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One of the distinguishing
characteristics of the elephant, the
largest land mammal on Earth, is its
devotion to its fellows.
Sacrifice and mutual assistance are not
limited to family members, but can be
seen within the entire
herd. A hot summer day on the African
plains. Elephants are constantly on the
move to find food and water.
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This nearly dry lake is the only source
of water
around. Many other animals from wild
oxen to buffalo share this water with
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them. This baby elephant is finding it
difficult to drink as his trunk is still
very short.
He has to bend down a long way to reach
the
water. One of the adult elephants bumps
into it by accident, knocking it into
the
water. Unless the baby can escape at
once, it will sink into the mud and die.
There is no time to
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lose. The mother elephant kneels down
and leans over the edge. She places her
trunk under the baby and tries to pull
it
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out. The other elephants reach the scene
and join her and they all try to pull
the baby out and the patient rescue
operation
begins. The sides are very steep. Some
elephants therefore try to make a ramp
to reach the baby by digging away at the
edge. Others chase the buffaloos away
from the
scene. Because if a herd comes to drink
near where the baby is caught, that will
impede the rescue
operation. Eventually, teamwork saves
the day. The baby elephant is saved.
Every elephant in the herd goes up to
the baby and sniffs it with its
trunk. This is a sign of affection among
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elephants. The devotion and mutual
assistance within the herd has saved the
baby's life.
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This astonishing devotion in living
things is one of the miracles of God's
creation. In one verse of the Quran, God
informs
us there is no creature God does not
hold by the forlock.
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Every one of these large earthen towers
is homes to creatures known as termites,
which are similar to ants. Termites live
in colonies made up of millions of
individuals.
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They work together so harmoniously that
the whole colony functions like a single
body, a single
creature. These are worker
termites. They are blind and
deaf. As you can see, they mix pieces of
earth with a special plaster and widen
the walls of their nest.
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God has given these creatures which
behave like the cells of a single body
different bodily structures for
different
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jobs. Workers are born with the
necessary tools for construction on
their
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bodies. As you are now seeing, soldier
termites are equipped with heavy
weapons. Termites grow fungi in
underground storooms down in the depths
of their nests.
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However, one side product of this is
carbon
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dioxide. Unless the carbon dioxide can
be eliminated from the nest, the
termites will suffocate and
die. Nothing of the sort happens,
however, thanks to this construction
technique instilled in them by God.
Tall chimneys that stretch up into the
wind currents pull the stale air in the
nest upwards and function as the
colony's
lungs. Everything built by termites is a
marvel of architecture and engineering.
Let us now go back a little and consider
what we have just been
saying. The termite is a tiny
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insect. It possesses neither reason nor
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consciousness. It is also blind and
deaf.
So, how does this insect come by the
knowledge to create a whole
building? How does it know what its job
is from among thousands of other
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termites? What you are seeing on the
screen is a construction project.
The project contains all the details of
all the jobs to be done during the
construction work. Who will do what job,
how, and when are all set out. An
architect possessing reason and
consciousness has drawn this project up
and an engineer with reason and
consciousness has performed the
necessary
calculations. Master craftsmen, workers
and plumbers work according to the
blueprint.
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They all study the blueprint and
construction proceeds according to
plan. At this point, let us carefully
consider. The termites have no drawings
in their
hands. They cannot receive any training.
They are not managed by a visible
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administrator. How is it then that
thousands of termites can produce a
building with such an incomparable
design all working together at the same
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time? Let us for a moment imagine people
with no eyes or ears.
Let us also imagine that these people
had never had any
training. Then let thousands of these
people start constructing a building at
the same time with no orders given to
them and no descriptions of what they
have to do. Furthermore, let us imagine
that the building they create contains
an incomparable plan and design. Such
cooperation can only be accounted for by
a will that controls all these people in
a miraculous manner. The same thing
applies to the
termite. The way these deaf and blind
insects operate as a single entity and
eventually create flawless buildings
demonstrates one clear truth.
Termites are created by God and it is he
who inspires in them the tasks they
perform. God reveals in one verse of the
Quran
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that all praise belongs to God, the Lord
of the heavens and the Lord of the
earth, Lord of all the worlds. All
greatness belongs to him in the heavens
and earth. He is the almighty, the all-
wise.