the truly acceptable way is to turn to God without waiting for an illness—to
be grateful to Him, and to remember and glorify Him at all times.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
35
What will those who dream up lies against God think on the Day of
Resurrection? God shows favor to mankind but most of them are not
thankful. (Qur'an, 10: 60)
The Iris: A Light Regulator
Placed behind the cornea, the iris protects the retina from unnecessary illumination.
Muscles placed on either side let the iris change the diameter of
the pupil, according to light intensity (Figures 1.11 and 1.12). One of these
muscles contracts the pupil in bright conditions, while the other group, radiating
from the pupil like the petals of a daisy or the spokes of a wheel, expands
the pupil in darker conditions. In this way, the amount of light entering
the eye is kept constant.
If this were not the case, and if the pupil size weren't regulated according
to the changing amount of light, our eyes would then take much longer to adjust
to even the slightest changes in light, making us unable to see for longer
periods of time.
There are two reasons for the dazzling sensation we experience upon
moving from a bright environment to a darker one. First, in the dark, the
retina's sensitivity increases. Secondly, it takes a moment or two for the iris
muscles to activate. When suddenly we move from a dark environment to a
bright one, the pupils remain wide for a short instant. But within 0.04 to 0.05
seconds, the pupils contract with the help of the iris muscles; which is maximized
in a tenth of a second.
If this interval were any longer, we would spend a considerable period of
time unable to see. But thanks to our eyes' perfect structure, we can see our
surroundings in changing light with minimal discomfort.
The iris also contains pigmented cells that give the eye its distinctive
color. Just as the skin, the iris's color depends on the type and amount of pigment.
Light-skinned people tend to have blue, hazel or light gray eyes,
whereas dark-skinned individuals typically have dark brown or black eyes.
The Pupil
What we call the pupil is actually an opening at the center of the iris and
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
36
can rapidly expand or contract to adjust the intensity of light entering the
eye. Generally, both eyes receive the same amounts of light, but any change
in the amount entering one eye will affect the pupil of not only that one eye,
but the other as well.
The amount of light entering the eye can be multiplied nearly thirty
times according to how wide the pupil is. The change in the amount of light
produced by a flash camera in 0.1 seconds, for example, causes the pupil to
instantly adjust its size and admit less light.
Upon light's entering the eye and hitting the retina, nerves transmit a
signal to the brain. The brain is not only informed of the light's existence, but
also of its intensity. It immediately sends back a response as to how far the
(Figure 1.11).
The iris, which
controls the
amount of light
entering the
eye, and its
surrounding
muscles.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
37
muscles around the pupil should expand or contract. The entire process of
communication, calculation, and functioning, is over in less than a second.
At first glance, the line of communication between the iris muscles and
the brain seems like a normal biological link in the body. But when analyzed
in detail, this link can be seen for the miracle it really is.
The measurement of outside light intensity, the immediate relay of signals
to brain, and the brain's consequent adjustment of the iris muscles to
regulate the light entering the eye is a complicated process which is amazingly
conducted in the brain of every person who has ever lived, with the exception
of the congenitally blind. This is nothing short of a miracle, and a
(Figure 1.12). The
iris controls the
amount of light entering
the eye by
adjusting the size
of the pupil. It contracts
in strong
light (a), thus reducing
the amount
of light entering
the eye. In dimmer
light, the pupil expands
(b) to allow
more light to enter.
Thanks to a complex
and advanced
system, the
amount of light entering
the eye is
calculated and the
pupil size adjusted,
in a tenth of a second.
Is it really
possible that a collection
of atoms
came together coincidentally
to create
such a perfect
system? b
a
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
way for us to comprehend our Creator's power and knowledge and realize
His true measure. It is the responsibility of humans to give thanks to God,
Creator of the universe, and also to indulge ourselves in acts which will
please Him. In one verse of the Qur'an, God describes those who ignore His
signs as wrongdoers:
Who could do greater wrong than someone who is reminded of the
signs of his Lord and then turns away from them, forgetting all that
he has done before?... (Qur'an, 18: 57)
Adjusting to Brightness and Dark
You can test for yourself all the details about the eye we have described
up to this point. When you first enter a dark room, it's difficult to distinguish
different objects within. This is because at that moment, your retina's level of
(Figure 1.13). A diagram of the muscles that are triggered upon
orders from the brain, and can either contract or relax to change
the pupil size. This way, a constant intensity of light always enters the eye.
The second diagram to the right depicts the same muscles, but magnified.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
39
sensitivity is very low. But this sensitivity can multiply itself by a factor of ten
times in less than a minute, allowing your retina to respond to gleams only a
tenth as powerful as before. In twenty minutes, the retina can adjust itself
6,000 times, and in forty minutes, nearly 25,000. The eye can increase its sensitivity
to a maximum of between 500,000 and 1,000,000 times. This factor is
adjusted automatically, according to the surrounding brightness in the environment.
In order for the retina to register an image, it must determine the dark
and light spots upon the object being viewed. For that reason, sensitivity
must be adjusted so that the receptors respond always to the brighter points,
not the darker ones.
Imagine, for example, that you're stepping out into bright daylight, having
just sat through a film at the cinema. Everything you look at, even spots
that normally appear dark, will seem unusually bright and because of low
contrast you will see a lot of light colors. This is inadequate vision, of course,
and fixes itself once the retina adjusts itself so that its receptors are not overstimulated
by the darker spots in your field of vision. When you walk into a
darkened room, now your retina's sensitivity is very low and therefore, even
the brighter spots on objects cannot stimulate it. But once your retina adjusts
to the dark, the bright spots do register. The retina can adjust to extreme light
and dark. And even though sunlight is 30,000 times brighter than moonlight,
your eye is able to adjust and see in environments illuminated by either
source of light.8
The Lens: The Eye's Focusing Mechanism
The lens, situated immediately behind the iris and the pupil, breaks
down incoming beams of light and focuses them on the retina. Made of protein
fibers, the lens is transparent, hard but slightly elastic and yellowish in
color. Similar to a magnifying glass, the center of the lens is convex in structure.
With the aid of muscles surrounding it, the lens is able to change shape,
allowing it to adjust itself according to the angle light comes in, ensuring it is
always directed onto the retina. When you look at a point close to your eyes,
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
40
muscles flex your lens into a more convex position. But when you view a distant
point, the muscles relax, stretching the lens into a flatter configuration
and thus clarifying the images of distant objects.
Like the cornea, the lens contains no blood vessels, and so it is nourished
by the eye fluid.
Interestingly, the lens never stops growing throughout a human's life, although
the rate of growth does slow down with age, leading to loss of its elasticity.
Certain cell layers become isolated from the rest of lens and are
consequently deprived of food and oxygen; a process which eventually kills
these cells. The lens begins to harden. It becomes more difficult for it to curve
itself and, as more and more cells die, it loses its ability to adapt itself to viewing
nearby objects. This is why the elderly so often find themselves reading
the newspaper at arm's length and using glasses to support their farsighted
vision.
One should reflect on the fact that the eye lens doesn't maintain its capabilities
for an entire lifetime. Just like other organs in the body, the lens of the
eye can't survive the aging process and loses its originally perfect structure. It
is a sign, God's way of reminding us that we are getting old. We are reminded
of such facts as that life upon Earth is only temporary and that our human
bodies will perish one day. Only those who truly use their minds can see
God's such warnings wherever they look.
The lens in the eye works in a way similar to the lens in a camera. To get
the clearest picture, it is necessary to adjust the camera lens either manually
or automatically so as to focus light upon the film, depending on the distance.
When you look at an advanced camera close-up, you'll see that when focusing,
the lens revolves around its own axis. While this process takes place, the
picture in the camera's view finder becomes blurred.
Even though the functioning of the eye was imitated in the construction
of camera lenses, the eye's lens is countless times more developed. In particular,
its dimensions are smaller than a camera lens. The lenses used in cameras
reached their present level of technology after years of research. Scientists
have still not succeeded in making an optical system as perfect as the eye.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
41
(Figure 1.14). Fibers connected to the muscles responsible for expanding and contracting
the lens. Sensitive adjustments made by these fibers allow incoming light
to be focused in on the retina at the proper angle.
Your eyes do not frequently break down, the way a camera does, and
have no need of maintenance. Cameras are produced by expert technicians in
special factories, using many different materials—plastic, metals, glass, etc.—
according to engineers' designs. The eye, on the other hand, forms in the
mother's womb as the result of the division of a single cell.
If you tie a camera atop your head and run or walk while filming, the resulting
image will bear traces of shaking and slippage. Yet as you walk your
eyes, which register images just like two cameras fixed to your head, never
make you feel uncomfortable. There is never any shaking or slippage in the
images you see.
Another question that may come to mind is why the muscles forming
the lens seek to make light fall upon the retina. No one ever thinks, "I must
make the light entering my eye fall onto my retinal layer so I can see properly."
Most people are quite unaware of their retinas and lenses. Yet the whole
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
42
day through, these tiny organs perform functions requiring unimaginable calculations.
In order for the lens to do such things by itself, it needs to know the
task of the retina, what vision entails, the structure of the brain, and the purpose
served by photons. Only in this way can it focus the light falling upon it onto the
retina.
Naturally, neither the lens nor the cells comprising it have any will of their
own. The lens, cornea, iris, retina, their cells and the muscles around them, and
the brain all carry out their functions in ways inspired by God, and by His will.
The Retina
The retina receives the beams of light refracted by the cornea and the lens,
and constructs the image we see. This image is then sent to the brain in the form
of electrical signals (Figure 1.15).
The retina serves exactly the same purpose for the eye as the film does for
a camera. In the same way that photographic film lies behind the lens, the retina
lies at the back of the eyeball and there forms an image of the object being focused
on.
Once a camera has recorded an image, the film is moved onto the next unexposed
empty frame space so that another photograph may be captured. The
retina, on the other hand, receives countless images every second, but doesn't
have to change or be replaced, because the retina is capable of renewing itself. It
displays and uses countless images throughout an entire lifetime without deteriorating
or breaking down.
The retina is composed of eleven separate, microscopically thin layers
(Figures 1.16 and 1.17). Images fall on the ninth layer, an area almost 1 millimeter
wide. It's quite amazing to consider that entire kilometers of landscape can
be focused down upon this tiny point. No one should forget that his whole
world is recreated within this tiny area; that thanks to that area, he has perceived
the existence of everything he has ever seen; and that ultimately, that
point is nothing more than a tiny concave layer of cells.
At the back of the retina are a number of rod-shaped and cone-shaped
cells. These cells convert received light into electrical signals. Because of their
shape as observed under a microscope, they are called rods and cones. There are
The Perfect Design of the Eye
6,000,000 cones and 120,000,000 rods; a ratio of nearly 20 rods to every cone.
But the only difference between these two cells are not their shape or their
number. Each type of cell has a different method of perception. Rods can respond
to even the weakest beams of light. For the cones to respond, however,
more powerful light is needed.
Rods can respond by forming only a black-and-white image, depending
on the light received from the objects. They are designed to function even in environments
where light is minimal. However, they do not perceive the details or
colors of the objects.
(Figure 1.15). When light enters
the eye, it first passes through
the cornea, pupil and lens. It
then falls upon the retina,
where millions of cells convert
the light into electrical signals
and transmit them to the brain.
In other words, light is converted
into electrical energy at
varying levels of intensity,
thanks to which images form in
the brain. This is an incredibly
complex and advanced system,
evidence of the flawlessness of
God's creation.
Ganglion
cells
Amacrine
cells
Pigment epithelia
LIGHT
LIGHT
Bipolar
cells
Cone and
rode cells
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
44
When we are observing the stars at night, or trying to find our seat in a
darkened movie theater, we succeed thanks to the images generated by the
rod-shaped cells in our retina. We are able to make out objects' shapes, but
not their colors. This is why, as the saying goes, "In the dark, all cats are gray"—
in the dark, all objects seem to be black and gray in color.9
A little earlier, we mentioned that the rods and cones convert light waves
into electrical energy. This conversion process is a most complicated one, but
how does it take place? How, why and by what logic does a mere cell convert
light energie to electricity? How did the cell first acquire the knowledge to complete
such a process? How did it acquire its unique structure to carry out this
(Figure 1.16). The cells
making up the retina, as
seen under an electron
microscope. The retina
has the complex task of
converting light energy
into electrical energy.
If there were even one
type of cell in the retina,
that would be a miracle
enough. But four different
types of retina cells,
making up eleven different
layers, have a
processing power superior
to any computer's,
making
"miracle" an insufficient
word.
Ganglion
cells
Inner nuclear
layer
Retinal pigment
layer
Macula
Henle's nervous
layer
Photoreceptors
The Perfect Design of the Eye
45
process? Taking into account that these cells are divided into separate groups
according to their function of perceiving shape and color, how did they allocate
separate tasks to themselves in the first place?
By itself, on its own, a cone-shaped or rod-shaped cell is of no use. Were
it not for their excellently organized placement across the retina, the network
of nerves connecting them with the brain, components of the eye such as lens
and cornea directing light towards them, or the fine capillary vessels feeding
them, not even several thousand of these cells would allow us to see.
Moreover, were there no brain to interpret the signals sent by these cells,
(Figure 1.17). A magnified photograph of the retina. In order to function, the retina
requires eleven layers and four different types of cell to all be present at the same
time. If even one type or layer of cell were not present, the entire eye would become
useless. The theory of evolution alleges that species developed their distinct
features over millions of years by trial and error. But even one single component of
the eye makes it clear that the theory is simply a farce. This means that the eye
was created by God.
Ganglion cells
Inter - neurons
Photoreceptor cells
Retinal pigment
layer
Retinal pigment layer
(pigment epithelium)
Internal limiting
membrane
Retinal nerve fiber
layer
Ganglion cells
Inner plexiform
layer
Inner nuclear layer
Outer plexiform
layer
Receptor layer
Outer limiting
layer
Inner segments
Outer segments
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
46
there would be little reason for the presence of these cells at all. This system,
with all its parts, must have been present from the moment mankind first appeared
on this planet. It's not possible for certain parts of this system to have
developed at later stages, because in the meantime, man would be unable to
see. The first human's retina was no different from the retinas of humans living
today.
It is a miracle enough for just one single cell to convert light into electrical
energy. But there is an even greater miracle—millions of these cells, all working
together for a common purpose. It is clear that these cones and rods, together
(Figure 1.18). The cone and rod
cells, magnified 45,000 times.
The broader cells are cones,
which perceive colors, and the
thinner ones are rods, which
perceive black-and-white images.
Every image you have
ever seen up to this moment
was actually an electrical signal
sent from these cells to
your brain.
Cone and rod cells
Coordination of the retinal
cells is more advanced
than even the most complex
electronic circuits.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
47
with other components of the eye and the brain, were created by God. It is God
Who created humans with a flawless design. As God tells us in a verse, there is
no other god besides Him:
He is the Living—there is no god but Him—so call on Him, making your
religion sincerely His. Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.
(Qur'an, 40: 65)
The Four Perceptions of the Retina
The retina is capable of interpreting four different properties of vision:
Contrast, color, light and shape.
Light: Under darker conditions, the rod cells are able to perceive more
light than do the cone cells. Thanks to the rods, we can see at twilight, for instance.
In brighter conditions, however, the cone cells come into play. This is
why the eyes of nocturnal animals have a large amount of rod cells.
Shape: Cone cells play a large part in perceiving the shape of objects. The
area of most acute vision of shapes is the fovea centralis, which has the highest
concentration of cone cells.
Contrast: The ability to differentiate between areas that are not clearly separated,
but have slightly different amounts of illumination, is extremely important.
Loss of ability to distinguish contrast is common in a number of illnesses, a
condition which can bother patients even more than loss of their acute vision.
Color comes from the mind's interpretation of different wavelengths of incoming
light. The retina separates the wavelengths, interpreting each as a different
color.
As mentioned earlier, it is in itself a miracle that the retina can convert light
into electrical energy. But the miracles do not end there. The method by which
images formed on the retina are sent to the brain is just as extraordinary. The
retina doesn't transmit a picture to the brain as a whole. First the retina breaks
up the picture, and then these pieces are reassembled in the brain. The left-hand
side of an image ends up on the right-hand side of the retina, and vice-versa.
The pieces are transmitted separately in less than a tenth of a second, to be interpreted
in the brain. What's been described here is a brief summary of what
actually takes place in the retina.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
48
The better to understand these miracles, let's examine the process in
closer detail. To see an object, the light energy entering the eye must first be
converted into nerve impulses. Beams of light cause a physical stimulation,
which triggers chemical and electrical reactions. This chain of reactions, ending
with a vision of the object, depends on a Vitamin A-based pigment called
rhodopsin, found in the rod cells.
Light striking the retina bleaches the rhodopsin. As a result of this bleaching,
a chemical substance forms that stimulates the nerve cells. Rhodopsin
loses its property in bright light, but reforms again in darkness.
When you enter a movie theater, for example, at first you will be unable
to see clearly, because at that moment, there is not enough rhodopsin present
in your eyes. Once more rhodopsin is produced, your vision clears. You won't
be able to see clearly until enough rhodopsin is produced; but once the
rhodopsin balance is maintained, you'll find it easier to distinguish objects in
the dark.
Once you leave the cinema and walk back out into the sunlight, however,
rhodopsin breaks down rapidly, sending many signals to the brain at once.
Objects in your vision become unusually bright, making it difficult to see. In
bright light, rhodopsin breaks down faster than it is synthesized. That's why
your vision seems defective for a while. Again, rhodopsin is why your eyes are
dazzled by the sunlight and the snow. Once most of the rhodopsin is deformed,
fewer impulses are transmitted to the brain; the eyes have become
light-adapted.10
Rhodopsin, when needed, is produced at just the right amount. It works
in conjunction with the other parts of the eye, allowing us to see easier in the
dark. But who first decided to produce this substance? Did eye cells, unable to
see in the dark, spontaneously gather and decide to make a substance that enhances
vision in the dark and breaks down in brighter light? Supposing that
they did so, then who designed rhodopsin's physical and chemical structure?
And how did the eye cells gain all the genetic information they need to work
with rhodopsin?
There are far more details to the process of seeing than we've described in
these few paragraphs. But rhodopsin by itself is an accurate demonstration of
what a miraculous system the eye truly is. Clearly, its cells didn't develop
rhodopsin on their own. The eye, with its delicately calculated system, is a creation
of God.
