Forward:

 In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, our Lord! Grant peace and blessings to Sayyidina Muhammad, upon his Family and his Companions.

 Dear brother in faith, As-Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatoh. Welcome to a new episode of our program "The Scientific Inimitability in the Quran and Sunnah". Our guest is Dr. Muhammad Rateb Al-Nabulsi, the lecturer at the Faculty of Education and a Khatib and a preacher in the Masajid of Damascus. Welcome Dr. Nabulsi.

 Whenever the researcher in science and the thinker of the universe read the Ayat which are about the universe and man, every cell of their body and every drop of their blood make them sure that these words are Allah's Words that were revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Last episode, we talked about the stars and their settings, and we referred to the inimitability of that Quran in that respect referring to the Ayah in which Allah swears by the settings of stars:

﴾ So I swear by Mawaqi (setting or the mansions, etc.) of the stars (they traverse). And verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but know.﴿

[Al-Waqi'ah, 75-76]

 In this episode, we would like to discuss man's creation highlighting the fact that everything we see (in man's body) indicates the Greatness of the Creator in creating man.

The creation of man:

 In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may Allah's Blessings and Peace be upon our Master Muhammad, the truthful and the trustful. Allah says:

﴾We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves ﴿

[Fussilat, 53]

 Man is assigned not only to ponder over the creation of the universe, but also over the creation of his ownself. Actually, all the miracles in man's life are the closest to him, and regarding this point, Almighty Allah says:

﴾We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves ﴿

[Fussilat, 53]

 In the life of each one of us, there are obvious miracles which indicate the Greatness of the Almighty Allah. One of these miracles is our human body, which is the closest to man. For example, in man's head there are 300.000 hairs; and each hair has a separate root, a vein, an artery, a muscle, a nerve, an oil sebaceous gland and pigment-producing cells. Also, in man's retina there are 10 layers, in the last of which there are 140 million photoreceptors (including 130 million bacillus and cones), and from the eye to the brain there goes an optic nerve that has 500.000 nerve fibers.

 In the ear there is a network of 30.000 auditory cells to transmit most delicate sound waves to the brain. It has a special apparatus for comparing the intensity and timing of sounds received by both ears,, which is sometimes less than 1\1600 of a second, and it enables man to know from which direction the sound comes.

 On the surface of the tongue, there are 9000 gustative teats to distinguish the sweet food, the sour food, the bitter ones and the salty food. When man utters one sound only 17 muscles move, so how many muscles move when man delivers a sermon for an hour?

  As for the heart, the blood it pumps (when man is young) could fill the highest skyscraper. I would like to move to the brain; in the human brain, there are 14 billion cells and 100billion supporting cells whose function has not been discovered yet. In fact, the brain is the most complicated organ of man's body, and man himself is unable to discover how it works.

 Concerning the stomach, it has more than a billion cells that produce several liters of hydrochloric acid per day for digesting food, but it is still unknown how the stomach does not digest itself. Is not that a miracle?! In the human intestine, there are 3.600 intestinal fluffs in each square centimeter for food absorption; and such fluffs are renewed every 48 hours.

 Underneath the human skin, there are about 16 million sweat glands for controlling the heat of the body. In the human liver, there are 300 billion cells that can be totally renewed within a period of 4 months. Actually, the multiple functions of the liver are numerous and vital, so man cannot live without a liver for more than 3 hours.

 In the human kidneys, there are 2 million filtrating units, whose total length is 100 kilometers, and through which the blood travels many times a day. This is our body which is the most amazing miracle and the closest to us. The previous facts have been proven, and they were known to doctors decades ago, so they are not questionable at all. Almighty Allah says:

﴾We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves ﴿

 The interviewer:

 Dr. Nabulsi, you have just said that man has limited number of cells, whether in the brain, in the eye or in the rest of the physical systems. However, people are not alike. For instance, the skin of some people is yellow, while the one of other people is dark. Hence, people are distinguished from each other according to physical qualities, and herein lies the inimitability.

 Dr. Nabulsi:

 Man is honored by Allah, for He gave man some of His Divine Attributes. For example, Allah is Unique, so is man (in his physical qualities). According to a very accurate scientific research, every man has his own tissue type, so it is impossible to have two persons who have identical tissue types. Hence, each one of the6 billion people (on earth) has his own tissue type. Furthermore, according to the latest breakthroughs, no two persons can have identical iris. Due to this fact, an act has been issued to use the iris print on the passports. If someone travels to a European county, his iris print will be taken and if it does not match the one on the passport, this means that the passport is fake. In America, they use locks which open by using the iris print of the owner, so no one can open that locked door. Hence, the iris print is unique, so is the scent of the skin. Had man not had such uniqueness, using police dogs would have been in vain.

