Albatrosses fly on month-long journeys without once coming down to land. Swallows fly around the world during their migrations. Swarming locusts can cover a distance of 3,000 kilometers. Newly hatched eels begin a journey of 6,000 kilometers... In migration, many animals cover vast distances with nothing to show the way or any instrument to guide them.
Migration's remarkable aspect lies not just in the length of the distances covered. Some migratory birds, for example, return to their former winter habitat after spending several years in one region. Some of the problems that migrators may encounter include high energy requirements, harsh weather conditions, finding food and avoiding predators. But how do these animals manage to cover these distances in spite of all these difficulties? How do they know when to do so? Who guides them on their journey? How can random coincidences teach them how to store the energy needed for long distance travel, navigate, and judge time?
There is no question of coincidences defining time and having knowledge of navigation, and making these conscious concepts manifest in these creatures. All these questions indicate the presence of a Creator possessing infinite knowledge and intelligence. As a verse of the Qur'an makes known, all living creatures are under the control of God, "… there is no creature He does not hold by the forelock…" (Qur'an, 11:56). This book demonstrates the magnificence of God’s creation in the remarkable migratory journeys that animals undertake.
