Interpreting science through the eyes of faith

• Say: ‘He is God, Absolute Oneness, (Surat al-Ikhlas, 1)
• God, the Everlasting Sustainer of all. (Surat al-Ikhlas, 2)
• He has not given birth and was not born. (Surat al-Ikhlas, 3)
• And no one is comparable to Him.’ (Surat al-Ikhlas, 4)

The Qur’an is a great miracle applicable to all centuries. It fully describes the essence of many problems that exist today and sets out the truth of those problems in the finest manner. Mankind came under the influence of various erroneous philosophies in the last two centuries, which inflicted great sufferings on people. These verses from Surat al-Ikhlas are excellent guides for mankind.

This wondrous universe we inhabit, our Earth with its many lovely plants, fruits and animals and every detail in living things awake the greatest amazement in people, without exception. We are astonished by these as believers, and that amazement is of course for God, Who creates them all. Unbelievers may also be amazed by nature, the universe, plants and animals; but dialectical materialism and the theory of evolution and its application to nature, blunts that appreciation in those people. They therefore seek to portray all these wondrous phenomena as the work of a simple conflict of opposites and chance.

Of course, a rational analysis and a perspective based on good conscience immediately show that no marvelous phenomenon can come into being by chance. The conscience, the soul and the subconscious mind all know and admit to that fact. Yet many people have become unable to see these truths over the last 150 years because of the aforementioned philosophies. It is therefore very important to consider the difference between scientific data and the non-scientific claims made by deniers with great care and for this difference to be described in detail.

Let us now see, through technical knowledge we have attained over the last two centuries, how we are endowed with the most amazing blessings and how none of these marvels could have come into being by chance.

Also, let us consider just two of the hundreds of subjects that could be cited as evidence in this article:

1. Unity, not conflict, lies at the basis of life

When we look at the smallest unit of life, the cell, we see that chance has no place in any stage. The things that happen in this minute structure, organized just like a factory, are literally incomparable. Whichever detail of the cell we look at, we see mutual aid and solidarity going on.

Let us take proteins as an example and reflect on what is needed for a protein to be able to form:

In order for a protein to be able to form, there has to be

• The coding of information in the DNA;
• Regions showing where this information starts and ends;[i]
• Transcription factors for this information to bind to and to allow production to begin based on the requirements in the cell and promoter regions for these to bind to in DNA;[ii]
• Enzymes and proteins to permit the reading of what is in DNA;[iii]
• The template known as mRNA obtained from that reading; The ribosomes produced from that structure, which are themselves made up of proteins;
• And starting factors to ensure that ribosome production starts at the right time and under the right conditions are also required, and these starting factors are also proteins.

Let us continue; in order for a protein to form there also need to be

• Elongation factors enabling the ribosome to enlarge the protein chain;
• Termination factors that become involved when the ribosome’s work is done;[iv]
• Amino acids required by the ribosome;
• tRNAs to transport these amino acids to the ribosome;
• Enzymes to bind the amino acids to the tRNAs;[v]
• Structures monitoring the level of these amino acids inside the cells and that produce them if they are insufficient – and these also consist of proteins – or proteins that permit them to be transported inside the cell from outside the cell – and proteins are again required for these to be transported to the cell membrane;[vi]
• Chaperon proteins that help the manufactured proteins to be folded into 3-D structures;
• Enzymes that cause additional changes so the proteins can function in the regions to which they go – and more than 1,150 of these have been identified to date; [vii]
• Many proteins are able to discharge their functions with additional structures also containing metals: Other proteins are needed for the production of these and to transport the metals to the proteins;[viii]
• Labels determining where each protein is to work are needed, and these show the presence of a vast postal and address system within the cell; [ix]
• In addition, there need to be proteins working like postmen to carry these labels to the right locations;
• Proteins that receive these postmen at their destination and cause additional form changes;[x]
• Enzymes that cut out and remove labels that need to be removed once their work is done; [xi]
• Proteins that make placement to the right places;
• Packets that prevent them from being affected by occasional adverse conditions inside the cell during their journey;
• Proteins that hand these packets on;
• Systems that check where the amounts of proteins produced are adequate or not;
• Structures that check whether the proteins manufactured have become corrupted over the course of time;
• There is also a need for proteins to repair any such damage and determine whether or not it is in repairable limits;[xii]
• Some proteins monitor proteins immediately after their manufacture from ribosomes. These proteins surround corrupted proteins and gradually fold them back into the correct shape;[xiii]
• If the damage in a protein cannot be repaired, then systems are required that decide that this protein will be harmful to the cell and begin destroying it. These damaged proteins first need to be labeled, and labeling systems and machinery to break these proteins down are needed, and these are again made up of proteins;[xiv]
• None of this could happen without small energy packets like miniature batteries (ATP, GTP) used in all these processes.

