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At the beginning of the 1990s, scientists were working on one of the worlds greatest ecological
projects, Biosphere-2.
The project took its name from a giant structure constructed in the Arizona Desert in the USA.
It was a habitat totally closed off to the outside world, built mainly out of glass and concrete over
an area of 13,000 square meters in the Arizona Desert. It resembled a giant greenhouse in
appearance.
The plan was for a functioning ecosystem to be established in this giant structure closed off to the
outside world in which bio-mechanisms were maintained by the water, oxygen and nitrogen
exchanges that serve as the basis for life on Earth.
This ecosystem, which would function despite being isolated from the world outside, would also
provide life support for 8 human beings over the 2 years of the projects planned duration.
But when the experiment ended and the doors were opened, scientists saw that matters in this
artificial habitat had not gone at all according to plan.
The oxygen level had fallen to 14%, that of 5,300 meters above sea level.
There had been sudden rises in carbon dioxide levels, while nitrogen levels had become high
enough to damage the human brain.
The system that provided clean water had become polluted, and 19 of the 25 species of vertebrate
living in Biosphere-2 had died.
All the insects that pollinated the plants had died, the algae in the ponds had grown enormously,
and the food plants were smothered by weeds and died.
These were by no means all the catastrophes in Biosphere-2; the whole facility had become
infested by ants, grasshoppers and cockroaches
In short, despite all these efforts, it proved to be impossible to create in this closed system known
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as Biosphere-2 the balances that have been functioning perfectly on Earth for millions of years;
and it was therefore impossible to produce an environment that was habitable for human beings,
plants and animals.
In the wake of the failure of the Biosphere-2 research, Professor of Population Joel Cohen and
Professor of Ecology David Tilman summarized the lesson to be drawn from the study in these
words:
No one yet knows how to engineer systems that provide humans with the life supporting
services that natural ecosystems produce for free. (Joel E. Cohen, David Tilman, "Biosphere 2
and BiodiversityThe Lessons So Far", Science, Vol. 274, No. 5290, 15 November 1996, p.
1151)
In the wake of that admission, one single question will be enough to free oneself from a
perspective resulting from lazy thinking and familiarity:
What would happen if all the life forms that perform the services in question on our behalf were
to disappear?
The answer is obvious: we could never survive.
The harmony between the magnificent wealth of life on Earth and living things is the result of a
special creation. And that creation belongs to Almighty and Omniscient Allah, which is described
in the following verse:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and earthand all the creatures He has
spread about in them... (Surat ash-Shura, 29)
A terrifying tremor, a cloud of smoke and ash that totally blocks out the Sun, poisonous gases
that kill living things, temperatures high enough to melt iron and molten rock raining down from
the sky
People have always been terrified of volcanoes because these miracles of creation are at the
same time deadly threats. Like everything in the world, Allah has created volcanoes on the basis
of great knowledge and wisdom.
Let us now examine some of the delicate ecological balances created by volcanoes under a
number of different circumstances.
Thermal Springs
Thermal springs are water sources with healing properties that appear along fault lines in
volcanic regions, and are higher than 200 Celsius in temperature. Thanks to courses of
treatment using thermal spring water and hot mud, diseases such as rheumatism/sciatica, bone
breaks and fractures, skin disorders, physical and mental fatigue, stress and nervous tension can
all be treated.
What would happen if there were no volcanic activity on Earth? Well, many of the substances
we rely on in our daily lives and in industry would not come into being. They might perhaps be
obtained artificially, or other alternative substances might be found. But that would involve a
great deal of effort, brain power and financial expenditure.
In the same way, the hot waters and thermal springs that contain various minerals would not
have formed.
The earth would be poor in minerals and it would be impossible for us to benefit sufficiently
from the plants that represent our main food source.
Our Earth might well have remained a dead, barren planet with no surface features or
atmosphere, just like other planets.
Temperature changes in the sea would happen very fast, oxygen and salt levels would change,
and that would lead to the death of fish and other marine organisms.
Climatic abnormalities would appear. Dense fogs and floods caused by severe rain could have
lethal results.
Climatic obstacles would arise. Temperate region plants could not spread to colder areas, or
tropical plants to other regions, as much as they do today, and the frontiers that would be
established in agricultural regions would mean that human habitats would not be as broad as they
are now.
As we have seen, warm and cold water currents heat or cool the air to just the right extent. These
characteristics expand the possible areas of human habitats on Earth, making it possible to obtain
food and increase the variety of other species. It is, of course, impossible for such an order to
have come about by chance. This sensitive equilibrium was established by Allah, Lord of the
earth and sky:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are
Signs for people with intelligence:
those who remember Allah, 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-Imran, 190191)
these transitional stages, in a form ready for agriculture. But Our Lord creates everything within
a specific chain of cause and effect in this world, a place of testing, and has created the soil in the
same way. Almighty Allah clarifies this with an example in another verse:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Do you not see how your Lord stretches out shadows? If He had wished He could have
made them stationary. Then We appoint the sun to be the pointer to them. (Surat alFurqan, 45)
were to use all the worlds technology. Yet water, the prime necessity for our survival, is provided
for us free and easily, thanks to natural evaporation and condensation.
Rain is one of the most essential elements for life on Earth.
During rain formation, water circulates between the oceans and seas, the atmosphere and the
land.
Water vapor that reaches the atmosphere in various ways condenses under appropriate conditions
and returns to the earth as rain, snow and hail.
Almighty Allah reveals this about the formation of rain, which we have described only very
briefly:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
It is Allah Who sends the winds which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky
however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps and you see the rain come pouring out
from the middle of them. When He makes it fall on those of His slaves He wills, they rejoice,
(Surat ar-Rum, 48)
But not all the rain that falls goes to form above-ground water; some permeates below ground
when the conditions are right, and gives rise to subterranean water.
One of the miraculous features of subterranean waters is that they emerge completely clean and
ready to drink from among different muddy layers of soil.
This is most definitely one of Almighty Allahs countless blessings upon us. One example that
our Lord provides on this subject in the Quran reads:
I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky
earth to emerge as springs and then by it brings forth crops of varying colors,
which
then wither and you see them turning yellow and then He makes them into broken stubble?
There is a reminder in that for people of intelligence. (Surat az-Zumar, 21)
THE WISDOM BEHIND THE CREATION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS
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For reasons we have just seen, water that seeps under the ground does not immediately
accumulate under the soil.
There is a region above underground water known as the aeration region.
The water collects here without being absorbed by the soil or rock fragments, and without
percolating even further down, as the result of capillary formations.
The way that this layer holds onto these water particles allows plants whose roots cannot extend
down as far as subterranean regions to make use of this water.
But what if there were no water particles suspended in the aeration region; how could plants meet
their basic water needs in times of drought when there is no rain?
They would all fade and die in times of drought, and there would be no brightly colored flowers
and different fruits and vegetables on Earth such as there are now.
If He wills He makes the wind stop blowing and then they lie motionless on its back. There
are certainly Signs in that for everyone who is steadfast and thankful. (Surat ash-Shura, 33)
A CALL TO REASON
We have witnessed many miracles of Creation during the course of this film. Anyone who
looks carefully will see many miraculous events, from his own body to the skies. But the
important thing is to have the character to grasp and understand these miracles, because no
matter how great or small a miracle may be, only believers can understand the existence
and infinite might of Allah from it. What someone who sees and understands these miracles
all around us must do is to give constant thanks to Allah for every blessing and pleasure.
For people who are capable of using their conscience and comprehending the harmony on
Earth, the whole universe is full of reasons to increase ones love and fear of Allah. For that
reason, people must at once turn to Allah, give thanks for all they have, and bind themselves
to Him with an intense love