 The fingerprint has 100 points, if 7 points are identical between two fingerprints, this means that the two prints belong to the same person. Some criminals in the United States, removed the skin of their fingerprints and transplanted skin from their feet on their fingers, but after a period of time, the original finger print appeared once again on that new skin. Thus, the fingerprint is considered man's identity. Allah honored man by giving him a distinguished tissue type, an iris print, a skin scent and a blood combination which make every person unique. In addition to this individuality, man's voice tone is unique, so no two persons have the same voice tone. These unique qualities each man has prove that he is unique, and his uniqueness is one of the Divine Attributes of Almighty the Exalted. Allah has granted man this uniqueness because He honors him.

 Let me refer to another point, which is related to the manifestation of Allah's Attributes in man. Allah is Creative, and out of honoring man, He creates genes and chromosomes, and He allows man to be creative, so man has been able to develop black roses, to grow dwarf trees from giant ones and to come up with fruit tree which are the result of cross-pollination of two fruit trees. Nowadays, seeds are the first worldwide's interest worldwide. These creative open options are due to the honorable position man occupies in Allah's Sight.

 Because man is honored by Allah, he has been allowed to discuss religious issues and agree upon certain rulings when it comes to the religious text that is considered Zanni Ad-Dalalah (in which rulings remain open to interpretations and Ijtihad [the endeavor of a Muslim scholar to derive a rule of divine law from the Quran and Hadith without relying on the views of other scholars]). Besides, Allah accepts to be worshiped by the rulings which are the outcome of Ijtihad of scholars. Therefore, man can be a legislator, creative and unique. Above all, man has been granted the free will by Allah, while the rest of creations have not, and this is because he is Divinely honored.

  The interviewer:

 The individuality which each man has is a miracle unto itself. You have mentioned that the fingerprint, and the iris are unique, but this uniqueness can be collective such as the skin color, the mother tongue and so on. This uniqueness differentiates one people from the other, so it is not among individuals..

 Dr. Nabulsi:

 This phenomenon has been explained by an outstanding scientific fact. The genes which are responsible for the distinguishing features of the fetus, are divided into two halves, the first half forms the features the fetus whereas the second one is stored in the reproductive system of the fetus.

 This is why some nations have the same skin color or look, like the Chinese. They are distinguished by certain physical qualities, and so when you see a Chinese man, you can guess his nationality. The reason is that their genes are divided into two halves; one half forms the features of the fetus and the second half is stored in the reproductive system. As a result, the son will look like his father and the entire nation will have its own distinctive features. This reflects the Greatness of the Almighty Allah.

 The interviewer:

 Dr. Nabulsi, as time passes, some diseases are discovered, and man's physical systems become vulnerable. One of these systems is the immunity system. Where is the inimitability in such a system?

The immunity system:

 In the human body, there is the acquired immunity system which is an amazing system in the body. It is like an army which consists of five groups: The first one is the investigation group, and the most important role of this group is to collect information. If a harmful substance enters the human body, the white blood cells' mission is investigation. It takes the chemical code of this substance i.e. the bacterium, but it does not fight it. It takes this information and presents it to the centers of producing antibodies i.e. defense laboratory. The first mission of this unit is investigating about the bacteria and collecting information about it.

 The mission of the second group is to manufacture the weapon. This is found in the lymph node. Man has a great number of lymph nodes, and within these nodes the antibody is produced. In fact, these nodes have a very miraculous memory. If the bacterium enters a baby's body, and the baby recovers, but after seventy years the bacteria (or the virus) re-attacks the same body, the file about it will be ready and saved in these lymph nodes. Once, the bacterium enters again even after seventy years, its file is ready, so the nodes depend on the information collected in it in order to produce an antibody that is more effective than the one it made the first time the bacterium attacked the body. Had the immunity system had no memory, the vaccine (Vaccines work by stimulating our immune system to produce antibodies (substances produced by the body to fight disease) without actually infecting us with the disease. They trigger the immune system to produce its own antibodies, as though the body has been infected with a disease) would have been useless. Hence, if man gets infected with this germ, the antibody will be ready to fight it.
  The task of the third group is fighting. After the bacterium invades the body, this unit goes to the lymph node and takes the prepared weapon and fight the bacteria. The white cells are classified to investigating while cells, weapon manufacturers and fighting ones.
  As for the mission of the fourth unit, it is to offer services to the fighting unit, such as making the battlefield ready for fighting and cleaning it from the corpses of the two fighting groups when the battle is over. Thus, we have four units: The unit of investigation, the unit of manufacturing weapons, the unit of fighting and the unit of services.
  In 1967, a fifth unit was discovered, and it was considered later on the most crucial one. It is the unit of the commandos. If we had not had such a unit all people would have suffered from cancer. Thus, its mission is finding out cancer cells very early and getting rid of them.
  Accordingly, when the immunity system is down because of AIDS, what really happens? The infected person will have cancer, and 90% of AIDS patients have intractable diseases, because the commandos group (in their immunity system) is malfunctioned and is unable to destroy cancer cells any more.
  The interviewer:

 This is why these cells become weak which enables cancer cells to grow.