The protein system will work smoothly in a cell in which all such conditions, of which we have listed only a very few and only in brief, are met, and then the cell will be able to survive. Any defect in these interconnected systems will lead not to improvement or evolution, but on the contrary to sickness, cancer and death.

As we have seen, numerous complex systems work hand in hand inside the cell, with great devotion and for the benefit of the cell, and literally with consciousness and enormous technical skill. From the moment a protein first begins to be manufactured to the moment of its destruction, it needs numerous different structures with a great many technical properties.

It is of course completely wrong to refer to these technical facts as a “clash of opposites.” There is no question of any such thing in any stage of the process summarized here. Yet the achievement of these structures made up of unconscious atoms is utterly amazing.

All these details exist so that we can see that all power belongs to God and that our Lord is mighty enough to do anything. Many people are unaware of these marvels that are absolutely essential for their survival. The difference with believers is that they reflect on these details and bow their heads when they see the artistry of God.

He directs the whole affair from heaven to earth. Then it will again ascend to Him on a Day whose length is a thousand years by the way you measure. (Surat al-Sajdah, 5)

Let us consider the arrangement within DNA as a second example:

2. The theory of evolution tries to bring chance into the origin of life. Yet the details of life, such as when we examine the structure of DNA, show that there is no room for chance at all and that on the contrary, a magnificent control prevails.

• All the data about us is encoded in a DNA chain. That chain is created with a spare (sibling chain) against the possibility of damage that may occur.
• The enzyme DNA polymerase that reproduces the information checks every letter that DNA makes. If an error is made, it puts it right;[xv]
• Errors occurring in DNA are corrected on the basis of the sibling chain:  The absence of such a sibling chain would lead to all genes eventually becoming corrupted, even if they were perfect to begin with; [xvi]
• There needs to be robot molecules and enzymes sensitive to errors in DNA. Each one of these marvelous structures identifies and repairs a different type of error. They do not leave the DNA to become corrupted. For example, the enzyme photolyase repairs the impairment known as “thymine dimer” in bacteria 300-400 times a day. Otherwise, in the absence of this enzyme, the bacteria would not evolve but die;
• Breaks in DNA are repaired by special enzymes; [xvii]
• No gene production occurs haphazardly. Production always takes place in line with the level of proteins. If they are present in large numbers in the cell, those numbers are reduced, or vice versa;
• The enzymes involved have to be deactivated when not needed. There has to be such a control system. For example, some enzymes are active when bound to phosphate and lose their activity when the phosphate is taken away. The addition or depletion of phosphate by enzymes takes place according to the requirements in the cell at that time. Enzymes without such a control system also lead to cancer under certain circumstances; [xviii] [xix]
• A great many gates of different types are needed for entry into and exit from the cell, and all correct from the beginning. These gates have to work, not haphazardly, but in a controlled manner;
• Systems are also needed that increase the numbers of these gates if they are insufficient or to remove them from the cell membrane if they are too numerous;
• Systems that store critical substances inside the cell are also needed. This has to take place in a controlled manner. For example, cellular fluid possessing too many iron ions leads to a large number of free radicals and as a result to mutations in DNA and to impairments in fats and proteins. Special structures are needed to store these when there are too many of them; [xx]
• As described above, mRNA in the form of a template is first manufactured from DNA, and ribosomes and proteins from that. In addition to control at the genetic level and the protein level, control is also required at the mRNA level. But this is not left to chance, either. Let us consider mRNA responsible for manganese ions absorbed into the cell. If there is no longer any need for a large number of manganese ions in the cell and their number is too high, manganese gates at the cell membrane are packaged and sent inside the cell. At the genetic level, the relevant gene is inactivated. However, there are still mRNA templates in the cell permitting the manufacture of gates. These are not left to their own devices either, and a destruction system involving structures such as miRNA and siRNA goes into operation. There is nothing haphazard here, either;
• Gates on the cell membrane require fine adjustment depending on changing circumstances. For example, some gate proteins are phosphatized and their electrical properties increased, as in the learning process;
• As described above, proteins in cells sometimes deteriorate despite being in a sheltered environment. Impairment leads to various disorders in cells. Such proteins are marked into order to prevent this and are broken down at the right location. Interestingly enough, the protein known as ubiquitin that labels such proteins is not touched. Only defective proteins are broken down by the machinery in the cell. The presence of such differentiation shows that there is a special system and surveillance in the cell. It is impossible for anyone of good conscience to say that this came about by chance: It is also dishonest to maintain that a system, the like of which we could never design, came about spontaneously by chance and through the unconscious laws of nature; [xxi]
• As also mentioned above, all amino acids, proteins, metals and energy-giving molecules have to be present within very delicate balances inside the cell. There also have to be systems to monitor as to whether their levels have gone up or down. There needs to be sensitive sensor molecules to monitor these delicate balances and systems to take the appropriate precautions. Any cell without such a control system cannot live, and will die. [xxii] [xxiii]