The Primary Colors
As we mentioned earlier, the cones within the retina are those cells that
perceive colors. There are three separate groups of cones, each of which reacts to
certain specific wavelengths of light—namely, blue, green and red.
These are the three primary colors found in nature. Other colors come
about through the varying combination of these basic three. For example, if you
were to mix red and green light, we would get yellow. The pigment cells work
following the same principles: When the cones sensitive to red and green light
are alerted to an equal degree, you perceive the color yellow. If the cones sensitive
to red, green and blue are alerted to an equal degree, we see white. When
the cones that perceive all three colors are alerted at differing degrees of intensity,
then it is possible to see any other color in existence. But our knowledge in
this field of chromatics is pretty much limited to the above, and is currently
nothing but a theory. It is still unknown, for instance, how the brain decodes the
signals sent from the retina.
As you can appreciate, the process of color separation is very complicated.
But as an aid to understanding it, consider an example from modern technology.
Color television screens work in a manner similar to the eye's color separation
system. On the screen, colors of different wavelengths are placed very close
together, such that a magnified photograph of the screen would show that the
TV picture is made up of miniscule red, green and blue dots. When we draw
back a little distance from the screen, these colors merge to create the various
shades we're used to seeing.
To assemble the pictures we all see with our eyes, a large number of complicated
color adjustments are constantly effected. The intensity of signals sent
by millions of cone cells must be delicately adjusted, then decoded by the brain.
What's more, this is not a process that takes place in the bodies of only a few for
short periods of time. Every human perceives billions of images over a lifetime,
and color adjustments are made for every single one.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
49
Acuity of Vision
Whether the sight be a speck of dust or a vista from the summit of a
mountain; any vision—from thousands of kilometers to a few millimeters in
size—eventually focuses upon a yellowish spot, only one millimeter square,
called macula lutea.11
At the central point of the macula, only about 0.4mm wide, the retina
thins and contains a slightly depressed area called the fovea centralis. At the
fovea's center, the sensory layer is composed entirely of cone-shaped cells.
As mentioned earlier, cone cells can differentiate between visual details.
Here, therefore, at the point where vision is at its clearest, the colors, shapes
and depth of vision are concentrated. Outside the fovea, visual acuity can
drop by up to 1,000%.
When you examine an object carefully, your eyeball's active muscles
move and adjust themselves so that light can be concentrated upon the
fovea.
Someone with maximum visual acuity can discern, from ten meters
away apart, between two bright points as big as a tip of a needle, separated
by only a few millimeters.
The Choroid: A Vein of Life
Between the sclera and the retina lies the dark-brown vascular coat of the
eye known as the choroid. It is composed of blood vessels—millions of capillaries—
through which the cone and rod cells are fed.
By itself, the choroid is effective evidence that the theory of evolution is incoherent
and laughable—additional proof of the miracle of creation.
Without the choroid, which feeds every cell in the retina, the eye would lie
completely useless. It's not possible for such a layer to evolve over time, simply
because most other components of the eye could never survive without it, however
miraculous they may be in themselves.
As we have pointed out repeatedly, the eye is composed of countless different
sections and layers that include the cornea, sclera, iris, pupil, lens, eyelid,
nerves connecting the cornea to the brain, and countless other structures. All of
them can work together only as a whole—they are simply too specialized and
interdependent to have evolved on their own. In order for the eyes to see, all
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
50
those other structures and tissues must be present at the same time, working in
complete and perfect synchronization.
This observation renders completely irrelevant the evolutionary theory
that humans reached their state today through a series of coincidental mutations.
Such a perfect organism cannot have come about by means of any power
other than creation. The choroid layer feeds the retina, in an unrivalled example
of God's artistry of creation.
[He is] the Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on
something, He just says to it, "Be!" and it is. (Qur'an, 2: 117)
The Paint of the Retina
So that it can stimulate the cone and rod cells, light entering the eye
passes first through two layers—one of which is the melanin layer, containing
a black pigment. Melanin absorbs any light passing through the retina,
51
(Figure 1.19). The choroid layer
PUPIL
IRIS
thus preventing it from reflecting back and away. Without the melanin layer,
light would scatter itself around inside the eye, and no coherent images could
be formed. In other words, the retina is lined with black pigment called
melanin—just as the inside of a camera is black—to lessen the amount of reflection.
To look at this topic from another angle, consider the question, "Who
painted the inside of my camera black?" The answer requires hardly any
thought: Of course, engineers came up with the idea of using a dark coating
to reflect less light. It proved successful in consequent experiments, and was
therefore marketed.
So if we asked the same question for the eye, what would the answer be?
How can the structure of the eye, far superior to a camera, possibly have
come about by means of a series of coincidences? Quite the opposite is true—the
eye was created by a superior mind.
It's interesting how some individuals will marvel at the technology behind
a simple camera, but still insist that the eye was not similarly created. Easily
fooled by the forgeries of Darwinism, they utterly deny the true Creator.
To prove the flawlessness of His creation, God has left a number of lessons
for us humans to dwell upon. For example, the importance of the melanin layer
is truly dramatized in a disease called albinism. Sufferers of the condition lack
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
52
(Figure 1.20).
The complex
system beneath
the sclera, or
outer layer of
the eye.
IRIS
LENS
CORNEA
SCLERA
OPTIC NERVE
CHOROID LAYER
normal pigmentation, with the result that light reflects all around inside the eye,
especially under bright conditions. This brings with it an uncomfortably bright
vision.12
Visual Field
The total angle that the eye can take in without moving the head is called
the visual field. As you can prove for yourself, it is at its widest at the edges,
and narrowest towards the center (Figure 1.21). This field prevents the prominence
of the nose from interfering with our vision.
What if the visual field did not narrow towards the center? If this were
the case, the nose would become an immovable obstruction to our vision. We
would be forced to look at our noses all day, constantly. But thanks to this distinction,
given to us by God, the nose causes us little discomfort on a day-today
basis.13
The Identity of the Eye
Fingerprints are a popular means of identifying people. And just as with
fingerprints, the pattern of every person's iris is different, thanks to the varying
arrangements of connective tissues, tissue fibers, muscle lines, blood vessels,
rings, color, and stains within the iris.
Every one of the billions of humans on the planet possess a different eye
pattern. No pair of eyes are the same, not even on the same individual.
The Perfect Design of the Eye
53
(Figure 1.21). The visual
field is the area
that you perceive when
looking straight ahead
and not moving your
eyes. From each eye,
the two nasal fields of
vision (towards the
nose) overlap when the
eyes look straight
ahead. The images
from both eyes are
combined in the brain,
resulting in perfectly
stereoscopic vision.
The visual field


he eye might be a window to the outside world, but in
our sense of sight it plays only the role of an instrument.
The spot where vision is established is deep inside the
brain.
To recap the steps of seeing: Beams of light enter the eye and pass
through the cornea, the pupil and lens. The cornea's convex structure and the
lens break up the light beams and, after turning the picture or image of the
scene upside down, direct it to the retina. Light-sensitive receptor cells—the
cones and rods—then convert the light into electrical signals, to be sent to the
brain. The image that comes from the retina is an upside-down picture of the
world. But the brain reverses this accordingly, letting these electrical impulses
provide it with information about the object—its type, size, color, and distance.
This entire process takes place in less than a tenth of a second.14
During the assembly of a visual image, a staggering number of
processes take place in less than a second. No computer in the world has yet
been able to match this speed. But equally as staggering is the fact that the
brain's optic nerves invariably restore reversed images from the retina back
to their original state.15
The Role of the Brain in Seeing
After the retina converts beams of light into electrical signals, they are
sent to the brain via the optic nerves in a thousandth of a second. Signals received
from each eye contain all the visual information about the object one
perceives. The brain combines the two images received from each eye to create
the single three-dimensional image you see. It also chooses out the
shapes and colors that are of interest in that image and determines the distance
involved. In other words, it is the brain—not the eye—that sees.16
Electrical signals from the eyes first reach the primary visual cortex at
the back of the brain. This area, a few centimeters wide and only 2.5 millimeters
thick, is made up of six layers containing a total of hundred million
neurons (nerve cells). The visual impulse reaches the fourth layer first,
where it is momentarily analyzed before being distributed to other layers.
Each neuron in these layers receives signals from—and sends new signals
56
out to—over a thousand other neurons. This exchange of information between
neurons with the connections and the ability necessary to process the
information is definitely something that couldn't have come about through a
series of coincidences. These neurons were created with the ability to exchange
information.
The brain, working like an advanced computer, is actually a collection
of millions of living cells. In one square millimeter on the surface of human
brain, there are over 100,000 nerve cells—adding up to a total of 10 billion
(10,000,000,000) cells in the entire brain. A mere fraction of these cells work
together to analyze signals from the eye.
How Vision Is Assembled
57
(Figure 2.1). Vision takes place not in the eye, but in the brain. The eye is merely an
instrument by which electrical signals are sent, similar to how a camera transmits
images to a television screen. But these images are meaningful only if someone is
there to watch them. If there is no viewer to watch, there is little point in compiling
any images on the television screen. The important question here is not the sending
of electrical signals or the assembling of images in the brain; but of who or what
perceives the final image. It cannot be the eye, being merely an instrument. Neither
can it be the brain, which is merely a collection of tissue made up of fats and proteins,
and acts like a screen where the electrical impulses are decoded. Both eye and
brain are made of cells, which are themselves made of unconscious molecules. This
begs the question: Who "looks" and "sees" the image in the brain?
VISUAL NERVES
OPTIC RADIATION
VISUAL
CENTER
(Figure 2.2). In order for you to see a bird in
flight, first the lens has to focus its image.
That image falls, inverted upon the retina at
the back of the eye. Here, millions of photoreceptors
split the image, and analyze the
bird's color, shape and movement as photons,
which are rapidly transformed into
tiny electrical signals. This total encoding is
far faster than a computer's processing
speed. These signals are then transmitted
to the brain, where they are decoded and
the picture interpreted. Scientists continue
to be fascinated by this amazing system
and have not yet fully figured out the true
nature of perception.
THE EYE – CAMERA
Light waves reflecting off
the bird pass through the
cornea and the pupil,
which the iris muscles
have already adjusted in
accord with the surrounding
brightness. The beams
then pass through the
lens, whose shape is
changed by relevant muscles
to focus the image
clearly on the retina.
RETINA
Next the photons activate
the retina's photoreceptors—
the cone and rod
cells. Cones determine the
image's color; the rods let
us see in the dark. Great
ganglion cells then process
the information about the
bird's movement and outer
shape, while the smaller
ganglions encode information
about the bird's smaller
details and colors. The signals
emerging from these
cells are sent to the optic
nerves.
2
1
LEFT AND RIGHT
Yellow optic nerves carry
signals from the left half of
the retina. Conversely, the
red optic nerves carry signals
from the right. The two
types of nerves, separating
from each other at the optic
chiasma, connect to the
genucilate body of thalamus.
From here, the signals
follow different paths
on their way to the visual
center. This way, we can
still see a complete picture,
even we close one eye.
5
BRINGING TOGETHER
An image's color, motion,
depth and form are all established
in different
parts of the brain. The
final image is assembled
when these and other
mysterious parts of the
brain work together. But
scientists have yet to understand
how an image's
four aspects (color, motion,
depth and form) can
be perceived as one.
WHAT? WHERE?
In the brain's temporal
cortex, images
are
recognized, compared
and understood.
People with
damage to this portion
of their brain
lose their ability to
recognize faces,
even including their
own.
6
3
ACTION PANEL
The lower geniculate
cells take the
nerve signals and
transmit them on.
The upper four
rows of cells
transmit information
about color
and fine detail.
Different inputs
from the same
image are transferred
separately
in parallel.
4
In the following pages, we'll examine in greater detail the technicalities
of the eye—such as how different cells distribute incoming signals to different
locations, and how many cells there are in the visual center—that outline
the basic functioning of the brain.
The process of receiving and converting beams of light into electrical
signals, their journey to a specific part of the brain for processing, and the
fact that both eyes work together in synchronization comprise just the physical
and technical aspect of seeing. None of these specifics really tells us how
the end result comes to be; that is how the abstract term we call "vision" is
perceived, and by "whom" this vision is interpreted to become meaningful.
Only a conscious, unbiased individual truly realizes that technicalities aside,
the process of seeing reaches beyond the boundaries of physical laws and enters
a metaphysical dimension.
We'll soon look into this topic in greater detail, but for now let us continue
with the miracles of creation and the eye's many functions. While considering
technical details, we must not forget that we expended no effort to
attain this miraculous pair of organs. This flawless system came to be thanks
to the splitting of one single cell in the mother's womb, and that the process
of vision continues even as you read these very words. Immediately after analyzing
the details, every human realizes how impossible it is for such a system
to have evolved coincidentally, without a superior mind and power.
Those who remain in utter denial, despite the clear evidence before them, are
described in a verse as follows:
When Our signs came to them in all their clarity, they said, "This is
downright magic," and they repudiated them wrongly and haughtily,
in spite of their own certainty about them. See the final fate of the corrupters.
(Qur'an, 27: 13-14)
Missing Signals and Cells with Responsibility
Electrical signals converted by the retina are transmitted by a bundle of
about one million nerve cells from the retina to the visual cortex, which contains
over 100 million nerve cells. All of the nerves in this group originate in the
retina, but do not connect directly with the light-sensitive area. Some other cells
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
60
How Vision Is Assembled
61
record the visual information, then transmit it to the optic nerve.
At any one time, over ten million electrical signals are being sent down
one million nerves from the eye to the brain. Owing to this magnitude of information,
from time to time the links are known to snap, sending any signals
they were carrying to a wrong location in the brain. The eye's flawless
design is equipped for such an eventuality, however, so that our vision is
never disrupted.
Even more amazing is that a vast network of cells allows the signal to be
carried down another path, from the wrong part of the brain to the visual
center. Considering this, is it possible to call such parts of the brain "wrong"?
In reality, the answer is no. An apparent mistake in fact reveals a miraculous
phenomenon. While one would expect misled visual signals to simply
be lost and unrecoverable, the brain cells rescue and restore them to their
original destination. When such a signal reaches them, the cells act as if they
knew it was a signal coming from the eye that needs to go to the visual center.
They have no obligation to do so, but allow the signal to go to the brain's
visual center by building the requisite connections and organization. In this
way, there are no defects in an image which otherwise, would be interrupted
and fragmentary.
Who gave the brain cells this unique ability? Is it truly possible that billions
of tiny cells, each with the same instructions, could have evolved into
their current state? Moreover, besides knowing their own function, these
cells, must be aware of other actions occurring throughout the body and
have to be able to come into play in case of any failure, even though it is not
their responsibility. Could this really have come to pass through a series of
coincidences?
These details up until now constitute the first phase of the seeing
process; one which still contains many unknowns. When we consider the
later phases of seeing, it becomes apparent how much of a mystery the entire
process actually is.
For over twenty years, David H. Hubel and Torsten N. Wiesel have been
researching the eye. At the end of his book Eye, Brain and Vision, the Harvard
neuroscientist Hubel stated:
This surprising tendency for attributes such as form, color, and movement
to be handled by separate structures in the brain immediately
raises the question of how all the information is finally assembled, say
for perceiving a bouncing red ball. It obviously must be assembled
somewhere, if only at the motor nerves that subserve the action of
catching. Where it's assembled, and how, we have no idea.17
Put another way, mankind has been exploring the brain for centuries.
Yet what we know still continues to be limited.
Man's present knowledge and technology has not allowed us to fully
understand the structure of the brain. So how did such a complicated organ
ever develop? Can billions of cells and trillions of proteins have come together
over time to develop trillions of connections, each of which have particular
significance, to eventually create the brain we know today?
The dilemma that evolution is still unable to escape is that not even one
of the billions of cells making up the brain or even one of the billions of proteins
making up the cells can possibly have formed by chance.
A Life in a Few Cubic Centimeters
From birth, everything a human sees is assembled in the dark, damp atmosphere
of the brain known as the visual center, a few cubic centimeters in
size. To put this in perspective, everything we own, our childhood, the
schools we went to, our home, work, family, neighborhood, country, the
world, the universe, every single detail we have ever seen—briefly our entire
life—all came to be in a small piece of flesh.
If it did not exist, we wouldn't be able to see anything. None of the eye's
other miraculous features would be enough to allow us to see and retain
memories. The eye would be nothing more than a useless round mass filled
with fluid. Clearly, the eye alone could not function without the brain and
the visual center, both of which play an indispensable role in seeing.
The Role of the Brain in Seeing
By looking at the brain's visual functions, we can understand how
closely it works in synchronization with the eye. For instance, the brain
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
62
How Vision Is Assembled
63
· combines the images received from the retinas of both eyes,
· compares the two images to calculate depth,
· recognizes lines and boundaries,
· analyzes color at the visual center,
· determines luminosity,
· controls the pupil's diameter,
· controls eye movements with the muscles,
· reassembles the pieces of the broken-down image sent by the
retina and completes them with visual memory,
· reverses the upside-down image and
· fills in whatever small portion of the picture that falls on the
retina's blind spot (a small round area of the retina, that has no light-sensitive
cells) so we do not perceive a blank spot in our visual field.
A Map of the Brain
By closely analyzing cells, Korbinian Brodmann, a German neurologist,
has created a map of the human cerebral cortex—which proves once again
that evolution is a false claim. His map has revealed that the mechanism of vision
is far too complicated to have been created via a series of coincidences.
Brodmann's map forms the basis of later studies on brain functions. For
example, the brain's first visual area is Brodmann's area 17. This part of the
cerebral cortex receives the most recent visual information through the optic
nerve. Brodmann's areas 18 and 19, which lie just in front of area 17, store the
previous visual knowledge. Information received by the first visual area is
then transferred to areas 18 and 19 for further processing. Visual information
from the upper right region of the visual field is processed in the brain's left
hemisphere. Similarly, information from the left is processed in the right
hemisphere. Because the signals are inverted in this way, each side of the cerebral
cortex processes data from the opposite visual field.
Despite solid evidence of the brain's miraculous nature, evolutionists remain
stubbornly loyal to their claims. For example, evolutionists coldly interpret
each discovery of such evident miracles of creation as yet another success
story in science's ongoing quest to unlock how the brain developed into such a
structure. The Qur'an describes such backward-mindedness of disbelievers:
They have sworn by God with their most earnest oaths that if a sign
comes to them they will believe in it. Say: "The signs are in God's
control alone." What will make you realize that even if a sign did
come, they would still not believe?
