The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and nothing moist or dry which is not in a Clear Book. (Surat al-An‘am, 59)
The seas contain very different marine organisms, all with their own unique structures. With their common lifestyles, defence mechanisms, magnificent creation, and fascinating characteristics, these animals that number in the millions, reveal the invalidity of the theory of evolution and the incomparable creative artistry of Almighty Allah.
Just as in the seas, the micro-organisms on land, whose numbers we still do not know for certain, also represent an example of Almighty Allah’s creative artistry.
1- The Sponge-Algae Relationship
A most interesting species of sponge, (Rosella racovitzea or Rosella), lives at a depth of 120 metres, in the Ross Sea, near Antarctica. In biomimetic terms, this sponge has the features of an optic cable, because it possesses thread-like extensions 10 cm long and varying between 200 and 600 µm in diameter, that protrude upwards from its body, the tips of which in particular contain silica (glass), that are able to collect light from all directions. These thread-like extensions are strong and flexible, like optic cables, and although they contain glass their structure is not brittle but rather strong enough not to break.
So why does this organism have such strong extensions?
The reason is because blue-green algae are capable of using sunlight to manufacture nutrients live inside the organism. However, in the darkness that prevails at a depth of 120 metres, it is impossible for the algae to manufacture nutrients. At this point, the light-collecting threadlike extensions of the sponge come to the assistance of the algae living in it. With its optic cables, the sponge collects light from all around and transmits this to the algae inside it. With this collected light, the algae manufacture nutrients that enable both them and the sponge to survive.
It cannot be expected that these two organisms could come together by chance, as evolutionists maintain; Neither the sponge nor the algae could have survived for millions of years on their own until the one found the other. In addition, they have no intelligence or powers of speech to permit them to engage in such a division of labour when they did come together. These two life forms were brought together by Almighty Allah and established a common life together.
In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people’s benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky – by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara, 164)
2- Mother-of-Pearl, a Marvel of Technology
Mother-of-pearl is found in the shells of many marine creatures. Haliotis refescans, a gastropod species, is one of these. The mother-of-pearl in this creature’s shell is a complete marvel of technology because this mother-of-pearl has been created with such fine calculation as to amaze engineers. It consists of hexagonal aragonite bricks just 300 nanometres thick, surrounded by an organic membrane that is 10 nanometres in thickness between them. The bricks within the membranes are both free enough to move but stable enough not to separate from one another. The structure resulting from the way these bricks are arranged in such a way as to constitute a wall is far stronger than ceramic or metal structures capable of being manufactured with any technology. The way that a minute creature covers the inside of its protective shell by performing the very finest calculations, just like an engineer, that the mother-of-pearl that forms assumes the shape of the shell, and that this mother-of-pearl is stronger than ceramic or metal materials produced using technology are some of the proofs of Almighty Allah’s creation.
3- Magnetic Bacteria
Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum, a species of bacteria that lives in water, needs oxygen and uses a most fascinating method in order to obtain it. It first collects up the iron ions around and oxidises them, turning them into particles with a regular shape and a magnetic property. These particles, known as magnetite, determine the direction the bacterium needs to face in to find oxygen. How? By lining themselves up in a row inside the bacterium, like pearls on a necklace, these particles lean towards the direction of the oxygen with damaging the sequence they are in, and thus permit the bacterium to go in that direction.
The way that a tiny creature too small to be seen with the naked eye collects iron ions, oxidises them in a manner astonishing to any chemist, and endows them with a magnetic property with detailed knowledge that would amaze a physicist once again reveals our Almighty Lord’s creative artistry.
4- A Light-Emitting Jellyfish
The transparent bodied jellyfish, Clytia languidum, lives at depths of 800 m off the coast of the Bahamas and has a round body 2 cm in diameter. Whenever a fish or turtle touches the jellyfish, its body assumes a square shape. After assuming that shape, it starts emitting a green light, thus warning the approaching predator in the darkness of the ocean that if it comes any closer, it will hurt it. The jellyfish itself does not possess the intelligence and consciousness with which to calculate that. When touched by another living thing, there is no way for the jellyfish to know that that organism is a predator nor to know the precautions it needs to take to avoid falling prey to it. Yet, even if we assume, despite that impossibility, that the jellyfish itself did actually establish such a system, it would still be impossible for it to hand it on to subsequent generations. The jellyfish is another one the countless examples of Almighty Allah’s creative artistry.
5- The Brittlestar with Its Fibre Optic Technology
Brittlestars (Ophiocoma wendtii), marine creatures belonging to the group Echinodermata, appear to have no eyes. Yet, divers realised that when they approached these creatures they somehow felt them and fled. In addition, they assume a dark colour in the daytime and a lighter colour at night. Research has shown that this species is covered by some 50,000-100,000 minute lenses that collect light just like eyes. With this feature, the animal literally puts sunglasses on during the daytime because the pigments it releases give it a dark colour by covering the lenses and cutting off the light. At night, however, the surface of the calcite crystal lens is uncovered again, resulting in a light colour. This feature of brittlestars is assisting the development of fibre optic technology. It is Almighty Allah who creates this astonishing animal together with its miraculous properties.