God keeps a firm hold on the heavens and 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. (Surat al-Fatir, 41)

Every detail we look at in the cell reveals a glorious artistry, intelligence, knowledge, skill, attention, control, collaboration and obvious planning. Yet all these structures consist of atoms that are themselves wholly unconscious and unaware of their own existence. The sublime characteristics in these atoms introduce us to our Creator, Who created them. We realize His great love and compassion for us, and how the universe came into being with a special creation.

Every point in the cell shows us the manifest presence of God. These glorious structures, in which there is no room for chance, are actually themselves helpless. However, as God reveals in Surat al-Ikhlas, God is the As-Samad, the Everlasting Refugee and Sustainer, the One in Whom all created things are in need. Everything is condemned to oblivion without His help. This is something calling for great reflection.

Our universe, in which very different phenomena are bound together through very delicate balances, exists through God, Who sees and knows all and Who keeps all things under His control right down to the tiniest detail. As we are told in Surat al-Ikhlas, our Creator is the One.

Science, which reveals all this truth, is made obligatory for us by God in the Qur’an because “science” is one of the ways of examining the universe and everything in it and explaining it to mankind through discovering the creative artistry of God. Religion therefore adopts science as one way of accessing the details inherent in God’s creation, and therefore encourages science.

In the same way that religion encourages scientific research, scientific research conducted on the basis of the truths inherent in Islam will lead to much faster and more definitive results, as religion provides the most definitive answer to the question of how the universe and life came into being. Therefore, research conducted on a sound basis from the beginning will very quickly reveal the secrets of how life and the universe came into being, with the expenditure of far less energy and effort.

As Albert Einstein, regarded as one of the greatest scientists of the 20^th Century, said, "science without religion is lame.” In other words, science that is not guided by faith cannot exhibit any progress and will take much longer to obtain definitive results. Indeed, most of the time, it will be quite impossible to obtain any results at all.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. (Surat al-Imr’an, 191)

There is thus a truth that must absolutely be known: the sole aim of science is to investigate the infinite might of God and the proofs of creation in the universe, and accurate results can only be obtained if it operates in the light of that aim. If the right course is taken, and if it is directed properly, science can attain its true end in a very short span of time.

Learning details such as this is instrumental in bringing forth  a zealous and awe-filled love and fear of God in people’s hearts. It is therefore of the greatest importance to tell people of, and encourage discussion of, the signs leading to faith.

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