We will overturn their hearts and sight, just as when they did not believe
in it at first, and We will abandon them to wander blindly in
their excessive insolence. (Qur'an, 6: 109-110)
Those who reject the apparent truth, telling lies, are treated in other
verses as well:
Shall I tell you upon whom the Satans descend? They descend on
every evil liar. They give them a hearing and most of them are liars.
(Qur'an, 26: 221-223)
The system existing within the brain has been explored and illustrated
in detail by leading scientists. Every step of this discovery process offered
64
(Figure 2.3). An image of the links between certain
parts of the brain's visual center.
OPTIC
TRACT
OPTIC
CHIASMA
OCCIPITAL
LOBE
(VISUAL
CORTEX)
proof of the brain's magnificent, miraculous nature. It cannot possibly have
evolved on its own, by means of a series of coincidences—which is also evidence
that God has no partner or counterpart in creation.
The Blind Spot and the Brain's Supplemental Function
You look at the words on this page and assume you see them completely.
But this is certainly not the case—there is one small spot on this page
which you cannot perceive. In a sense, you are blind to it. This is a scientifically
proven fact, and does not just apply to this page. In every image you
have looked throughout your life, there is always one little spot you have not
seen in the representations of the external world.
How Vision Is Assembled
65
(Figure 2.4). A detailed information of the brain's structure indicates what a miracle
of creation it is. However, classifying different regions of the brain and calling
them by sophisticated Latin names cannot solve the secret of the brain's
existence. Evidently, it can't possibly have been created through a series of coincidences—
though ironically, in making their claims, evolutionists use the
brain given to them by God. They made no effort to achieve their brains—they
were there since before their birth.
You cannot see this spot because where the optic nerve enters the eyeball,
there exists a small round area of the retina that has no cone or rod cells.
This optic disk, which is not sensitive to light, forms the blind spot of the eye.
With such a blind spot, how can we still see seamlessly? This is thanks
to the brain's supplementary ability. The missing part of your vision caused
by the blind spot is "painted" with whatever color most closely matches the
background, and thus camouflaged.18
This is why you are unaware that you have a blind spot in the first
place!
In order to understand the concept better, refer to the test in Figure 2.5,
then follow these steps: Shut your right eye and hold this book 50 centimeters
(19.7 inches) away from your nose. Now, focusing only upon the red cross with
your left eye, slowly draw the book toward your nose. As the book comes
closer, you will see the red circle disappear, to be replaced by the background
pattern of diagonal lines. At this moment, you are blind to that spot. But you
perceive no gap in your vision, because your brain assumes that the spot would
contain the linear background. How the brain forms this assumption is a mystery
that neither psychologists nor neurologists have been able to solve. Some
have put forward a theory that each eye compensates for the blind spot of the
other eye, since with respect to the optic axis, the blind patch on one eye lies at
a different location than the other's. This is only part of the theory, however.
Defenders of this theory are far from an adequate explanation as to how we still
manage to see a continuous picture with only one eye.19
We do know that the brain's "cover-up" for the blind spot is an illusion
we are made to believe and accept. This means that any vision that you think
is real may not be wholly accurate. It's a little like a dream: While it takes
place, you believe you are actively taking part in the events, while they are
nothing but an illusion created in your mind.
Now try another experiment. Look at the left-hand cross (in Figure 2.6)
with both eyes, for a full minute. Now, move your eyes to the right-hand
cross. In a few moments, color will appear around it, even if it isn't really
there. Your brain is fooling you—you are under the impression that something
is there, when it's actually not.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
66
How Vision Is Assembled
67
An Image Breaking Down
Every detail of an image falling on the retina travels around the skull as
electrical signals. Their destination, where they will be interpreted, is the visual
cortex in the occipital lobe, located at the back of the brain.
Information from the retina reaches the visual center as jumbled signals,
which nerve cells decode and convert into the three-dimensional images we
see. In a sense, the brain works like a very advanced computer, solving billions
of electrical signals instantly.
The brain is an organ of two hemispheres. As already mentioned, the
occipital lobe in each hemisphere takes signals only from the opposite eye. In
other words, information about the right side of the visual field is sent to the
left occipital lobe, and vice versa.
In his research papers, neuroscientist Colin Blakemore poses a question
we have yet to answer effectively. What, he asks, does the brain do after collecting
and dispersing visual information? He goes on to ask why the dispersing
occurs in the first place, if the brain then reassembles everything to
form the picture.20
The phenomenally complicated process works, thanks to the combined
effort of eye components, eye-to-brain nerve cells and electrical signals. But
despite this, the process is regulated and seemingly immune to confusion
(Figure 2.5).
and chaos.21 This is because the body's perfect design allows every task,
from the basic to the complicated, to be carried out flawlessly. Thanks to
God's infinite power, we are able to live our lives—except in times of illness—
with no physical difficulties.
Knowing What You See
The human mind stores some of the images it sees. These stores are regularly
reopened, to be used again. When a child sees a pencil for the first
time, for example, a file opens in his memory for that pencil. Later, when he
comes across another pencil, the file opens again and the image within is
compared with the image of the present pencil. In this way, the child determines
a pencil is what he's looking at.
This pattern is by no means unique to infants and children. All human
minds—yours included—follow it automatically, all the time. When you
come across an image, it's immediately compared with any similar images
from your archives, and thus the image is recognized or not. This process
may sound needlessly simple, but if it didn't take place, you couldn't recognize
your own child.
Associative memory also enables movement recognition. If you happen
to be looking at an object in motion, your memory compares its movement
with any action that may follow. As on a roll of film, the motions are
recorded, one after the other, in a sequence of images; and the present location
of the object is compared with its previous location. All of these factors
contribute to how we perceive movement.
To recap the main details covered up until now, the mind records certain
images and stores them for regular re-use. But where and how are these
images recorded? Why and by whom are they recovered?
A computer records all data on a hard or floppy disk, but the amount of
data it can store is limited to those disks' capacity. A brain contains no such
disk, yet this piece of flesh can easily store millions of images.
Every computer disk on the market today has been designed and manufactured
by humans, and in great numbers. But if anyone came forward to
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
68
How Vision Is Assembled
69
claim that years ago, certain amounts of iron, plastic and silicon coincidentally
came together to form the first computer chip, the ancestor of today's
computers, no one would take him seriously. Yet despite this, it appears to
be legitimate for people to claim that the brain and the eye, both far superior
to the computer or the camera, did indeed evolve through a series of coincidences.
The story of evolution is presented as scientific fact when in reality it
is a deceptive forgery.
There is only one reason for this. It's perfectly acceptable to believe that
the computer was designed by the human mind. But when it comes to the
superior mind behind the brain and the eye, things change completely. If the
concept of creation is accepted, then the Creator, and His laws must be accepted
also. In other words, religion must be accepted unconditionally. This
is why those who seek to maintain their non-religious establishments have
always supported the theory of evolution. Influenced by their propaganda,
those who know little about the subject believe that evolution is already an
accepted fact. In reality, it's been scientifically proven to be merely an ideological
myth. Scientific evidence proves that evolution is both incoherent
and invalid.
(Figure 2.6).
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
70
The Visual Memory
The process of recognizing objects doesn't occur thanks to the eye and
the visual center only, because the memory plays an important role in this
process as well.22 In order for the brain to achieve recognition, all the "visual
association areas" must work together, letting us to interpret perceptions at
an advanced level, with the help of memory.
Despite the field of neurophysiology's many significant advances over
the past half-century, we've yet to explain how memory works. What we do
know is overshadowed by far by what we have yet to learn. But we have
learned what symptoms arise when the visual association area of the brain
is damaged. A damage or a tumor in this area does not lead to blindness.
This area is activated by the impulses of the primary visual cortex, but the
sufferer becomes significantly less able (even totally unable) to recognize familiar
objects on sight—a condition termed visual agnosia.23
For a healthy individual, it's hard to imagine what such a condition is
like. The inability to recognize "familiar" objects puts sufferers in a helpless
position. When you consider that these symptoms can arise after even the
smallest impact to the brain, it is clearer that the organ we carry in our heads
is extremely sensitive.
Two Eyes, One Sight—Binocular Vision
We humans find ourselves born with two eyes, but never question why
this is so. Is it a coincidence that we have two, or is there a special reason for
this?
Each of the two eyes has a different perspective to the outside world, as
they are spaced apart from the other (Figure 2.7). The two images seen by
the eyes are subtly different, but complement each other. By picking out the
differences between them, the brain is able to determine depth and distance.
Even though a single eye can see only two-dimensionally, the brain creates
the "final" three-dimensional image.
Our interpretation of the minute differences between those two images
enable the image to be perceived as three-dimensional. If the two images
formed separately in the eyes were combined not fully in the brain, then we
would see double—and in two dimensions only.
71
(Figure 2.7). The image that every eye perceives is split down the middle (indicated
above in black and green on the retina). Signals from the eyes come down
different paths, but meet and merge at the visual center.
As seen in the diagram above, the process of decoding and reassembling these
images requires geometric precision and countless calculations. Even more
amazingly, the brain accurately compiles the broken-down picture with no discontinuity
or slip, just like the original. It is not possible for such a flawless structure,
of whose workings we're completely unaware, to have developed on its own,
coincidentally. The entire system has to be present as a whole; it cannot develop
bit by bit. It came to be from nothing, in the mother's womb. Put another way, the
principle of gradual development, one which forms the basis of the evolution theory,
is again rendered erroneous.
The visual field
72
(Figure 2.8). In the diagrams above,
a) When the eyes focus in on point P, it becomes a single image. As a result,
point Po is outside the focus and becomes doubled.
b) When we focus on point F, we experience double vision at point P, which is
between our eyes and the object we look at.
c) When we focus on point F, we experience double vision at the more distant
point P.
As you can see, there is flawless geometrical harmony between the two eyes.
Evolution cannot claim to be behind either the eyes' structure or the mathematical
communication between the two.
a
b
c
By means of a simple experiment, you can see the difference between
the two images. Look at the branches of a tree, first with both your eyes
open. After a few moments, shut one eye and keep staring at the branches. A
minute later, uncover your eye, and you'll notice that the branches appear
"deeper" than before.
Another experiment is trying to thread a needle with one eye closed.
You will find this impossible, because with monocular vision, you have no
sense of depth.
Sometimes, certain objects appear "doubled" to our vision. This happens
when we focus in on one specific point—near or far—and consequently
pay less attention to its surroundings. Hold a pencil in the air close to your
face. Then with your other hand, take another pencil and hold it behind the
first, at arm's length. When you focus on the more distant pencil, the closer
one will appear doubled. If you focus on the closer one, the distant pencil
will similarly appear doubled. Without this ability to focus, you would always
be seeing double, no matter what you focused on.
Merging two separate images and creating a three-dimensional result is
a process that requires perfect calculations. If the eyes had developed coincidentally,
what are the odds that such fine synchronization could be
achieved? What coincidences would achieve a system that can analyze and
combine millions of bits of information every second? If the eyes did not
work in harmony, the brain would receive confused signals and create a jumbled
image for us to perceive. But since this is not the case, it's not possible to
reason this system was developed through a series of coincidences. The flawlessness
of God's creations is described in a verse as follows:
He Who created the seven heavens in layers. You will not find any
flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look again—do you see any
gaps? (Qur'an, 67: 3)
How Distance Is Determined
In order to determine how far away something is, the brain considers
how large it appears in the image on the retina. As long as that object's actual
size is known, the brain makes a rough calculation—based on the perceived
size of the image—of how far away that object really is.
One extraordinary aspect of this process is that it takes place completely
below the conscious level. You don't notice it, but you are actively determining
whether every object in view is nearby or far away. If this process never
took place, you would be unable to drive or even walk. Without perspective,
How Vision Is Assembled
73
the outside world would become a jumble of shapes and colors.
God has given mankind countless blessings. Some we are aware of, but
remain unaware of so many others. God treats His followers with mercy and
compassion.
Do you not see that God has made everything on the Earth subservient
to you and the ships running upon the sea by His command?
He holds back the heaven, preventing it from falling to the Earth—except
by His permission. God is All-Compassionate to mankind, Most
Merciful. (Qur'an, 22: 65)
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
74

o far, we have covered the eye's structure, the unique
and flawless structure of each component working in
harmony, and the role of brain in seeing. We've emphasized
how the eye, both in its segments and as a whole, is
nothing short of a miracle. From the point on, we'll analyze
the miracle of the eye's existence.
During our everyday lives, we come across countless eyes—those of
parents, siblings, friends, relatives; and of course our own in the mirror. How
did each of these equal miracles form?
A few years ago, the very eyes with which you read this page did not
exist. The being you refer to as "me" was just a single cell. First you split into
two cells, then into four. Millions of further splits followed, until you became
a small sphere the size of a finger. Next, upon this ball two black spots appeared.
As days passed, these spots became indentations and two unique organs
began to develop on their own. From undifferentiated cells, you
developed two eyes, each complete with a pupil, lens, cornea, retina, sclera,
iris, eyelids, nutritious fluids and billions of blood capillaries. In a matter of
weeks, the eyes with which you read these words were created completely.
After birth, you opened them to the world for the first time.
To gain a better understanding of the eye's development, look at the development
of the human body. As mentioned before, all mammals, humans
included, develop from a single cell in the mother's womb. The secret of how
this cell develops lies within that very cell, inside a molecule called DNA.
The Codes of Life
DNA contains millions of units of biological code written in a language
which only cells can understand. They keep a record of every aspect of a person,
from the structure of organs to physical details. One single cell develops
into the human body according to the information within the cells' DNA.
Under normal conditions, the process of cell division should result in
two identical cells. Therefore, one might expect the million-cell sphere that
results to be composed of identical cells. But this is not so. During cell divi-
76
sion, differences begin to develop. Some cells become bone; others become
nerve cells or eye cells. How can two newly-divided cells, each containing
the identical DNA, be so different from each other?
Science has yet to explain how the cells decide to make such distinctions.
We do know that if a cluster of cells "want" to be eye cells, to do so,
they merely extract the necessary information from millions of lines of DNA.
But this raises further questions: How do the cells know they want to be eye
cells? How do they find and extract only the relevant "eye code" from millions
of lines of DNA?
Besides choosing what kind of cell they want to be, cells also structurally
organize themselves to bring about the different complicated organs
we possess. How is this organization provided?
Conscious Cells
Let us consider the eye, made up of many different layers and components.
Since different cells form the iris, cornea, pupil, lens and retina, each
cell must surely know what it is supposed to do. How did these cells agree
among themselves what feature they were going to become? How is it that
cells from different layers and components never mix up? How do cells
know how many times to divide, and when to stop?
Cells possess an interesting sense of timing. No individual component
develops faster or slower than any other. Components that serve a common
function, and the blood vessels that feed them, all develop simultaneously.
In other words, every single organ and its components developed from
a single cell. We, their completed result, had no say over how this development
took place, but merely found ourselves born out of what was once
"nothing." When you look in the mirror, it's worth remembering that you
had nothing to do with creating yourself. You simply found your eyes, ears,
all your organs—and your soul—created and ready for use.
Can Mutations Describe the Creation of the Eye?
Thanks to effective propaganda enforced by some circles around the
world, most people believe the theory of evolution has been scientifically ac-
The Creation of the Eye
77
cepted as undeniable truth.
But reality is quite the opposite. Evolution is not a scientificallyproven
truth, but simply a belief imposed on people through forgery and
deception. This theory rejects the basic truth that the universe's perfect
system was brought into existence by a Creator. It alleges that all species
came to be on their own, through a chain of coincidental occurrences.
Darwin first put forward this theory, but the development of technology
in the following decades that allowed us to prove that his ideals are
scientifically unacceptable. A change in environmental conditions cannot
give new characteristics to body cells. Even if the impossible did happen
and severe changes in conditions did bring notable changes to a certain
species, such changes couldn't be transferred to the next generation. In
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
78
(Figure 3.1). The eyes begin to develop from the first month of pregnancy. Within
five weeks, they have already become black rings (left). By the end of the second
month, the transparent eyelids are flawless (middle). By the fifth month, the eyelids
are completely shut, and covered with a protective oily substance (right). After
these phases, the development of the eyelid is complete. One of the world's greatest
miracles has just taken place, appearing from a single cell in the mother's womb.
As it reads in the Qur'an:
Does not man see that We created him from a drop yet there he is, an open antagonist!
He makes likenesses of Us and forgets his own creation, saying, "Who will give
life to bones when they are decayed?" Say: "He Who made them in the first place
will bring them back to life. He has total knowledge of each created thing." (Qur'an,
36: 77-79)
The Creation of the Eye
79
short, the theory of evolution collapsed from the start, but it remained a keystone
for the rapidly developing anti-religious forces in the world.
To keep that order alive, rejection of creation was crucial, so the anti-religionists
came up with a new con: Neo-Darwinism, built upon the concept
of Darwin's complete, deliberate rejection of God. Creation was still rejected,
but this time, a different course was pursued. According to Neo-Darwinism,
tiny mutations are the only way for one species to change into another, because
each organism's physical properties are stored in genes, where any
lasting change to a species would have to take place. Thus, the mechanism
that evolution most relies upon—natural selection—would be rendered useless
unless reinforced by mutations. But the theory of evolution still continues
to raise question marks.
The first of these comes from the general effect of mutations. Statistics
indicate that beneficial mutations are very rare, numbering about one in
every thousand. If an existing species were exposed to numerous mutations,
the outcome would be quite discouraging for the theory of evolution: A vast
number of species with various defects. There would also come a rapid rise
in extinction rates. But clearly this is not the case. Almost tragically, evolutionists
don't even have any fossils to support their claims of mutation—either
beneficial or harmful.
Genetics: The Final Stage of Collapse
Another reason why it wasn't possible to revive the theory of evolution
is that micro-mutations have been unable to produce a completely new
organ or structure with a new genetic code. This is because mutations can
only change existing genetic structures; they cannot add new ones. What's
more, any random genetic change is practically always detrimental to the
creature experiencing it. Mutations are like an earthquakes: They cannot
build new cities, they can only destroy existing ones.
So what is necessary to build a new organ or structure? Again, the secret
lies in a cell's DNA. In order to construct a new organ, the information
for that organ must be added to the DNA. For example, were a liver to appear
in a body, all the 2,309 genes associated with it must be completely and
flawlessly added into the body's DNA—alongside the 1,794 eye genes,
11,581 lung genes and millions of genetic codes—all at once. Only in this
way can later generations also possess these organs. In other words, it's impossible
for any organ to develop in a body step-by-step.
Pushing aside the impossible for a moment, let's assume that micromutations
do allow for genetic additions. Let's also assume that the process
takes place in stages, over time, and that these new additions don't disappear
in following generations. Even with these assumptions, we cannot adequately
explain the presence of complex organs (eyes, wings) and systems
(respiratory, digestive) in the body. As we have mentioned throughout this
book, all relevant parts need to exist together, at the same time, in order for
complex systems to function. Therefore, parts already present in the system
would be useless and over time, would disappear because—according to
evolutionists—they have no function.
The Eyes as a Dead-End for Mutation
The eye is made up of many different layers and components, but
works as a whole, such that the absence of any layer or component renders it
blind. The cornea, iris, lens, retina, pupil muscles, pigments, tear glands, disinfectants
contained in tears, the cone and rod cells, the nerves taking signals
from these cells to the brain and the advanced visual center at the back of the
brain—all are integral aspects of the visual system without which we cannot
see (Figures 3.2-3.4).
About this topic, an article in the journal Bilim ve Teknik (Science and
Technology) wrote the following:
The common trait of the eyes and the wings is that they can only function
if they are fully developed. In other words, a halfway-developed
eye cannot see; a bird with half-formed wings cannot fly.24
This is true. Analyzing the eye, it is clear that without tear glands to
regularly keep its surface clean, without a pupil to adjust the amount of light
hitting the protective cornea, or without the lens to focus light on the retina's
130 million cone and rod cells, the eye would not be able to function at all.
Also worth noting is that excavated fossils show us that the eye has re-
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
80
The Creation of the Eye
81
mained unchanged. Investigations on the eye structure of certain creatures
have revealed that for millions of years, there has been no change to the seeing
organs of even cephalopods. For example, a 155-million-year-old octopus
fossil excavated in Ardèche in Southern France in 1983 is identical to the
octopuses of today. This is solid evidence that the species has remained unchanged—
its eyes included—for 155 million years. There has been no evolution
involved.25
The Forgery Confession
Even the evolutionists cannot use the theory of evolution to explain the
eye's existence. Evolutionary scientists have discovered that the theory does
(Figure 3.2). The eye can function only if the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, choroid,
sclera, retina, muscles, fovea and optic nerves are present at the same time,
in their correct positions. This is why it's impossible for the eye to have developed
gradually, over a period of time.
Sclera
Choroid
Iris
Lens
Pupil
Cornea Optic
nerves
Blind
spot
Fovea
Retina
82
(Figure 3.3). The eye is made up of many different layers and components.
Analyzing the eye, it is clear that without tear glands to regularly
keep its surface clean, without a pupil to adjust the amount of light hitting
the protective cornea, or without the lens to focus light on the retina's 130
million cone and rod cells, the eye would not be able to function at all.
not apply to the eye. Therefore, they've resorted to calling it "the miracle of
evolution."
On this matter, Professor Ali Demirsoy, one of Turkey's leading evolutionist
scientists, says the following:
The formation of a complete eye [including the mammal eye] was no
more than a few hundred million years ago. It is a miracle of evolution
that this complex organ formed in such a short period of time.26
The word miracle is defined as "an event that appears to be contrary to the
laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God."27
As the above quote clearly displays, even evolutionists must admit that
the eye is a miracle. But their theory cannot come up with an explanation as to
how this miracle emerged. Evolutionists claim evolution to be a "force of nature,"
and a miracle is something beyond nature. But how can one expect from
nature something "beyond nature"? Since there are hundreds of other mechanisms
in the human body just as astounding as the eye, shouldn't it be accepted
that the human body as a whole is a miracle?
The fact that eye works as a whole, and that it is too interconnected to
have "evolved" over time has put evolutionary scientists into a difficult situation.
Professor Demirsoy describes this situation, in the same essay, as follows:
It is rather hard to reply to a third objection… How could such a complicated
organ possibly come about suddenly, even though it brought benefits
with it? For example, how did the lens, retina, optic nerve, and all the
other parts that play a role in seeing in vertebrates suddenly emerge?
Natural selection cannot choose separately between the visual nerve and
the retina. In the absence of a retina, the presence of a lens offers no advantage.
The simultaneous development of all the structures for sight is
inevitable. Since parts that develop separately are wholly useless, they
will both be meaningless, and also perhaps disappear with time. At the
same time, their simultaneous development requires the coming together
of unimaginably small probabilities.28
Regarding the origin of the octopus's eye, let us also look at Professor
Demirsoy's words:
There are organs that developed separately from one another through
The Creation of the Eye
83
(Figure 3.4) The current structure of the eye. Every detail in the diagram has a special function all its own. Mutations do not benefit this structure
at all, because they only disrupt the order, and then the eye cannot fulfill its task.
What is more, all of the components, vessels and nerves must exist together, at the same time. Each of the structures indicated by a number in
the diagram carries out a particular function. It is not possible for such special structures to have unconsciously evolved by themselves. Those
people who claim otherwise renounce creation and deviate from God's path. Such people are described thusly in the Qur'an:
… [We] gave them hearing, sight and hearts. But their hearing, sight and hearts were of no use to them at all when they renounced God's signs
and what they mocked at engulfed them. (Qur'an, 46: 26)
evolutionary development and have in fact no evolutionary ties. For example,
the eyes of a mammal and an octopus have virtually identical
structures and functions, but have emerged from different embryologic
layers. They are therefore regarded as analogous organs.29
As he points out, evolutionists claim that there are no evolutionary ties between
a mammal's eyes and an octopus' eyes, that they developed completely
independently of each other. Therefore according to Professor Demirsoy, the
"miracle of the evolution of the eye" took place separately not only in mammals,
but in octopuses, invertebrates and fish as well.
If we put aside the total impossibility of evolution and assume it to be true,
there are still further inconsistencies—because the three sets of eyes (invertebrate,
squid and vertebrate) would all have to have evolved independently of
one another. The same impossible evolution would have to reflect itself in different
species at the same geologic period.
Evolutionary biologist Frank Salisbury made this important point:
My last doubt concerns so-called parallel evolution… Even something as
complex as the eye has appeared several times; for example, in the squid,
the vertebrates, and the arthropods. It's bad enough accounting for the origin
of such things once, but the thought of producing them several times
according to the modern synthetic theory makes my head swim.30
Using the Neo-Darwinist micro-mutation theory, it seems impossible to
explain the presence of eyes, wings, lungs and similar complex organs. Even
Darwin himself has confessed that this destroys his theory:
If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could
not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications,
my theory would absolutely break down.31
A century has passed since Darwin wrote, "the very thought of the eye
makes me cold all over," thus admitting he could not explain how eyes fitted
into the theory of evolution. Yet to this day, scientists are still searching an evolutionary
explanation to what Professor Demirsoy calls "a miracle of evolution."
32 It is clear that the eye is no evolutionary miracle, but a miracle of
creation, another of God's flawless masterpieces.
The Creation of the Eye
85
Learning to See
Even though they're equipped with visual organs, newborn babies cannot
see their surroundings clearly. At first, they can only separate between
light and dark. This is why an infant's situation is similar to your moving to
a country where they speak a foreign language. At first, anything you hear
will be completely incomprehensible. But as time passes, slowly you gain an
understanding of these sounds and you get accustomed to associating them
with certain phenomena.
A newborn child learns to see in exactly the same way. The first phase
of this learning is following objects with the eyes. In a matter of days after
birth, the baby can follow a source of bright light with its eyes. A few weeks
later, the eye's lens begins to adjust itself, letting the baby focus on nearby
objects. Soon, after discovering that it can grasp these objects with its hands,
it finds that in order to see objects placed close, all it needs to do is move its
eyes a little. Next comes the ability to gaze up and down in order to see high
and low-placed objects, and three-dimensional vision. The baby also learns
the sizes of objects, letting it compare distances.33 But this is only the start of
the visual learning process; not until the child's third year will it achieve a
complete visual ability.
In the process just explained, the child effectively teaches itself. But
how can a newborn possibly teach itself how to see, completely on its own?
God, Who created people and their eyes, gives us the answer in His book.
The Qur'an says that humans come out of their mother's womb knowing absolutely
nothing; and that sight, hearing and hearts are blessed upon them:
God brought you out of your mothers' wombs knowing nothing at
all, and gave you hearing, sight and hearts so that perhaps you would
show thanks. (Qur'an, 16: 78)
The Role of Light in Seeing
Light is the medium through which the world is carried to human eyes.
However, it has yet to be fully explained, from either a structural or a technical
point of view. This is because light cannot be measured in terms of either
mass or volume. If we were to pause at this point to cover some of the
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
86
investigations made into the nature of light, this book would become several
volumes long and, in any case, would not surpass the quality of a physics
book. Instead, therefore, we'll look at some of light's miraculous aspects.
How Do We Perceive Light?
Although sight is the one sense that gives us the greatest link with the
outside world, many people do not realize that what they see is actually severely
limited. Only 10% of the light entering the eye actually reaches the receptive
cells. The remaining 90% is either reflected or absorbed by other
parts of the eye.34
The human eye is sensitive to only a specific few wavelengths of light.
As a result, there are a number of forms we cannot see, including cosmic
rays from space, X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet light, and infrared radiation
from the human body. The range of light visible to the human eye falls
between ultraviolet and infrared.
The word infrared means "beyond red," and refers to light with a wavelength
longer than that of red light. Light energy is given off by every object,
and the amount of energy depends on the object's temperature. We cannot
see the infrared waves given off by stoves, our own bodies, the world, or
even the stars. Were we able to see infrared rays, our vision would be determined
by how hot or cold an object is.
The human eye also cannot see ultraviolet or X-rays, which are of even
shorter wavelengths. These extremely short wavelengths have high quantum
energy and may be dangerous enough to kill.
At this very moment, you are surrounded by thousands of light beams.
Your eyes do not see them; thus, you are unaware of them. This is actually a
blessing in disguise, because if you could see every possible form of light,
the world would become confusing and complex. You would hardly be able
to see anything for all the cosmic rays coming from space, and other people
and objects would regularly change color, based on their temperature.
On the other hand, if you could see X-rays, then everyone would appear
as a skeleton—hardly a pleasing sight. When God created man, He
gave him skin and muscles to cover the internal organs, bone structure and
The Creation of the Eye
87
circulatory system. Never do we see them, because God chose to conceal
these disturbing details and present the human body in the most beautiful
form possible.
[It is God Who]… formed you, giving you the best of forms…
(Qur'an, 40: 64)
Color Vision
Through his life, man encounters millions of images, the most pleasant
of which are images filled with color.
When you look at a landscape, you find the colors and beauty most
agreeable. The magnificent color in a field of flowers, for example, seems to
calm us down inside. Attractive tones of the sky and sea, and the beautiful
artwork of flowers are all due to color.
If there was never anything on the planet that we could call "green," no
one would ever be able to imagine the color in his mind. Similarly, we are
unable to picture a color beyond the existing spectrum.
Color in Our Minds
What we call color in the outside world is actually the brain's interpretation
of differing wavelengths. The difference between a red flower and a blue
car is actually the difference in the wavelengths
of light that each reflects.
Different wavelengths stimulate
optic nerves at differing
intensities. When
these stimuli reach
us, our brain interprets
them as different
colors.
If there were no such
thing as color, and if
everything was in differing
tones of gray,
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
88

the world would become significantly less exciting. Our enjoyment of the sea,
forests, fashion and even food would be drastically reduced.
However, all the colors of nature are created to please and agree with
humans. It is a miracle by itself that the concept of color actually exists, but
it's a great blessing that these colors are beautifully and harmoniously put to
use by God.
The world and its inhabitants; the flowers, fruits and birds; the vast seas
and all they contain, including the fish, coral and seaweed are all of different
colors, patterns, and shapes. There are billions of such living beings on this
planet—they could not have possibly evolved by means of a series of coincidences.
How can coincidental occurrences have created the array of colors in
a bird's feathers, or a fish's scales? Who created the colors of a peacock's
feathers, or the patterns on a tiger's back, or the coral seabed? What makes
these aesthetics so appealing to humans?
Imagine that an archaeological dig excavates a chest containing a wonderful
painting. No one would assume that the paints on the canvas came together
coincidentally to create the masterpiece. Clearly, an artist created the
painting, and it is a reflection of a message the artist wanted to convey.
In the same way, it's clear that the landscape, skies, flowers, fruits, plants
and animals are created by God in the most beautiful manner possible.
Have they not looked at the sky above them: How We structured it and
made it beautiful and how there are no fissures in it? And the Earth:
how We stretched it out and cast firmly embedded mountains
onto it and caused luxuriant plants of every kind to grow
in it, an instruction and a reminder for every penitent
human being. (Qur'an, 50: 6-8)
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
90

long with the improvements in medical technology,
we have come to realize how miraculous the human
eye actually is. Whenever a new discovery about the
eye is made, a new camera or optical system based on
it is released very soon afterwards. The camera is the
most common artificial impersonation of the eye and the
human visual system. But however much technology may advance, no
man-made optical equipment, including computerized cameras, can compete
with the eye. No electronic systems have been anything more than a
primitive copies of the eye.
To support this claim, compare the features of a camera and the
human eye.
The Camera
A basic camera lens is designed to focus a three-dimensional world on
a two-dimensional surface. As a result, the picture is inverted and considerably
smaller than the real-life scene.
Similarly, the eyes' cornea and lens are designed to focus the image
inside the human eye, whose interior is like a dark room—although we
shouldn't forget that this "room" is alive. The tissue whereon the inverted
image is formed is called the retina. It works like the film in a camera, although
its job is to transmit the images it receives to the brain, in the form
of electrical signals.
Focus Adjustment
Before taking a photograph, the first thing you should do is focus the
image to make it clear and sharp. In the eye, our lens adjusts itself according
to its distance from the object we're looking at. With a camera, and also
on instruments like microscopes and telescopes, adjustments must be done
by hand, unless the machine is automatic. In each instance, this focusing
takes some time.
In the human eye, however, focusing takes far less than a second,
92
using a method that no technology can copy. Surrounding muscles located
within the eye can stretch or squeeze the lens and focus images on
the retina without interruption. Thanks to its flexible structure, the lens
changes its shape, ensuring that light constantly falls on the same spot on
the retina.
If the lens couldn't adjust by itself, we'd have to find some other means
to focus in on objects. This would require manual effort and great inconvenience
on our part, since our vision would often remain foggy before we
could complete the focusing process. Simply looking at an object would
take time, slowing down our lives considerably.
But when we do want to focus in on an object at a certain distance, we
need not make any measurements or optical calculations. To see, all we
need to do is look. Everything else is done for us by the eye and the brain,
automatically. What's more, it takes place in a fraction of a second.
Light Adjustment
Photographs taken during the day generally come out clear. At night,
however, a photograph taken with same film and camera tends to be extremely
dark. But when we open our eyelids for even a fraction of a second,
we can still see the stars, because, thanks to muscles around the pupil, the
eye can adjust itself to differing levels of brightness. Under dark conditions,
the pupil expands to admit more light. Similarly, in bright surroundings,
the pupil contracts to allow less light inside the eye. This way, vision becomes
clear as possible, both night and day.
A Window Opening to a World of Color
The human eye "photographs" its images in both black-and-white
and in color. These images are then synthesized by the brain into the
sights we see.
For example, when we look at a particular object, it is our rod cells that
determine its shape. However, these cells can produce only an image in
tones of gray; so an extra set of cells, the cones, are needed to determine the
The Eye and Technology
93
color. The final result, the combined effort of both types of cell, produces
our window to the outside world.
Superior Technology
We have been comparing the eye to a camera solely as an analogy to
assist in understanding. When any camera is placed next to the eye, it is
clear which has the more primitive design. The eye's method of image
transmission is many times superior to that of even the most advanced
modern camera. Put another way, man cannot replicate the quality and
perfection of the images transmitted by his own eyes.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
94
(Figure 4.1). Nerve links connecting the eye to the brain. It is crucial that the
two organs be in constant communication; and interesting that special lines
are used to enable this.
If you come across a telephone, a computerized switchboard and a network
connecting all three, you would not doubt that they were created for a common
purpose. A telephone with no switchboard, a switchboard with no telephone,
or a telephone network with no telephone or switchboard is completely useless.
All three must be present at the same time.
Nobody claims that this system arose as the result of a series of coincidences.
Yet the theory of evolution continues to claim that the eye, the brain, and the
nerves connecting the two—a far superior system to any technological device—
came to be as a result of a series of coincidences. It is clear that the
Almighty God created the eye, the brain, and all the links between the two.
To gain a better understanding, let's analyze a TV camera in greater
detail. The television does not work by projecting whole images onto the
screen, but by transmitting lines of dots to reproduce an image. The TV
camera records an image by breaking it up into a series of lines, and so a
procedure called "scanning" is used during broadcast. A photocell lamp
scans the dots in each line, from left to right. When the scanning is complete,
it gives off special signals, based on the levels of light of the dots.
Once a line is scanned, the lamp goes on to scan the following line. In
Europe, television images are broken down into 625 lines, and are
scanned 25 times per second to produce an image on the television screen.
The scanning process then begins all over again.
If you think the television's mechanism is amazing; the eye's is even
more superior. What is more, its parts do not need changing, nor does it
ever need to be serviced. This makes the eye, without question, the most
staggeringly perfect optical organ in existence.
The Common Use of Routes
The retina's cells are connected to the brain by a network of nerve
routes called the retinal ganglia, the medium through which cells send
their signals. But there are significantly fewer ganglion cells than there are
cells in the retina: only about one ganglion cell for every 140 retinal cells.
Normally, this would be a grave problem leading to congestion and incomplete
vision. But clearly such is not the case. So how do the visual signals
of each cell manage to reach the brain so flawlessly?
Before answering this, let's analyze the current state of man-made
telecommunication systems. A large number of advanced devices are
used for intercontinental communication, with thousands of connections
at any one moment. But there are far more connections made than
there are lines. The latest technology allows for more than one telephone
conversation, for example, to take place on a single line. The system
works by sending each separate signal down in turn, at high speed,
leading communicators to think they alone are using the line. Nobody
notices that hundreds of connections are made, transferred and finished
The Eye and Technology
95
on a single line every second. This system saves huge amounts of resources,
but the concept is identical to that used in eye-to-brain communications.
Just as one telephone line can support hundreds of calls, a
ganglion can support hundreds of electrical signals on their way to the
brain at any one time.
As this example demonstrates, the human body is made up of countless
advanced systems. Now, pushing aside impossibility for a moment,
let's try to explain this system in line with the theory of evolution.
Assume that all the layers that make up the eye—including the lens,
cornea and eye muscles, the brain, one million ganglion cells, 140 million
retina cells, eyelids, tears and blood vessels—all evolved at the same time,
through a series of coincidences. But if this impossibility were so, the eye
would still not function, because there wouldn't be an adequate number of
nerve routes connecting the retina to the brain, with the result of broken
and missing signals. Only one in every 140 signals would be able to reach
the brain.
How was this obstacle overcome? Did all the nerve cells and retina
cells communicate and make a plan? Or did they attend a telecommunications
course and consequently, devise a system by which one route could
be used for 140 separate signals? The obvious answer is that the cells
somehow organized themselves and unanimously adopted the current
system. Eventually, every ganglion started to support the signals of an average
of 140 sources—shifting the order of the sources and transmitting
thousands of signals every second.
But simply devising this system was not enough; the system had to be
passed onto succeeding generations. This meant that thousands of lines of
genetic information had to be placed flawlessly inside the reproductive
cells, which were quite a distance away from the eye cells. If this never took
place, children would be born blind, and eventually mankind would become
extinct.
If this problem concerning the retina and nerve cells had not been
solved, other eye components—such as the cornea, lens, pupil and eye
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
96
muscles—would be rendered completely useless. These superior
mechanisms would disappear when the host body died, never to be
seen again.
Every component and layer of this system has to be together for it to
function as a whole, meaning that the eye had to appear in the body
whole and complete. This is proof that the eye, and the entire human
body, was created by God.
Say: "Have you thought about your partner gods, those you call
upon besides God? Show me what they have created of the earth;
or do they have a partnership in the heavens?" Have We given
them a Book whose clear signs they follow? No indeed! The
wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusion. (Qur'an,
35: 40)
The Eye and Technology
97


n order to better understand the perfection of God's creation,
look at only a few of the millions of other examples
of His art. As it says in the Qur'an, all creatures are under His
complete control:
… There is no creature He does not hold by the forelock…
(Qur'an, 11: 56)
A countless number of organisms are living on this planet; and millions of
different insect species alone. Of all the different types of eye, the human eye is
the most superior overall, although the eyes of some species boast of features
that are superior to those of humans. There are as many different types of eye as
there are species, and we have already shown how impossible it is for such a variety
to evolve through mutations and natural selection.
God has given every organism an eye that suits their lifestyle and feeding
habits. In this section, we'll examine the eye structures of many different species.
100
Insect Eyes
Compared to human eyes, the eyes of insects are considerably different.
Their structures come in one of two types, simple or complex.
Simple-structured eyes are round and small, capable only of separating
light and dark. Compound eyes, on the other hand, are larger and more complex,
made up of hundreds of small pieces. Each "piece" is actually a small eye
because it contains light sensitive cells, a lens, and connections to the brain.
As mentioned before, a human eye's lens can change shape, letting us
focus on objects at various distances. The lens in an insect's eye cannot
change shape, however, and so insects cannot focus.
The compound eye works by each of the eye's six-sided compartments
(called ommatidia) detecting a tiny portion of the visual field. The informa-
101
Insects view the world
through thousands of
tiny eyes.
tion from each ommatidium is then combined, like pieces of a mosaic, to form
a single image of the outside world. The higher the number of ommatidia, the
keener the vision becomes, with each unit contributing a different part of the
complete picture.35
The head of the common housefly is dominated by a pair of large compound
eyes containing approximately 4,000 ommatidia. In wingless insects
such as female fireflies there are 300 ommatidia, 5,100 in mayflies, 9,000 in
yellow-winged coleopterans and between 10,000 and 28,000 in dragonflies
and damselflies.
A Visual Range of 360 Degrees
The housefly's eye contains 4,000 small, simple ommatidia which can be
moved at will. Since each ommatidium faces a different direction, the fly is
able to see to the front, back, left, right, top and bottom, giving it a 360 degree
perspective of the world.
102
The wide visual perspective of a fly's eyes.
103
Thanks to the
flawless design
of its
eyes, the
housefly can
look 360 degrees
around.
At left, a detailed
diagram
of an
ommatidium,
of which the
fly's eye contains
some
4,000.
cornea
cornea
ommatidia
photoreceptor
cells
Each ommatidium is sensitive to light shining in its direction, and uses its
own lens and eight sensitive cells to process it. House flies have a combined
total of 48,000 light-sensitive cells, allowing them to see 100 images per second.
In this regard, their vision is ten times superior to the human eye. Two-thirds
of the fly's brain is devoted purely to sight. The total number of light-sensitive
cells means that 48,000 signals are sent here every tenth of a second.
Most people think of the fly as one of the most basic forms of life, but its
visual system is in fact one of the most complicated we know.
A tiny fly did not evolve or mutate its 4,000 eyes over a period a time.
Clearly. This is a special creation. Of course, the fly is not composed of
merely its visual system—it also has special digestive, reproductive and
flight systems. Only with all its systems intact can the fly thrive. It is not possible
for a fly to exist, for example, without a digestive or respiratory system.
Nor are there any blind insects flying around! This is solid evidence that the
fly was created by God in its current state, as mentioned in the Qur'an:
Mankind! An example has been made, so listen to it carefully. Those
whom you call upon besides God are not even able to create a single
fly, even if they were to join together to do it. And if a fly steals something
from them, they cannot get it back. How feeble are both the
seeker and the sought! (Qur'an, 22: 73)
An Insect with 56,000 Eyes
Among all known species, dragonflies have the greatest number of ommatidia.
Each eye contains 30,000 of them,36 which can clearly see objects up
to 20 feet away.37
To recap this phenomenon, a single tiny insect has a total of 56,000 eyes,
each of which has a lens, retina, and thousands of nerves connecting it to the
central nervous system. As a result of this, the dragonfly can see its prey and
understand what it is seeing.
The presence of just a single eye with a single neuron and the ability to
evaluate a single signal is a miracle on its own. But there are thousands of
these eyes, all working in complete harmony. This is just another of God's
countless phenomenon. God is the One Who has no equal in creation.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
104
105
Animal and Insect Eyes
Ultraviolet Vision
Butterflies and bees both possess a special sense of sight, allowing them
to reach sources of food with ease.
In some flowers, the pigments form distinct patterns that are invisible
to us, but visible to bees and butterflies, who can see ultraviolet light. Called
nectar guides, these patterns are like the landing strips of an airport, directing
the insects to the nectar within the flower. It is as if their food sources
were lit up and signposted especially for them. To our eyes, the coneflower
appears to be a uniformly yellowish orange, but to a bee or butterfly, it appears
as a corona of yellow with a glowing ultraviolet bull's eye in its center.
This pattern guides the bee to where it can collect the nectar or pollen.
Bees feed on the pollen produced by plants. The plants, on the other
hand, needs the bee to spread their pollen among other flowers of the same
species in order to reproduce. Therefore, the flower uses its petals to attract
the bee and sticks pollen onto the bee's legs as it feeds. Both partners possess
the necessary features to enable this collaboration. Imagine a situation
wherein flowers continued to reflect in the ultraviolet range, but bees were
unable to see that portion of the spectrum. Both species would swiftly go extinct,
because the bee would not be able to feed, nor the flower to reproduce.
This is proof that these co-dependent organisms were created by the same
Creator.
Birds
For a flying creature, the most important sense is sight, because the miracle
of flight would become a very dangerous affair without the ability to
see. Birds, therefore, have been blessed by God with a superior sense of sight,
in addition to the ability to fly.
A bird's sense of sight has a wider perspective and can operate much
more quickly than a human's can. An object or view that we humans have to
regard at length, a bird can see as a whole, in one quick glance.
Eyes are crucial for the predator owl, which can see ten times more
Bees' eyes are sensitive
to ultraviolet light; enabling
them to find pollen
in flowers with ease. Their
eyes were designed by
the All-Knowing and All-
Seeing God.
powerfully than humans at night.38
Unlike a human, a bird cannot move its eyes in their sockets. But birds
can quickly move their heads and necks around to expand their perspective.
Without moving its head, an owl has an 80-degree field of vision. But some
species of owl can rotate their heads to up to 360 degrees—a full circle!
The visual field of one human eye is 150 degrees laterally, and only 180
degrees binocularly, or a half circle.39
As mentioned already, predators such as the owl have very keen night
vision, often six times greater than that of humans. This allows them to perform
precisely accurate hunting maneuvers.
Larger eyes contain more visual cells, providing better vision. A predator
bird can have more than a million visual cells in each of its eyes.
At night, owls and similar nocturnal birds can see much better than
107
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
108
other species. Looking for food, these predator birds search for small animals
on the ground, and their eyes can pick up the slightest movements, thanks to
a high number of light-sensitive rods in their retinas. As we explained, the
more rod cells, the keener night vision becomes. But for this vision, predator
birds do pay a price: They sacrifice the sense of color. They see the world in
black and white but, owing to their lifestyle, they do not need to see color. So
cone cells are quite fewer in the eyes of nocturnal birds.
During the past minute, as you read this book, you blinked 22 times.
That's how your eyes maintained their moisture and cleanliness. But for that
split-second that you blinked, your eyes stopped doing their job. For the relatively
sedate lifestyle of a human, this may not be a problem. But for a bird in
flight, that split-second may be critical.
This is why birds have a third eyelid—a transparent layer that blinks
and cleans—without their having to close their outer eyelids. This lid
sweeps sideways across the eyeball, starting from the side nearest the beak.
For birds that dive underwater, it also acts as goggles, protecting the eye
from harm. In a sense, birds have been equipped with goggles and aviator
glasses from birth.
Although nocturnal birds cannot see color, some smaller birds feed on
seeds and insects, and therefore do need to discern colors. The eyes of these
smaller birds are placed on either side of the head, which lets them see a
wide area with minimal movement of the head and neck.
The umbrella birds, also known as black herons, encounter a number of
difficulties when they hunt in water. As is well-known, most light reflects off
the water—which has a negative effect on the bird's ability to see objects
under the water's surface. The black heron solves this problem by spreading
its wings. This cuts the sunlight and any reflections, allowing it to see more
clearly and hunt for fish underwater.
If the black heron didn't use its wings this way, it would be unable to see
its food and therefore starve. But seabirds are somehow born knowing the
laws of optics, and take the needed precautions accordingly. Could it be that
all the seabirds came together to find a practical solution to their problem?
Or did they take a mass physics lesson and arrive at a solution by experimenting?
Hunting Eyes
Eagles fly at an altitude of thousands of meters, in a manner similar to
modern war planes, yet are able to comb the landscape below in staggering
detail. The eagle can detect even the slightest of movements or color changes
while in flight. It owes this ability to a very special eye structure.
In humans, the portion of the retina with the most acute vision is the
fovea centralis, which has the highest concentration of cone cells. Eagles
have two foveae, giving them an incredibly sharp sense of sight. Humans
have only one fovea in each eye—for binocular, or forward vision. When we
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Animal and Insect Eyes
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
110
look at an object, both our eyes are directed toward the object. This allows
our brain to merge both the images to create a sense of depth. The eagle contains
a binocular fovea like ours, but also has a fovea for monocular vision
that allows each eye to look sideways and see a separate image. So eagles can
see both forward and to the side at the same time.40
The eagle has a visual perspective of some 300 degrees, as well as an
extra focusing power. Humans change the shape of their lenses to focus. But
an eagle can change the shape of both lens and cornea. This gives it extra focusing
power.41 It can also scan a 30,000 hectare (116 square miles) field from
an altitude of 4,500 meters (14,700 feet), or spot a camouflaged rabbit from 90
meters (300 feet) with ease.42
To attain this super-sharp vision, an eagle's retinal cells are tinted with
special colored oil droplets, increasing the contrast for objects seen against
the blue sky or green forest. Thanks to this, the eagle can spot minute
changes in contrast from thousands of meters above and swoop down to
hunt. The fact that a mere drop of oil makes this possible is doubtlessly one
of God's countless blessings.
Flying is a miracle in itself. If one aspect of the present structure or position
of a bird's wing were changed, it would be unable to fly. Therefore, it
isn't possible for wings to have evolved over time.
As mentioned before, something
else that couldn't possibly have
evolved is the visual system.
This is reinforced by the flawless
nature of an eagle's eye. An eye
with two foveae cannot form
over time, as a result of coincidences.
That second fovea was
deliberately created to answer
the bird's needs.
For an eagle, that droplet of oil in
its retina cells is of staggering importance...
But who made this
fine optical adjustment? Did the
eagle add the oil himself, or on
other animals' recommendation?
Of course not. The eagles have
enjoyed this feature from birth, for thousands of years.
So why are our eyes not as sharp as an eagle's? If human eyes contained
the same features, they'd each be the size of a grapefruit. Moreover, humans
don't need to spot a camouflaged rabbit from a kilometer away. This is why
God gave humans their present eyes in a most aesthetic form.
Jumping Spiders
Compared to ordinary spiders, the jumping spider leads a very unusual
life. Rather than make a web and wait for a catch, these spiders hunt their
prey instead. This is why—unlike ordinary spiders, which are almost
blind—they have exceptionally acute vision.
A jumping spider hunts by securing itself to the branch of a tree with
the thread it secretes. Then it throws itself toward an insect flying nearby,
catching it in midair. In order to snare its catch, the spider needs to see its
prey, and determine the direction and speed at which the target is traveling.
Also, of course, it must determine its own speed and the duration of the leap.
111
Animal and Insect Eyes
In order to do all this, the spider needs not only an advanced visual system,
but an information processing center to make all the necessary calculations.
Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes, for a total of eight. The front
two are the most impressive, perhaps the best eyes one can find in any
arthropod. The retina inside the eye can move in three dimensions, enabling
the spider to look in all directions and focus on its subject. The other six eyes
are positioned around the head, affording 360-degree vision.43
The jumping spider's visual acuity is actually very similar to our own,
such that they even perceive images on a television screen. When most animals
look at a television, they see only a series of moving dots. But research
has indicated that jumping spiders respond to televised pictures of other
spiders and insects.
The jumping spider's visual system is highly complex and, in some respects,
surpasses even a human's. A tiny spider can look in different direc-
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
112
tions, detect motions, and estimate speed and distance. Of course, the spider
never asked for these abilities, nor did it develop them on its own, over time.
Everything the spider possesses was given to him by God.
The Protection of Animal Eyes
As the body's most sensitive organs, the eyes must therefore be well
protected. This is why animal skulls have been constructed in such a way as
to provide their eyes with maximum protection.
In animals like cats and dogs, the majority of the eye lies inside the
skull, with only a small portion protruding outside. The bones surrounding
the eye effectively act as a shield against impacts, and the eyelids help protect
against direct injury.
The eyes of a camel—a mammal that lives under incredibly harsh conditions—
are provided with the protection they need. The bone structure
around its eye not only protects it from impacts, but also from harsh sunrays.
Not even violent sandstorms can harm a camel's eyes, thanks to its eyelashes,
which are long and intertwined, preventing any dust from entering.
Eyes in the Sea
There are considerable differences between land and underwater creatures,
because under the surface is effectively another world, whose inhabitants
have been modeled to best suit their environment. But just because
they spend their lives underwater doesn't mean that their basic requirements
are any different from ours. To stay alive, they still need to breathe,
feed and avoid being hunted. They have to be able to see the world around
them, so that they can distinguish between prey and foe—and require special
eyes that let them see clearly underwater.
Fish view their world through a transparent layer that covers their
eyes, similar in principle to the goggles worn by human divers. But be it a
whale or a herring, an underwater creature's field of vision is restricted.
Deeper than 30 meters (99 feet) below the surface, distant vision becomes
unnecessary. Most of the time, in fact, fish need to see only those objects directly
in front of them, and their eyes are created to meet this need. Their
rigid, globular lens is particularly adapted for seeing close objects. But when
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Animal and Insect Eyes
they do need to see at a distance, a set of special muscles pulls the entire lens
back toward the retina.44
The spherical lens in a fish's eye works well underwater. Because of the
higher degree of refraction (the bending of light) in water than in air, a fish's
lens has to be much more curved than a human's. To produce a clear image,
the lens bends the light a lot more than does a flatter one—such as those in
humans and other land animals.45
Water creatures are always in danger of becoming food for larger creatures.
But they do have a special defense mechanism not seen in mammals:
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
114
Fish can perceive more than one image at the same time.
A fish's eyes are placed on either side of its head. The image seen by
each eye is recorded in the opposite half of its brain. But since the image is
viewed by one eye only, it is two-dimensional, which prevents the fish from
judging distances. This is why, when it spots some potential threat, both
eyes focus in the same direction to judge the distance. Straight ahead, the visual
arcs of the two eyes overlap to provide a narrow band, where the fish
enjoys binocular vision.
With the exception of a few species, fish cannot see in color. They have
no need to, because only a few meters underwater, most colors are absorbed
and disappear. A fish's entire world is mostly shades of blue and green.
Fish are more sensitive than land animals to dim light, because their
retinas contain a higher number of cells sensitive to low intensities, letting
them make use of every amount of light possible.
Sea turtles generally feed on fish. In the process, they also consume a
large quantity of sea salt, which could be unhealthy if they digested it.
Rather than simply eject salt from the body, the turtle transfers it to special
sacs located on to the side of its eyes. Here, the salt is cleverly recycled and
used to produce tears.46
Octopus Eyes
Of all the invertebrates, the octopus has one of the most complex eye
structures. As in vertebrates, each of the octopus's two large, complex eyes is
like a camera, in structure, and the creature's vision is acute.
The octopus eye and the vertebrate eye are extraordinarily similar. Each
includes a cornea, an iris, an accommodating lens, a fluid-filled vitreous
humor, and a retina. However, there are major differences. For instance, octopi
change their range of focus by moving the entire lens closer or farther
away from the retina, whereas we change the shape of our cellular lens in
order to bring objects into focus.
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest struggles for evolutionists was
in forming some explanation of how octopus eyes originated. According to
evolutionary theory, octopi (which are invertebrates) and men (vertebrates)
developed completely independently of each other, over time. And yet both
115
Animal and Insect Eyes
man and octopus have equally well-developed visual systems, with similar
structures performing similar functions.
But if the two species developed separately, why are their eyes so similar?
It seems that the impossible has taken place not just once, but at several
times and in several places. If the human eye is the product of coincidences
and not creation, then shouldn't it be considerably different than the octopus's
eye? The theory of evolution simply cannot answer thousands of basic
questions like this.
The Archer Fish
This fish is famous for being a living water pistol—filling its mouth
with water and squirting it at insects resting on branches or twigs above the
water. The element of surprise causes the insect to lose its grip and plunge
into the water, where it becomes an easy catch.
What's remarkable about the process is that even as the archer fish prepares
itself, it doesn't raise its head out of the water. While still submerged,
it can accurately determine the insect's location. But the apparent position of
objects outside the water is distorted by the retraction of light. For example,
if you wanted to shoot an arrow from beneath a swimming pool at a point in
the air outside, you'd have to know at what angle light retracts upon the
water and adjust your aim accordingly.
But this fish seems to overcome this problem and shoots on target
every time. It is able to hit a tiny insect with no difficulty.47 All archer fish
possess this ability, but not through lessons and physical calculations. It is
God Who inspires this creature.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
116
The Crab's Periscope
A crab has two eyes on the ends of stalks. These act like little
periscopes, allowing the crab to see what's going on above, even if it is hiding
beneath the sand. At any sign of danger, the stalks can be lowered for
protection into sockets on the carapace.
Reptile Eyes
Most reptiles can see a large array of colors, allowing them to pick out
even the most effectively camouflaged insects. This gives them a major
hunting advantage.
Chameleons feed on insects, and their hunting tactics are most unusual
because their eyes play a greater role than usual. Chameleons can move
each eye independently of the other, allowing them scout the surroundings
and watch their insect prey at the same time, as they edge closer to their objective.
48 When it is close enough, a chameleon turns both eyes upon its
prey, determines its position, and then shoots out its long sticky tongue to
catch the meal.
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Animal and Insect Eyes
Archer fish hunt by
firing mouthfuls of
water at nearby insects.
Their superior
sense of sight
allows them to
make acute geometric
calculations
from underwater so
as to estimate the
correct location of
the prey in the outside
air. This intelligent
behavior
surely is not the
work of the fish itself.
It is God Who
inspires the Archer
fish and all other
creatures how to
act.
Double Vision
On most species of snakes, the eyes are placed on either side of the
head, which produces two different images in the snake's brain. However,
this location of the eyes doesn't stop the snake from seeing forward. In fact,
this positioning gives the snake a wide visual perspective, allowing it to look
forwards, backwards and upwards with ease.
Infrared Vision
As you've seen, the human
eye can perceive only a specific
range of wavelengths of light.
Some species of snake are capable
of seeing greater wavelengths
than humans, including infrared
light, which humans can sense
only as heat.
Snakes have small pit organs
that can visually register infrared
radiation. These organs are a hundred
thousand times more sensitive
to infrared than human skin
and can detect even the slightest
change in a body's temperature.
For example, the rattlesnake
can locate a warm-blooded animal
or human even in pitch darkness,
because such creatures radiate off heat waves that the snake can detect—an
incredible advantage for any creature hunting at night.
The principle of detecting objects and soldiers by the heat they emit is
also used in recent optical military equipment. It took years of research to
develop the technology behind this kind of equipment, but snakes enjoy the
same ability from the moment they hatch from their eggs. It took decades for
humans to develop heat-sensing equipment, but snakes have always had it.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
118
Eyelids
There are vast differences between a reptile's eyelids and the eyelids of
other creatures. It may appear as if snakes do not have eyelids, for example,
but their eyes are in fact covered by an immobile, transparent layer of scales.
Lizards, on the other hand, have movable eyelids. But in the desert
lizard especially, the eyelids are upturned. This keeps out the sand, preventing
it from harming the eye when the lizard buries itself in the sand.
The Sensitive Eyes of a Frog
Recent research has revealed some of the frog's eye's interesting abilities.
One kind of retinal cell responds strongly to small, dark, round moving
objects and is most active when those objects moved irregularly. It is as if the
neurons of the frog eyes were designed especially to detect flies. Some scientists
call their eyes "bug detectors."49
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MIRACLE IN THE EYE
120
Cats' Eyes
The eye of a cat contains a layer called the tapetum lucidum, not found
in humans. Positioned immediately behind the retina, it reflects incoming
light, doubling the amount of light the eye can use and allowing cats to see
in much dimmer light than we can. This layer is also the reason why cat
eyes seem to glow when a flashlight beam is shined directly at them.
Cat eyelids are prized wide open at night, allowing as much light as
possible to enter. Another reason why cats can see so well in the dark is because
their retinas contain more rod cells than cone cells. Thanks to this
system created by God, wild cats can comfortably hunt at night.
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Animal and Insect Eyes


rom the moment a person is born, he becomes subject
to the steady indoctrination of the society. Part of
this indoctrination, possibly the most persuasive, holds
that reality is what the hands can touch and the eyes can see.
This understanding, which is quite influential in the majority of
the society, is carried without question from one generation to another.
But without being subjected to any indoctrination, a moment of objective
thought would make one realize an astonishing fact:
Everything we confront from the moment we come into existence—
human beings, animals, flowers, their colors, odors, fruits, tastes of fruits,
planets, stars, mountains, stones, buildings, space—are perceptions presented
to us by our five senses. To further clarify this, it will help to examine the
senses, the agents that provide us with information about the exterior world.
All of man's sensory faculties—sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch—
function in the same way. Stimuli (lights, sounds, smells, tastes, textures)
from objects in the external world are carried through nerves to the sensory
centers in the brain. All these stimuli that reach the brain consist of electric
signals. For example, during the process of vision, light rays (or photons) radiating
from sources in the exterior world reach the retina at the back of the
eye and, through a series of processes, are transformed into electric signals.
These signals are transferred along nerves to the brain's vision center. There,
a colorful, bright and three-dimensional world is perceived within the space
of a few cubic centimeters.
The same system applies to other senses as well. Cells on the surface of
the tongue transform chemical traces into electric signals that become tastes.
Odors are transformed into electric signals by cells in the epithelium of the
nose. Special sensors lodged beneath the skin transform impulses of touch
(such as the sensations of hardness or softness) into electric signals, and a
special mechanism in the ear does the same with sound. All these signals are
sent to appropriate centers in the brain, where they are perceived.
To clarify the point, assume that you're drinking a glass of lemonade.
The hard, cool surface of the glass you're holding is transformed into electric
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signals by special receptors under your skin and sent to the brain.
Simultaneously, the smell of the lemonade, its taste, and yellowish color all
become signals that reach the brain. Likewise, the clink you hear when the
glass touches the table is perceived by the ear and transmitted to the brain as
an electric signal. All these perceptions are interpreted in the brain's relevant
centers, which work harmoniously with one another. As a cumulative result
of these impulses, you sense that you are drinking a glass of lemonade.
Concerning this important fact, consider the thoughts of B. Russell and
L. J. J. Wittgenstein, two famous philosophers:
For instance, whether a lemon truly exists or not and how it came to exist
cannot be questioned and investigated. A lemon consists merely of a taste
sensed by the tongue, an odor sensed by the nose, a color and shape
sensed by the eye; and only these features of it can be subject to examination
and assessment. Science can never know the physical world.50
In other words, it is impossible for us to reach the physical world. All
objects we're in contact with are actually collection of perceptions such as
sight, hearing, and touch. Throughout our lives, by processing the data in the
sensory centers, our brain confronts not the "originals" of the matter existing
outside us, but rather copies inside our brain. At this point, we are misled
to assume that these copies are instances of real matter outside us.
This obvious fact has been proven by science today. Any scientist would
tell you how this system works, and that the world we live in is really an aggregate
of perceptions formed in our brains. The English physicist John
Gribbin states that our senses are an interpretation of stimulations coming
from the external world—as if there were a tree in the garden. He goes on to
say that our brain perceives the stimulations that are filtered through our
senses, and that the tree is only a stimulation. So, he then asks, which tree is
real? The one formed by our senses, or the tree in the garden?51
No doubt, this reality requires profound reflection. As a result of these
physical facts, we come to the following indisputable conclusion: Everything
we see, touch, hear, and call "matter," "the world" or "the universe" is nothing
more than electrical signals interpreted in our brain. We can never reach the
original of the matter outside our brain. We merely taste, hear and see an
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image of the external world formed in our brain.
In fact, someone eating an apple confronts not the actual fruit, but its
perceptions in the brain. What that person considers to be an apple actually
consists of his brain's perception of the electrical information concerning the
fruit's shape, taste, smell, and texture. If the optic nerve to the brain were
suddenly severed, the image of the fruit would instantly disappear. Any disconnection
in the olfactory nerve traveling from receptors in the nose to the
brain would interrupt the sense of smell completely. Simply put, that apple
is nothing but the interpretation of electrical signals by the brain.
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We see all the colors around us inside the darkness of
our brains, just as this garden's colors appear from the
window of a darkened room.
Also consider the sense of distance. The empty space between you and
this page is only a sense of emptiness formed in your brain. Objects that appear
distant in your view also exist in the brain. For instance, someone
watching the stars at night assumes that they are millions of light-years
away, yet the stars are within himself, in his vision center. While you read
these lines, actually you are not inside the room you assume you're in; on the
contrary, the room is inside you. Perceiving your body makes you think that
you're inside it. However, your body, too, is a set of images formed inside
your brain.
Millions of Colors in a Pitch-Black Location
Considering this subject in greater detail reveals some even more extraordinary
truths. Our sense centers are located in the brain, a three-pound
piece of tissue. And this organ is protected inside an array of bones called
the skull, which neither light, nor sound, nor odors can penetrate. The inside
of the skull is a dark, silent place where all smells are absent.
But in this place of complete darkness occur millions of color shades
and sound tones, as well countless different tastes and smells.
So how does this happen?
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While we are in a room, we may be inclined to think that we're in a narrow space;
and when at the seaside, we are in a wide space. But this is a mistake: Both locations
are perceived in our heads.
What makes you perceive light in a location without light, odors in a
place without smell, sounds in total silence and the objects of all other
senses? Who created all of this for you?
In every moment of your life, a variety of miracles take place. As mentioned
earlier, anything your senses can detect in this room you're in, are
sent as electrical signals to your brain, where they then combine. Your brain
interprets them as a view of a room. Put another way, while you assume that
you are sitting in this room, that room is actually inside you, in your brain.
The "place" where the room is assembled and perceived is small, dark, and
soundless. And yet a whole room or a whole landscape, regardless of its
size, can fit into it. Both a narrow closet and a wide vista of the sea are perceived
in the exact same place.
Our brains interpret and attribute meaning to the signals relating to the
"external world." As an example, consider the sense of hearing. It's our brain
that in fact interprets and transforms the sound waves into a symphony.
That is to say, music is yet another perception created by our brain. In the
same manner, when we perceive colors, what reaches our eyes is merely
light of different wavelengths. Again, it's our brain that transforms these
signals into colors. There are no colors in the "external world"; neither is an
apple red, nor the sky blue, nor the leaves green. They appear as they do
simply because we perceive them to be so.
Even a slight defect in the eye's retina can cause color blindness. Some
sufferers perceive blue and green as the same, some red as blue. At this
point, it does not matter whether or not the outside object is colored.
The prominent thinker George Berkeley also addresses this fact:
At the beginning, it was believed that colors, odors, etc., "really exist,"
but subsequently such views were renounced, and it was seen that they
only exist in dependence on our sensations.52
In conclusion, the reason we see objects in colors is not because they are
actually colored or have a material existence in the outer world. The truth,
rather, is that the qualities we ascribe to objects are all inside us.
And this, perhaps, is a truth you have never considered before.
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Mankind's Limited Knowledge
One implication of the facts described so far is that actually, man's
knowledge of the external world is exceedingly limited.
That knowledge is limited to our five senses, and there is no proof that
the world we perceive by means of those senses is identical to the "real" world.
It may, therefore, be very different from what we perceive. There may
be a great many dimensions and other beings of which we remain unaware.
Even if we reach the furthermost extremities of the universe, our knowledge
will always remain limited.
Almighty God, the Creator of all, has complete and flawless knowledge
of all beings who, having been created by God, can possess only the
knowledge that He allows them. This fact is related in the Qur’an thus:
God, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not
subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the earth
belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission?
He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they
cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool
encompasses the heavens and the Earth and their preservation does
not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Qur’an, 2: 255)
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During sleep, you can dream of being on a tropic island. You live that moment in
all its reality. At that moment, nobody can convince you that you are dreaming.
Only when you awaken you realize it was all just a dream.
Who Is the Perceiver?
In order to perceive, no external world is necessary. Given the right
kind of stimulation to the brain, sensations of touch, sight, and sounds, can
be recreated in the brain. The best example of this process is dreams.
During dreams, your body typically remains still and motionless in a
dark and quiet bedroom, and your eyes remain shut. Neither light nor
sound nor any other stimuli from the exterior world is reaching your brain
for it to perceive. Yet in your dreams, you still perceive experiences very
similar to real life. In your dreams you also get up and go to work, or go on
vacation and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
Furthermore, in dreams you never feel doubts about the reality of
what you experience. Only after you wake up you realize your experiences
were only dreams. You not only experience such feelings as fear, anxiety,
joy and sadness but also see different images, hear sounds and feel matter.
Yet there is no physical source producing these sensations and perceptions;
you lie motionless inside a dark and quiet room.
René Descartes, the renowned philosopher, offered the following reasoning
on this surprising truth about dreams:
In my dreams I see that I do various things, I go to many places; when
I wake up, however, I see that I have not done anything or gone anywhere
and that I lie peacefully in my bed. Who can guarantee to me
that I do not also dream at the present time, further, that my whole life is
not a dream?53
We are therefore looking at a manifest truth: There is no justification
for our claiming that we establish direct contact with the original of the
world that we claim to exist and to be living in.
Is Our Brain Distinct from the Outside World?
If everything we know as the outside world is only perceptions produced
internally, what about the brain which we think does the seeing and
hearing? Isn't it composed of atoms and molecules like everything else? The
brain, too, is a piece of tissue that we perceive through our senses. This being
so, what is it, if not the brain, that perceives everything—that sees, hears,
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touches, smells and tastes?
At this point, we face the obvious fact: that man, a being of consciousness
who can see, feel, think and exercise reason, is much more than a mere assemblage
of atoms and molecules. What defines a human being is the "soul"
granted to him by God. Otherwise, it would be highly unreasonable to attribute
his consciousness and other faculties to a three-pound piece of flesh:
He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced
the creation of man from clay; then produced his seed from
an extract of base fluid; then formed him and breathed His Spirit
into him and gave you hearing, sight and hearts. What little thanks
you show! (Qur'an, 32: 7-9)
The Being Nearest to Us Is God
Since a human being is not merely a lump of matter but a "soul," then who
makes that soul feel the sum of perceptions which we call the external world?
Who continues to create all these perceptions, ceaselessly?
The answer is obvious. God, Who breathed into man His spirit, is the
Creator of all things. He is also the real source of all perceptions. The existence
of anything is possible only through God's creation. God informs us
that He creates continuously and that whenever He stops creating, everything
will disappear:
God keeps a firm hold on the heavens and the Earth, preventing them
from vanishing away. And if they vanished no one could then keep
hold of them. Certainly He is Most Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving.
(Qur'an, 35: 41)
This verse is describing how the material universe is maintained under
the might of God. God created the universe, the Earth, mountains, and all living
and non-living things, and maintains all these under His power at every
moment. God manifests His name al-Khaliq in this material universe. God is
al-Khaliq, in other words, the Creator of all things, the Creator from nothing.
This shows that there is a material universe, outside our brains, consisting of
entities created by God. However, as a miracle and manifestation of the superior
nature of His creation and His omniscience, God shows us this mater-
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132
ial universe in the form of an “illusion,” “shadow,” or “image.” As a consequence
of the perfection in His creation, human beings can never reach the
world outside their brains. Only God knows this real material universe.
Another interpretation of the above verse is that God constantly maintains
the images of the material universe that people see. (God knows best.) If
God wished not to show us the image of the world in our minds, the entire universe
would disappear for us, and we could never again make contact with it.
Faced with such facts, one must conclude that the only absolute being is
God, Who encompasses everything in the heavens and the Earth:
What! Are they in doubt about the meeting with their Lord? What!
Does He not encompass all things! (Qur'an, 41: 54)
Both East and West belong to God, so wherever you turn, the Face of
God is there. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. (Qur'an, 2: 115)
What is in the heavens and in the Earth belongs to God. God encompasses
all things. (Qur'an, 4: 126)
When We said to you, "Surely your Lord encompasses the people
with His knowledge"… (Qur'an, 17: 60)
… His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the Earth and their
preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent.
(Qur'an, 2: 255)
God's knowledge and ability surrounds us from the front and back,
from right and left—that is to say, He encompasses us completely. He observes
us everywhere, at every moment. He holds absolute control over us,
from inside and outside. He, the Owner of infinite might, is closer to us than
our own jugular veins.
Conclusion
It is of the utmost importance to understand correctly the secret beyond
matter explained in this chapter. Mountains, plains, flowers, people, seas—
briefly everything we see and everything that God informs us in the Qur’an
that exists and that He created out of nothing is created and does indeed
exist. However, people cannot see, feel or hear the real nature of these beings
through their sense organs. What they see and feel are only their copies that appear
in their brains. This is a scientific fact taught at all schools of medicine. The
same applies to the book you are reading now; you can not see nor touch the
real nature of it. The light coming from the original book is converted by some
cells in your eyes into electrical signals, which are then conveyed to the visual
center in the back of your brain. This is where the view of this book is created.
In other words, you are not reading a book which is before your eyes through
your eyes; in fact, this book is created in the visual center in the back of your
brain. The book you are reading right now is a “copy of the book” within your
brain. The original book is seen by God.
It should be remembered, however, that the fact that the matter is an illusion
formed in our brains does not “reject” the matter, but provides us information
about the real nature of the matter: that no person can have connection with
its original. Moreover, the matter outside is seen not just by us, but by other beings
too. The angels God delegated to be watchers witness this world as well:
And the two recording angels are recording, sitting on the right and
on the left. He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by him,
pen in hand! (Qur'an, 50: 17-18)
Most importantly, God sees everything. He created this world with all
its details and sees it in all its states. As He informs us in the Qur'an:
… Heed God and know that God sees what you do. (Qur'an, 2: 233)
Say: "God is a sufficient witness between me and you. He is certainly
aware of and sees His servants." (Qur'an, 17: 96)
It must not be forgotten that God keeps the records of everything in the
book called Lawh Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet). Even if we don't see all things,
they are in the Lawh Mahfuz. God reveals that He keeps everything's record
in the "Mother of the Book" called Lawh Mahfuz with the following verses:
It is in the Source Book with Us, high-exalted, full of wisdom.
(Qur'an, 43: 4)
… We possess an all-preserving Book. (Qur'an, 50: 4)
Certainly there is no hidden thing in either heaven or Earth which is
not in a Clear Book. (Qur'an, 27: 75)
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arwinism, in other words the theory of evolution, was put
forward with the aim of denying the fact of creation, but is in
truth nothing but failed, unscientific nonsense. This theory,
which claims that life emerged by chance from inanimate
matter, was invalidated by the scientific evidence of clear
"design" in the universe and in living things. In this way, science
confirmed the fact that God created the universe and the living things in it.
The propaganda carried out today in order to keep the theory of evolution alive
is based solely on the distortion of the scientific facts, biased interpretation, and
lies and falsehoods disguised as science.
Yet this propaganda cannot conceal the truth. The fact that the theory of
evolution is the greatest deception in the history of science has been expressed
more and more in the scientific world over the last 20-30 years. Research carried
out after the 1980s in particular has revealed that the claims of Darwinism are
totally unfounded, something that has been stated by a large number of scientists.
In the United States in particular, many scientists from such different
fields as biology, biochemistry and paleontology recognize the invalidity of
Darwinism and employ the concept of intelligent design to account for the origin
of life. This "intelligent design" is a scientific expression of the fact that God
created all living things.
We have examined the collapse of the theory of evolution and the proofs
of creation in great scientific detail in many of our works, and are still continuing
to do so. Given the enormous importance of this subject, it will be of great
benefit to summarize it here.
The Scientific Collapse of Darwinism
Although this doctrine goes back as far as ancient Greece, the theory of
evolution was advanced extensively in the nineteenth century. The most important
development that made it the top topic of the world of science was
Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, published in 1859. In this book, he denied
that God created different living species on Earth separately, for he
claimed that all living beings had a common ancestor and had diversified over
time through small changes. Darwin's theory was not based on any concrete
scientific finding; as he also accepted, it was just an "assumption." Moreover,
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as Darwin confessed in the long chapter of his book titled "Difficulties on
Theory," the theory failed in the face of many critical questions.
Darwin invested all of his hopes in new scientific discoveries, which he
expected to solve these difficulties. However, contrary to his expectations,
scientific findings expanded the dimensions of these difficulties. The defeat
of Darwinism in the face of science can be reviewed under three basic topics:
1) The theory cannot explain how life originated on Earth.
2) No scientific finding shows that the "evolutionary mechanisms" proposed
by the theory have any evolutionary power at all.
3) The fossil record proves the exact opposite of what the theory suggests.
In this section, we will examine these three basic points in general outlines:
The First Insurmountable Step:
The Origin of Life
The theory of evolution posits that all living species evolved from a single
living cell that emerged on the primitive Earth 3.8 billion years ago. How
a single cell could generate millions of complex living species and, if such an
evolution really occurred, why traces of it cannot be observed in the fossil
record are some of the questions that the theory cannot answer. However,
first and foremost, we need to ask: How did this "first cell" originate?
Since the theory of evolution denies creation and any kind of supernatural
intervention, it maintains that the "first cell" originated coincidentally
within the laws of nature, without any design, plan or arrangement.
According to the theory, inanimate matter must have produced a living cell
as a result of coincidences. Such a claim, however, is inconsistent with the
most unassailable rules of biology.
"Life Comes from Life"
In his book, Darwin never referred to the origin of life. The primitive understanding
of science in his time rested on the assumption that living beings
had a very simple structure. Since medieval times, spontaneous generation,
which asserts that non-living materials came together to form living organisms,
had been widely accepted. It was commonly believed that insects came
into being from food leftovers, and mice from wheat. Interesting experiments
were conducted to prove this theory. Some wheat was placed on a dirty piece
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of cloth, and it was believed that mice would originate from it after a while.
Similarly, maggots developing in rotting meat was assumed to be evidence
of spontaneous generation. However, it was later understood that
worms did not appear on meat spontaneously, but were carried there by flies in
the form of larvae, invisible to the naked eye.
Even when Darwin wrote The Origin of Species, the belief that bacteria
could come into existence from non-living matter was widely accepted in the
world of science.
However, five years after the publication of Darwin's book, Louis Pasteur
announced his results after long studies and experiments, that disproved spontaneous
generation, a cornerstone of Darwin's theory. In his triumphal lecture
at the Sorbonne in 1864, Pasteur said: "Never will the doctrine of spontaneous
generation recover from the mortal blow struck by this simple experiment."54
For a long time, advocates of the theory of evolution resisted these findings.
However, as the development of science unraveled the complex structure
of the cell of a living being, the idea that life could come into being coincidentally
faced an even greater impasse.
Inconclusive Efforts of the Twentieth Century
The first evolutionist who took up the subject of the origin of life in the
twentieth century was the renowned Russian biologist Alexander Oparin.
With various theses he advanced in the 1930s, he tried to prove that a living cell
could originate by coincidence. These studies, however, were doomed to failure,
and Oparin had to make the following confession:
Unfortunately, however, the problem of the origin of the cell is perhaps
the most obscure point in the whole study of the evolution of organisms.55
Evolutionist followers of Oparin tried to carry out experiments to solve
this problem. The best known experiment was carried out by the American
chemist Stanley Miller in 1953. Combining the gases he alleged to have existed
in the primordial Earth's atmosphere in an experiment set-up, and adding energy
to the mixture, Miller synthesized several organic molecules (amino
acids) present in the structure of proteins.
Barely a few years had passed before it was revealed that this experiment,
which was then presented as an important step in the name of evolution, was
invalid, for the atmosphere used in the experiment was very different from the
real Earth conditions.56
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After a long silence, Miller confessed that the atmosphere medium he
used was unrealistic.57
All the evolutionists' efforts throughout the twentieth century to explain
the origin of life ended in failure. The geochemist Jeffrey Bada, from the San
Diego Scripps Institute accepts this fact in an article published in Earth magazine
in 1998:
Today as we leave the twentieth century, we still face the biggest unsolved
problem that we had when we entered the twentieth century:
How did life originate on Earth?58
The Complex Structure of Life
The primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up in such a great
impasse regarding the origin of life is that even those living organisms deemed
to be the simplest have incredibly complex structures. The cell of a living thing
is more complex than all of our man-made technological products. Today, even
in the most developed laboratories of the world, a living cell cannot be produced
by bringing organic chemicals together.
The conditions required for the formation of a cell are too great in quantity
to be explained away by coincidences. The probability of proteins, the
building blocks of a cell, being synthesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950 for an
average protein made up of 500 amino acids. In mathematics, a probability
smaller than 1 over 1050 is considered to be impossible in practical terms.
The DNA molecule, which is located in the nucleus of a cell and which
stores genetic information, is an incredible databank. If the information coded
in DNA were written down, it would make a giant library consisting of an estimated
900 volumes of encyclopedias consisting of 500 pages each.
A very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can replicate itself
only with the help of some specialized proteins (enzymes). However, the synthesis
of these enzymes can be realized only by the information coded in DNA.
As they both depend on each other, they have to exist at the same time for replication.
This brings the scenario that life originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof.
Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of repute from the University of San Diego,
California, confesses this fact in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific
American magazine:
It is extremely improbable that proteins and nucleic acids, both of
which are structurally complex, arose spontaneously in the same place
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137
at the same time. Yet it also seems impossible to have one without the
other. And so, at first glance, one might have to conclude that life could
never, in fact, have originated by chemical means.59
No doubt, if it is impossible for life to have originated from natural causes,
then it has to be accepted that life was "created" in a supernatural way. This fact
explicitly invalidates the theory of evolution, whose main purpose is to deny
creation.
Imaginary Mechanism of Evolution
The second important point that negates Darwin's theory is that both concepts
put forward by the theory as "evolutionary mechanisms" were understood
to have, in reality, no evolutionary power.
Darwin based his evolution allegation entirely on the mechanism of "natural
selection." The importance he placed on this mechanism was evident in the
name of his book: The Origin of Species, By Means of Natural Selection…
Natural selection holds that those living things that are stronger and more
suited to the natural conditions of their habitats will survive in the struggle for
life. For example, in a deer herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those
that can run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of
faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestionably, this mechanism will
not cause deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species,
for instance, horses.
Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection has no evolutionary power.
Darwin was also aware of this fact and had to state this in his book The Origin of
Species:
Natural selection can do nothing until favourable individual differences
or variations occur.60
Lamarck's Impact
So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to answer
this question from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science at
that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829),
who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they acquired
during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these traits, which
accumulated from one generation to another, caused new species to be formed.
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For instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they struggled
to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from generation to
generation.
Darwin also gave similar examples. In his book The Origin of Species, for instance,
he said that some bears going into water to find food transformed themselves
into whales over time.61
However, the laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84)
and verified by the science of genetics, which flourished in the twentieth century,
utterly demolished the legend that acquired traits were passed on to subsequent
generations. Thus, natural selection fell out of favor as an evolutionary
mechanism.
Neo-Darwinism and Mutations
In order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the "Modern Synthetic
Theory," or as it is more commonly known, Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the
1930's. Neo-Darwinism added mutations, which are distortions formed in the
genes of living beings due to such external factors as radiation or replication errors,
as the "cause of favorable variations" in addition to natural mutation.
Today, the model that stands for evolution in the world is Neo-Darwinism.
The theory maintains that millions of living beings formed as a result of a
process whereby numerous complex organs of these organisms (e.g., ears, eyes,
lungs, and wings) underwent "mutations," that is, genetic disorders. Yet, there
is an outright scientific fact that totally undermines this theory: Mutations do
not cause living beings to develop; on the contrary, they are always harmful.
The reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and
random effects can only harm it. The American geneticist B. G. Ranganathan
explains this as follows:
First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations
are harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in
the structure of genes; any random change in a highly ordered system
will be for the worse, not for the better. For example, if an earthquake
were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there
would be a random change in the framework of the building which, in
all probability, would not be an improvement.62
Not surprisingly, no mutation example, which is useful, that is, which is
observed to develop the genetic code, has been observed so far. All mutations
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have proved to be harmful. It was understood that mutation, which is presented
as an "evolutionary mechanism," is actually a genetic occurrence that
harms living things, and leaves them disabled. (The most common effect of
mutation on human beings is cancer.) Of course, a destructive mechanism cannot
be an "evolutionary mechanism." Natural selection, on the other hand, "can
do nothing by itself," as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows us that there is
no "evolutionary mechanism" in nature. Since no evolutionary mechanism exists,
no such any imaginary process called "evolution" could have taken place.
The Fossil Record: No Sign of Intermediate Forms
The clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the theory of evolution
did not take place is the fossil record.
According to this theory, every living species has sprung from a predecessor.
A previously existing species turned into something else over time and all
species have come into being in this way. In other words, this transformation
proceeds gradually over millions of years.
Had this been the case, numerous intermediary species should have existed
and lived within this long transformation period.
For instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the past
which had acquired some reptilian traits in addition to the fish traits they already
had. Or there should have existed some reptile-birds, which acquired
some bird traits in addition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since these
would be in a transitional phase, they should be disabled, defective, crippled
living beings. Evolutionists refer to these imaginary creatures, which they believe
to have lived in the past, as "transitional forms."
If such animals ever really existed, there should be millions and even billions
of them in number and variety. More importantly, the remains of these
strange creatures should be present in the fossil record. In The Origin of Species,
Darwin explained:
If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking most
closely all of the species of the same group together must assuredly
have existed... Consequently, evidence of their former existence could
be found only amongst fossil remains.63
Darwin's Hopes Shattered
However, although evolutionists have been making strenuous efforts to
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140
find fossils since the middle of the nineteenth century all over the world, no
transitional forms have yet been uncovered. All of the fossils, contrary to the
evolutionists' expectations, show that life appeared on Earth all of a sudden and
fully-formed.
One famous British paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admits this fact, even
though he is an evolutionist:
The point emerges that if we examine the fossil record in detail, whether
at the level of orders or of species, we find—over and over again—not
gradual evolution, but the sudden explosion of one group at the expense
of another.64
This means that in the fossil record, all living species suddenly emerge as
fully formed, without any intermediate forms in between. This is just the opposite
of Darwin's assumptions. Also, this is very strong evidence that all living
things are created. The only explanation of a living species emerging suddenly
and complete in every detail without any evolutionary ancestor is that it was
created. This fact is admitted also by the widely known evolutionist biologist
Douglas Futuyma:
Creation and evolution, between them, exhaust the possible explanations
for the origin of living things. Organisms either appeared on the
earth fully developed or they did not. If they did not, they must have developed
from pre-existing species by some process of modification. If
they did appear in a fully developed state, they must indeed have been
created by some omnipotent intelligence.65
Fossils show that living beings emerged fully developed and in a perfect
state on the Earth. That means that "the origin of species," contrary to Darwin's
supposition, is not evolution, but creation.
The Tale of Human Evolution
The subject most often brought up by advocates of the theory of evolution
is the subject of the origin of man. The Darwinist claim holds that modern
man evolved from ape-like creatures. During this alleged evolutionary
process, which is supposed to have started 4-5 million years ago, some "transitional
forms" between modern man and his ancestors are supposed to have
existed. According to this completely imaginary scenario, four basic "categories"
are listed:
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141
1. Australopithecus
2. Homo habilis
3. Homo erectus
4. Homo sapiens
Evolutionists call man's so-called first ape-like ancestors Australopithecus,
which means "South African ape." These living beings are actually nothing but
an old ape species that has become extinct. Extensive research done on various
Australopithecus specimens by two world famous anatomists from England and
the USA, namely, Lord Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, shows that
these apes belonged to an ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no
resemblance to humans.66
Evolutionists classify the next stage of human evolution as "homo," that is
"man." According to their claim, the living beings in the Homo series are more
developed than Australopithecus. Evolutionists devise a fanciful evolution
scheme by arranging different fossils of these creatures in a particular order. This
scheme is imaginary because it has never been proved that there is an evolutionary
relation between these different classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth
century's most important evolutionists, contends in his book One Long Argument
that "particularly historical [puzzles] such as the origin of life or of Homo sapiens,
are extremely difficult and may even resist a final, satisfying explanation."67
By outlining the link chain as Australopithecus > Homo habilis > Homo erectus
> Homo sapiens, evolutionists imply that each of these species is one another's ancestor.
However, recent findings of paleoanthropologists have revealed that
Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus lived at different parts of the
world at the same time.68
Moreover, a certain segment of humans classified as Homo erectus have
lived up until very modern times. Homo sapiens neandarthalensis and Homo sapiens
sapiens (modern man) co-existed in the same region.69
This situation apparently indicates the invalidity of the claim that they are
ancestors of one another. A paleontologist from Harvard University, Stephen Jay
Gould, explains this deadlock of the theory of evolution, although he is an evolutionist
himself:
What has become of our ladder if there are three coexisting lineages of
hominids (A. africanus, the robust australopithecines, and H. habilis),
none clearly derived from another? Moreover, none of the three display
any evolutionary trends during their tenure on earth.70
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
142
Put briefly, the scenario of human evolution, which is "upheld" with the
help of various drawings of some "half ape, half human" creatures appearing in
the media and course books, that is, frankly, by means of propaganda, is nothing
but a tale with no scientific foundation.
Lord Solly Zuckerman, one of the most famous and respected scientists in
the U.K., who carried out research on this subject for years and studied
Australopithecus fossils for 15 years, finally concluded, despite being an evolutionist
himself, that there is, in fact, no such family tree branching out from apelike
creatures to man.
Zuckerman also made an interesting "spectrum of science" ranging from
those he considered scientific to those he considered unscientific. According to
Zuckerman's spectrum, the most "scientific"—that is, depending on concrete
data—fields of science are chemistry and physics. After them come the biological
sciences and then the social sciences. At the far end of the spectrum, which is
the part considered to be most "unscientific," are "extra-sensory perception"—
concepts such as telepathy and sixth sense—and finally "human evolution."
Zuckerman explains his reasoning:
We then move right off the register of objective truth into those fields of
presumed biological science, like extrasensory perception or the interpretation
of man's fossil history, where to the faithful [evolutionist] anything
is possible—and where the ardent believer [in evolution] is sometimes
able to believe several contradictory things at the same time.71
The tale of human evolution boils down to nothing but the prejudiced interpretations
of some fossils unearthed by certain people, who blindly adhere to
their theory.
Darwinian Formula!
Besides all the technical evidence we have dealt with so far, let us now for
once, examine what kind of a superstition the evolutionists have with an example
so simple as to be understood even by children:
The theory of evolution asserts that life is formed by chance. According to
this claim, lifeless and unconscious atoms came together to form the cell and
then they somehow formed other living things, including man. Let us think
about that. When we bring together the elements that are the building-blocks of
life such as carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, only a heap is formed.
No matter what treatments it undergoes, this atomic heap cannot form even a
The Deception of Evolution
143
single living being. If you like, let us formulate an "experiment" on this subject
and let us examine on the behalf of evolutionists what they really claim without
pronouncing loudly under the name "Darwinian formula":
Let evolutionists put plenty of materials present in the composition of living
things such as phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium
into big barrels. Moreover, let them add in these barrels any material that does
not exist under normal conditions, but they think as necessary. Let them add in
this mixture as many amino acids—which have no possibility of forming under
natural conditions—and as many proteins—a single one of which has a formation
probability of 10-950—as they like. Let them expose these mixtures to as
much heat and moisture as they like. Let them stir these with whatever technologically
developed device they like. Let them put the foremost scientists beside
these barrels. Let these experts wait in turn beside these barrels for billions, and
even trillions of years. Let them be free to use all kinds of conditions they believe
to be necessary for a human's formation. No matter what they do, they cannot
produce from these barrels a human, say a professor that examines his cell structure
under the electron microscope. They cannot produce giraffes, lions, bees,
canaries, horses, dolphins, roses, orchids, lilies, carnations, bananas, oranges,
apples, dates, tomatoes, melons, watermelons, figs, olives, grapes, peaches,
peafowls, pheasants, multicoloured butterflies, or millions of other living beings
such as these. Indeed, they could not obtain even a single cell of any one of them.
Briefly, unconscious atoms cannot form the cell by coming together. They
cannot take a new decision and divide this cell into two, then take other decisions
and create the professors who first invent the electron microscope and then
examine their own cell structure under that microscope. Matter is an unconscious,
lifeless heap, and it comes to life with God's superior creation.
The theory of evolution, which claims the opposite, is a total fallacy completely
contrary to reason. Thinking even a little bit on the claims of evolutionists
discloses this reality, just as in the above example.
Technology in the Eye and the Ear
Another subject that remains unanswered by evolutionary theory is the excellent
quality of perception in the eye and the ear.
Before passing on to the subject of the eye, let us briefly answer the question
of how we see. Light rays coming from an object fall oppositely on the eye's
retina. Here, these light rays are transmitted into electric signals by cells and
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
144
reach a tiny spot at the back of the brain, the "center of vision." These electric signals
are perceived in this center as an image after a series of processes. With this
technical background, let us do some thinking.
The brain is insulated from light. That means that its inside is completely
dark, and that no light reaches the place where it is located. Thus, the "center
of vision" is never touched by light and may even be the darkest place you
have ever known. However, you observe a luminous, bright world in this
pitch darkness.
The image formed in the eye is so sharp and distinct that even the technology
of the twentieth century has not been able to attain it. For instance, look at
the book you are reading, your hands with which you are holding it, and then
lift your head and look around you. Have you ever seen such a sharp and distinct
image as this one at any other place? Even the most developed television
screen produced by the greatest television producer in the world cannot provide
such a sharp image for you. This is a three-dimensional, colored, and extremely
sharp image. For more than 100 years, thousands of engineers have been trying
to achieve this sharpness. Factories, huge premises were established, much research
has been done, plans and designs have been made for this purpose.
Again, look at a TV screen and the book you hold in your hands. You will see
that there is a big difference in sharpness and distinction. Moreover, the TV
screen shows you a two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch
a three-dimensional perspective with depth.
For many years, tens of thousands of engineers have tried to make a threedimensional
TV and achieve the vision quality of the eye. Yes, they have made a
three-dimensional television system, but it is not possible to watch it without
putting on special 3-D glasses; moreover, it is only an artificial three-dimension.
The background is more blurred, the foreground appears like a paper setting.
Never has it been possible to produce a sharp and distinct vision like that of the
eye. In both the camera and the television, there is a loss of image quality.
Evolutionists claim that the mechanism producing this sharp and distinct
image has been formed by chance. Now, if somebody told you that the television
in your room was formed as a result of chance, that all of its atoms just happened
to come together and make up this device that produces an image, what
would you think? How can atoms do what thousands of people cannot?
If a device producing a more primitive image than the eye could not have
been formed by chance, then it is very evident that the eye and the image seen
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145
by the eye could not have been formed by chance. The same situation applies to
the ear. The outer ear picks up the available sounds by the auricle and directs
them to the middle ear, the middle ear transmits the sound vibrations by intensifying
them, and the inner ear sends these vibrations to the brain by translating
them into electric signals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalizes in the
center of hearing in the brain.
The situation in the eye is also true for the ear. That is, the brain is insulated
from sound just as it is from light. It does not let any sound in. Therefore, no
matter how noisy is the outside, the inside of the brain is completely silent.
Nevertheless, the sharpest sounds are perceived in the brain. In your completely
silent brain, you listen to symphonies, and hear all of the noises in a crowded
place. However, were the sound level in your brain was measured by a precise
device at that moment, complete silence would be found to be prevailing there.
As is the case with imagery, decades of effort have been spent in trying
to generate and reproduce sound that is faithful to the original. The results of
these efforts are sound recorders, high-fidelity systems, and systems for sensing
sound. Despite all of this technology and the thousands of engineers and
experts who have been working on this endeavor, no sound has yet been obtained
that has the same sharpness and clarity as the sound perceived by the
ear. Think of the highest-quality hi-fi systems produced by the largest company
in the music industry. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded
some of it is lost; or when you turn on a hi-fi you always hear a hissing sound
before the music starts. However, the sounds that are the products of the
human body's technology are extremely sharp and clear. A human ear never
perceives a sound accompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospherics as
does a hi-fi; rather, it perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and clear. This is
the way it has been since the creation of man.
So far, no man-made visual or recording apparatus has been as sensitive
and successful in perceiving sensory data as are the eye and the ear. However, as
far as seeing and hearing are concerned, a far greater truth lies beyond all this.
To Whom Does the Consciousness that Sees
and Hears within the Brain Belong?
Who watches an alluring world in the brain, listens to symphonies and the
twittering of birds, and smells the rose?
The stimulations coming from a person's eyes, ears, and nose travel to the
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
146
brain as electro-chemical nerve impulses. In biology, physiology, and biochemistry
books, you can find many details about how this image forms in the brain.
However, you will never come across the most important fact: Who perceives
these electro-chemical nerve impulses as images, sounds, odors, and sensory
events in the brain? There is a consciousness in the brain that perceives all this
without feeling any need for an eye, an ear, and a nose. To whom does this consciousness
belong? Of course it does not belong to the nerves, the fat layer, and
neurons comprising the brain. This is why Darwinist-materialists, who believe
that everything is comprised of matter, cannot answer these questions.
For this consciousness is the spirit created by God, which needs neither
the eye to watch the images nor the ear to hear the sounds. Furthermore, it does
not need the brain to think.
Everyone who reads this explicit and scientific fact should ponder on
Almighty God, and fear and seek refuge in Him, for He squeezes the entire universe
in a pitch-dark place of a few cubic centimeters in a three-dimensional,
colored, shadowy, and luminous form.
A Materialist Faith
The information we have presented so far shows us that the theory of evolution
is a incompatible with scientific findings. The theory's claim regarding
the origin of life is inconsistent with science, the evolutionary mechanisms it
proposes have no evolutionary power, and fossils demonstrate that the required
intermediate forms have never existed. So, it certainly follows that the
theory of evolution should be pushed aside as an unscientific idea. This is how
many ideas, such as the Earth-centered universe model, have been taken out of
the agenda of science throughout history.
However, the theory of evolution is kept on the agenda of science. Some
people even try to represent criticisms directed against it as an "attack on science."
Why?
The reason is that this theory is an indispensable dogmatic belief for some
circles. These circles are blindly devoted to materialist philosophy and adopt
Darwinism because it is the only materialist explanation that can be put forward
to explain the workings of nature.
Interestingly enough, they also confess this fact from time to time. A wellknown
geneticist and an outspoken evolutionist, Richard C. Lewontin from
Harvard University, confesses that he is "first and foremost a materialist and
The Deception of Evolution
147
then a scientist":
It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us
accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary,
that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to
create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce
material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how
mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, so
we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.72
These are explicit statements that Darwinism is a dogma kept alive just
for the sake of adherence to materialism. This dogma maintains that there is
no being save matter. Therefore, it argues that inanimate, unconscious matter
created life. It insists that millions of different living species (e.g., birds, fish,
giraffes, tigers, insects, trees, flowers, whales, and human beings) originated
as a result of the interactions between matter such as pouring rain, lightning
flashes, and so on, out of inanimate matter. This is a precept contrary both to
reason and science. Yet Darwinists continue to defend it just so as "not to
allow a Divine Foot in the door."
Anyone who does not look at the origin of living beings with a materialist
prejudice will see this evident truth: All living beings are works of a Creator,
Who is All-Powerful, All-Wise, and All-Knowing. This Creator is God, Who created
the whole universe from non-existence, designed it in the most perfect
form, and fashioned all living beings.
The Theory of Evolution:
The Most Potent Spell in the World
Anyone free of prejudice and the influence of any particular ideology,
who uses only his or her reason and logic, will clearly understand that belief
in the theory of evolution, which brings to mind the superstitions of societies
with no knowledge of science or civilization, is quite impossible.
As explained above, those who believe in the theory of evolution think that
a few atoms and molecules thrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning
professors and university students; such scientists as Einstein and
Galileo; such artists as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti;
as well as antelopes, lemon trees, and carnations. Moreover, as the scientists and
professors who believe in this nonsense are educated people, it is quite justifi-
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
148
able to speak of this theory as "the most potent spell in history." Never before has
any other belief or idea so taken away peoples' powers of reason, refused to
allow them to think intelligently and logically and hidden the truth from them
as if they had been blindfolded. This is an even worse and unbelievable blindness
than the Egyptians worshipping the Sun God Ra, totem worship in some
parts of Africa, the people of Saba worshipping the Sun, the tribe of Prophet
Abraham (pbuh) worshipping idols they had made with their own hands, or the
people of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) worshipping the Golden Calf.
In fact, God has pointed to this lack of reason in the Qur'an. In many verse,
He reveals in many verses that some peoples' minds will be closed and that they
will be powerless to see the truth. Some of these verses are as follows:
As for those who do not believe, it makes no difference to them
whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe.
God has sealed up their hearts and hearing and over their eyes is a
blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment. (Qur'an, 2: 6-7)
… They have hearts with which they do not understand. They have
eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with which they do
not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further astray!
They are the unaware. (Qur'an, 7: 179)
Even if We opened up to them a door into heaven, and they spent the
day ascending through it, they would only say: "Our eyesight is befuddled!
Or rather we have been put under a spell!" (Qur'an, 15: 14-15)
Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell should hold
such a wide community in thrall, keep people from the truth, and not be broken
for 150 years. It is understandable that one or a few people might believe in impossible
scenarios and claims full of stupidity and illogicality. However, "magic"
is the only possible explanation for people from all over the world believing that
unconscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together and form a
universe that functions with a flawless system of organization, discipline, reason,
and consciousness; a planet named Earth with all of its features so perfectly
suited to life; and living things full of countless complex systems.
In fact, the Qur'an relates the incident of Prophet Moses (pbuh) and
Pharaoh to show that some people who support atheistic philosophies actually
influence others by magic. When Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he
told Moses (pbuh) to meet with his own magicians. When Moses (pbuh) did so,
he told them to demonstrate their abilities first. The verses continue:
The Deception of Evolution
149
He said: "You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spell on the
people's eyes and caused them to feel great fear of them. They produced
an extremely powerful magic. (Qur'an, 7: 116)
As we have seen, Pharaoh's magicians were able to deceive everyone,
apart from Moses (pbuh) and those who believed in him. However, his evidence
broke the spell, or "swallowed up what they had forged," as the verse puts it.
We revealed to Moses, "Throw down your staff." And it immediately
swallowed up what they had forged. So the Truth took place and what
they did was shown to be false. (Qur'an, 7: 117-118)
As we can see, when people realized that a spell had been cast upon them
and that what they saw was just an illusion, Pharaoh's magicians lost all credibility.
In the present day too, unless those who, under the influence of a similar
spell, believe in these ridiculous claims under their scientific disguise and spend
their lives defending them, abandon their superstitious beliefs, they also will be
humiliated when the full truth emerges and the spell is broken. In fact, worldrenowned
British writer and philosopher Malcolm Muggeridge also stated this:
I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to
which it's been applied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books in
the future. Posterity will marvel that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis
could be accepted with the incredible credulity that it has.73
That future is not far off: On the contrary, people will soon see that "chance"
is not a deity, and will look back on the theory of evolution as the worst deceit
and the most terrible spell in the world. That spell is already rapidly beginning
to be lifted from the shoulders of people all over the world. Many people who
see its true face are wondering with amazement how they could ever have been
taken in by it.
MIRACLE IN THE EYE
150
They said, "Glory be to You!
We have no knowledge except
what You have taught us. You are
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
(Qur'an, 2: 32)
1. Francis Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin,
Volume II, From Charles Darwin to Asa Gray, April 3rd,
1860
2. Jillyn Smith, Senses and Sensibilities, Wiley Science
Edition, New York, 1989, p. 55
3. “Bell’s Palsy,” Neurology Channel, September 26, 2003;
www.neurologychannel.com/bellspalsy/treatment.shtml
4. Daniel Vaughan, MD, Taylor Asbury, MD, General
Ophthalmology, translated by Unal Bengisu, LANGE
Medical Publications, California, 8th edition, p. 144
5. “Drooping Eyelid (Ptosis),” Medical Content Reviewed
by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School, Health A
to Z; http://www.intelihealth.com
/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/9845.html
6. Daniel Vaughan, MD, Taylor Asbury, MD, General
Ophthalmology, translated by Unal Bengisu, LANGE
Medical Publications, California, 8th edition, p. 77-78
7. Jillyn Smith, Senses and Sensibilities, Wiley Science
Edition, New York, 1989, p. 55
8. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology,
Harcourt International Edition, 10th edition, 2000, p. 583
9. Jillyn Smith, Senses and Sensibilities, Wiley Science
Edition, New York, 1989, p. 62
10. Ibid., p. 63
11. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology,
Harcourt International Edition, 10th edition, 2000, p.
573-574
12. “Albinism,” March 1, 2002;
http://www.wcs.edu/phs/academics/faculty/cousine
au/publish/Albinism/Albinism.htm
13. Meliha Terzio¤lu, Fizyoloji Ders Kitabi (Textbook of
Physiology), vol. 1, Cerrahpasa Tip Fakultesi Yayinlari,
Istanbul, p. 492
14. “The whirling dance of Working Memory,” Bernard J.
Baars, Science and Consciousness Review, August 2002;
http://psych.pomona.edu/scr/news/articles/
20020803.html
15. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology,
Harcourt International Edition, 10th edition, 2000, p. 570
16. “Disturbed Vision,” Dr. A. Vincent Thamburaj;
http://www.thamburaj.com/disturbedvision.htm
17. John Horgan, The Undiscovered Mind: How the Brain
Defies Explanation, [1999], Phoenix, London, 2000, p. 23;
http://members.iinet.net.au/~sejones/cequc206.html
18. Meliha Terzio¤lu, Fizyoloji Ders Kitabi (Textbook of
Physiology), vol. 1, Cerrahpasa Tip Fakultesi Yayinlari,
Istanbul, p. 494
19. Meliha Terzio¤lu, Fizyoloji Ders Kitabi (Textbook of
Physiology), Volume I, Cerrahpasa Tip Fakultesi
Yayinlari, Istanbul, p. 494
20. Anthony Smith, Insan Beyni ve Yasami, Inkilap Kitabevi,
Istanbul, p. 227
21. Ibid., p. 224
22. Anthony Smith, Insan Beyni ve Yasami, Inkilap Kitabevi,
Istanbul, p. 227
23. http://www.mercksource.com
24. Engin Korur, “Gozlerin ve Kanatlarin Sirri” (The
Mystery of the Eyes and the Wings), Bilim ve Teknik
(Science and Technology Journal), no. 203, October 1984,
p. 25
25. “Were you right?,” Oxford University Museum of
Natural History Timescales;
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/children/fossils/juocto.htm
26. Prof. Dr. Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim (Inheritance and
Evolution), Meteksan Publications, Ankara, 1984, p. 16
27. Encarta Reference Library 2003. 1993-2002 Microsoft
Corporation
28. Prof. Dr. Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim (Inheritance and
Evolution), Meteksan Publications, Ankara, 1984, p. 475
29. Ibid, p. 523
30. Frank Salisbury, “Doubt about the modern synthetic
theory of Evolution,” American Biology Teacher,
September 1971, p. 338
31. Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the
First Edition, Harvard University Press, 1964, p. 189
32. Prof. Dr. Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim (Inheritance and
Evolution), Meteksan Publications, Ankara, 1984, p. 16
33. “Your Baby's Developing Sight,” http://www.preventblindness.
org/children/baby_developing.html
34. “The speed of human sight, second champ migrant,
how terns fly farther,” April Holladay, USA TODAY,
January 18, 2003
35. Niko Tinbergen, Animal Behavior, Life Nature Library-
Time Life Books, Hong Kong, 2nd edition, 1980, p. 38
36. Ibid., p. 13
37. “The Dragonfly,” Norma Jean Weeks, Miami Valley
Water Garden Society; http://www.mvwgs.org.dragonflies.
htm
38. “OWL HOUSES: Providing houses for cavity-nesting
owls,” http://www.coveside.com/merchant/owls.html
39. http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/eye.html
40. “Structure & Anatomy,”
NOTES
http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/projects/funded/sft/e
agle/stru.htm
41. “Animal Eyes,”
http://www.astc.org/exhibitions/eyes/texteyes.htm;
“Vision: An In-Depth Look at Eagle Eyes,”
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/eagle/VisionA.html
42. Tony Feddon, Animal Vision, BLA Publishing Ltd., New
York, 1988, p. 25
43. “The Zebra-Spider in 3D,” Wim van Egmond, Micscape
Magazine; http://www.microscopyuk.
org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-
uk.org.uk/mag/artmay00/zebraw.html
44. “The Sensory World of Fishes,”
http://www.csuchico.edu/~pmaslin/ichthy/Snsry.html
45. “Seeing in Water, Seeing in Air,”
http://www.foothill.net/~malamud/web/aquatic/lig
ht.html
46. “Turtles That Went To Sea,” Flotsam and Jetsam A
Newsletter for Massachusetts Marine Educators, Fall and
Summer 2002, Volume 31, no. 1; http://www.massmarineeducators.
org/journal/f_j_summer-fall2002.pdf
47. Tony Feddon, Animal Vision, BLA Publishing Ltd., New
York, 1988, p. 40-41
48. “Chameleons Head;”
http://freespace.virgin.net/chameleon.hh/head.htm
49. “Chapter 6, Vision I: The Eye,”
http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~milgram/nroc64/vision1.
htm
50. Orhan Hancerlioglu, Dusunce Tarihi (The History of
Thought), (Istanbul: Remzi Bookstore, 6th edition, 1995)
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