Article appeared Friday, April 8th, 2016 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (422)

yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

We are all involved in living a day to day life. We enjoy being ourselves, observing, thinking,
feeling and reacting. As we go through the day, do we ask ourselves any questions regarding
the life that we intelligently sense and are living? For example, a question could be what is my
life? Or what is life about? Or why do I happen to be living? Or even is there any purpose to me
living?
Before trying to answer the questions for ourselves, let us search the Internet to see whether
other people have attempted to answer similar questions. In 1944 {1}, the physicist Erwin
Scrodinger wrote a book titled, What is Life? The book focused on the question, how can the
events in space and time which take place within the spatial boundary of a living organism be
accounted for by physics and chemistry? That is he tried to explain events or processes, which
take place in and/or interact with living organisms, using the laws of physics and chemistry. Like
the results of any scientific study he also came across the fact that everything is governed by
laws or follows a specific order. Unable to explain where order comes from, he proposed the
concept of order-from-disorder. He claimed that disorder can create order. The overlooked
underlying assumption is that disorder would naturally recognize or would have an affinity for
order. However, order would be just another random arrangement of disordered processes.
Order requires an intelligence that recognizes it. In a disordered world, order does not have
any special character as there are no intelligent functions to identify it.
Having disorder create order is like saying that nothing can create something, or unintelligent
objects can create intelligence or even that random processes can create intelligent processes!
When we study nature, we come across two distinct assumptions/facts. Fact 1: processes follow
laws. It is on this fact or assumption that scientists or researchers do research they look for
underlying laws or processes that follow order. One would realize that it is futile to do research
on disordered processes, as there is no law or order to be found.
The second fact is that external processes are interrelated or that separate processes are
somehow dependent on each other or that they support each other. In a disordered world, how
would one chemical process know about the need to support another process or find a process
that it needs for functioning effectively? It is only a Superior Intelligence that can design and
match the physical processes on earth, just like intelligence is required to fit the parts or match
the different functions of a car. Random parts or random processes of a car cannot be matched
without the ordering of intelligence that understands the interrelations.
On earth, how many processes and systems are there that support the human functions? The
article Why is the earth habitable? {2} gives numerous examples of systems and processes that
support human life. It calls the earth A special planet: the habitable earth. Comparison is also
made with the systems on other planets where human life could not survive. For example,
What makes the Earth habitable? It is the right distance from the Sun, it is protected
from harmful solar radiation by its magnetic field, it is kept warm by an insulating
atmosphere, and it has the right chemical ingredients for life, including water and carbon.
The processes that shape the Earth and its environment constantly cycle elements
through the planet. This cycling sustains life and leads to the formation of the mineral
and energy resources that are the foundation of modern technological society. {2}
And,
The Earths resources everything from oil and gas to metal ores to fresh water are
the basis of modern civilization. {2}
The article also suggests that the earth dynamically supports human life.

The Earth is a dynamic planet. Geological and biological processes cause energy and
the elements necessary for life-carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and
phosphorus- to circulate through global reservoirs. These reservoirs are the biosphere
(the living portion of our planet), the atmosphere, the ocean, and the solid Earth. It is
only because of this cycling that life can thrive. The cycling of elements determines the
environment, for example by regulating the composition, and thus the temperature, of
the atmosphere. {3}
So, how do these systems happen to support life on earth? Can it be that random disordered
processes have created the dynamic systems that support life? For those who seek an answer,
Allah provides the answer in the Verse below.

16.14 It is He Who has subjected the sea for you and to eat from it tender meat
and extract from it ornaments which you wear; and you see the ships plowing the
waves (as He has subjected this for you) that you may seek (thus) of the bounty
of Allah and that you may be grateful.
The Verse answers a number of questions. It is Allah who has designed and created the
supporting systems. In addition, from the ocean He provides tender meat in the form of fish,
ornaments to wear and the winds to take ships from one place to another. These winds
historically allowed trade {4} and the transport of trade items. Why? So that we may question
and know that it is Allah who has created these blessings for us and are grateful to Him.

16.15 And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains standing firm, lest it
should shake with you; and made rivers and roads; that you may guide
yourselves
Fold mountains are the most common type of mountains {5} that are on strategic points on the
globe act as pegs on the molten center of the earth, thus slowing down the slipping of the
earths crust as it rotates. There are roads between the mountains ranges and rivers to guide
us.

16.16 And landmarks. And by the stars they may guide themselves
How do humans use the stars for navigation? In the following verse, Allah asks a very logical
question. Who would know that these support systems are needed and also create them?

16.17 Then is He Who creates like one that creates not? Will you not receive
admonition?
How can one work out what Allah has done? And then, what should be our response?

16.18 If you would count up the favors of Allah, never would you be able to
number them: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.
Allah looks into our hearts to see whether we are adoringly grateful. Or is it that our own
greatness is more important to us? Individual intelligent life is an opportunity to find out what
your creator has done for you, be grateful to Him, adore Him and help others find out about Him.

16.19 And Allah knows what you conceal and what you reveal.
------{Notes}:
{1} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_Life%3F
{2} http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/rose-center-for-earth-andspace/david-s.-and-ruth-l.-gottesman-hall-of-planet-earth/why-is-the-earth-habitable
{3} http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/rose-center-for-earth-andspace/david-s.-and-ruth-l.-gottesman-hall-of-planet-earth/why-is-the-earth-habitable/earthcycles
{4} http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/currents/05currents2.html
{5} http://www.mountainprofessor.com/folded-mountains.html