 Dr. Nabulsi:

 When I was in the United States once, one of my students, may Allah reward him, whose major is endocrine glands, told me a very useful fact: Every cancer cell has an inhibitor which prevents it from becoming active, but what removes that inhibitor?

 First: The oil drop. Hence, when a mechanic eats his meals in his working place, where grease and gasoline are all over his hands, the possibility of having cancer will be enormous due to the fact that the oil drops remove the inhibitor off cancer cell.

 Second: Plastic. When plastic interacts with heat or acid, part of it might melt, thus drinking hot drinks (like tea) in plastic cups or putting acidic food (like salad) in plastic plates is dangerous, for part of the vessel might melt and swallowed with the drink or food. The same happens when we scrap off yogurt that is put in a plastic wrap using the knife, for particles of that plastic might be swallowed with the yogurt. Hence, it is unhealthy to use plastic with hot drinks and acids or apply mechanical scrapping on plastic wraps, because in all these cases, the swallowed parts of the plastic might remove the inhibitor off the cells.

 Third: This inhibitor might also be removed by nuclear radiations. Therefore, wherever there is residue of radiation, the body will be negatively affected and has cancer.

 Fourth: Negative sentiments like fear and anxiety also remove that inhibitor and cause cancer, because fear and anxiety weaken the acquired immunity system in the body. This is why Tawheed (worshipping Allah Alone) keeps man's health good, whereas Shirk (polytheism) makes man susceptible to many diseases, and so man fears every person and dreads threatens and plotting which comes from other human beings. If this fear continues, the immunity system will weaken. Unlike the polytheist, whoever worships Allah Alone, believes beyond doubt that all matters are in the Hand of Allah Alone and believes that Allah will never leave him to fall victim to evil people will be at ease. Allah says:

﴾And to Him return all affairs (for decision)* So worship Him (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) and put your trust in Him. ﴿

[Hud, 1-2]

 Tawheed fills the human soul with tranquility and makes man's health always stable. It has been proven recently that the stable man is the one who is connected with the Almighty Allah and who is promised to be granted the Divine Providence and Care. This is indicated in the following Ayah:

﴾Then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. ﴿

[Ta-Ha, 123]

 Pay attention to the following Ayah:

﴾Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him)﴿

[An-Nahl, 128]

 The word "with" indicates the providence, support and prosperity, and these spiritual senses are manifested in being optimistic and healthy. Well, do you know what strengthens the acquired immunity system in the body? The answer is affection, love and feeling secured. Allah says:

﴾(So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know." ﴿

[Al-An'am, 81]

 Only the believers are blessed with the grace of security since this grace goes along with believing, but as for the disbeliever, fear will be casted in his heart due to his Shrik though he might be the most powerful man on earth. The grace of security is the mother of graces and it is meant only for the believers:

﴾(So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know."* It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping sh3er besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided. ﴿

[Al-An'am, 81-82]

 The interviewer:

 The grace of believing is not only spiritual but also physical; it makes the health of the believer good, and it strengthens the immunity system and never makes it weak. Allah says:

﴾ Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.﴿

[Ar-Ra'd, 28]

 When the heart of the Muslim and the believer is secured, his body will be secured as well.

 Dr. Nabulsi:

 Some doctors said that the life of As-Salaf As-Saleh (our pious ancestors) was tough, and in order to maintain it man needed muscular power. However, they were blessed with tranquility in their souls, and the physical effort they used to pay were the result of having good health. Nowadays, everything is done by pushing buttons, such as the elevator, the car and the washing machine. Thus, physical laziness and psychological stress are two main reasons of most diseases. We do not pay much effort to have what we need, we do not practice sports and on top of that we suffer fear, anxiety, oppression, envy, backbiting, calumny and threats. This is a big problem. When you believe in Allah, He will cast tranquility in your heart and this will reflect in a very healthy body.

Conclusion:

 Dear brother and sisters, we have spent our episode with Dr. Muhammad Rateb Al-Nabulsi. At the end of it, I would like to thank him for putting up with me and for discussing these issues with which we rejuvenate our power. Also, I appreciate that he shed the light on them, so that we might ponder over them and learn them.

 We will be with you insha' Allah next episode of our program "The Scientific Inimitability in the Quran and Sunnah". May Allah protect you all.

 As-Salam Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatoh