Undoubtedly Allah is the greatest of creators. To no avail things are created and nothing is useless in the unlimited system of human world. As it is asserted in Quran , it is also stated firmly in Hadith and supplications abundantly. This deep perception of God as the greteast of creatures is not overlooked in the rich content of Kumayl supplication on which commentraries are made. Among them is the book “ a commentary on Kumayls Supplication” by Professor Hossein Ansaryan that both exemplifies and interprets the subject in a delicated manner. Here is a cut of the book.
The Remarkable Uses of the Plants
No one knows the exact number of different plants, their processes, and vitamins and the role they play in human life except Allah Who is the Creator of them. Since the plants are part of “كل شيء” (everything) to which Allah’s Mercy is granted, a brief account of their duty in the life of other creatures is given here.
There is a certain amount of oxygen in the air, which is a vital gas guaranteeing the life of every living being. In fact no human, animal and plant can continue life without it.
The oxygen entering human lungs by breathing is combined with the blood and is distributed throughout the body by the blood circulation. Oxygen burns the food in all the cells very slowly and produces the natural body heat. By burning the food, a poisonous gas called carbon dioxide is produced, which goes to the lungs with the blood and enters the air through the exhale. All the living things take the oxygen from air and send out carbon dioxide. Each person usually sends out 250 grams of pure carbon by his/her exhales during 24 hours. If we suppose the number of all humans as three billion, they produce approximately two hundred and seventy three million and seven hundred and fifty thousand (273 .750.000) tons of poisonous carbon dioxide a year. About the same amount of this gas is produced by the animals too. A question arises here and that is:
Where does this toxic constantly produced gas go? If it exists in the air and the amount of oxygen is decreasing, the oxygen-carbon dioxide balance should be changed. Why is it then that all humans and animals keep on life?
The answer to this question is provided by Allah’s Mercy; He has created a class of beings whose number is infinite and their breathing is completely against that of other living things. They take the carbon dioxide from the air and give out oxygen, when breathing and hence maintain the balance between these two gases. These invaluable beings are the plants.
The plants receive the carbon from the air by their leaves, keeping it in their stem, and give out oxygen to the air. Therefore the major material in the plants is carbon.
Based on the Qur’¡nic verses and the statement of Imam `Al¢ (a.s) in du`¡’ Kumayl, Allah’s Mercy has surrounded every leaf and keeps the living world away from total death. The signs of His Mercy are seen in the stem, leaf, blossoms, and flowers of the plan. Those who cannot see are unwise and those who do not ponder are ignorant.
Human being using God-given mentality, benefits from various kinds of vegetables, fruits and seeds for maintaining health, satisfying hunger and enjoying life and by Allah’s Mercy, this collection of foods changes to the elements necessary for the great system of body, such as colors, bones, skin, nerves, vessels, blood, hair, nail, energy, heat….
The Role of Animals and Insects in the Living World
No one knows the number of the insects and animals existing in the lands and seas, the birds and reptiles and the benefits of their existence, but their Creator whose Mercy has covered the appearance and hidden aspects of them. His mercy has brought about great uses for them. Human being, in this regard, benefits from all these creatures.
Fertilizing Insects: Fruit trees have both male organ (pollen) and female organ (pistil). If the pollen of a tree does not reach the pistil of the same kind of tree, or vice versa, no fruit will be produced. For fertilizing some plants, Allah has made tiny insects whose duty is to carry the pollen of a plant to the pistil of another and take the pollen of the second to the pistil of the first. Interestingly, these small agents do not make mistake; taking the pollen of apple tree to the pistil of the peach tree, for instance, rather they pollinate to the same trees. Even more fascinating is that the trees pay the insects off with the sugar inherent in them. The insects receive the sugar and help make the fruit for humans, but humans are yet ungrateful.
Cows and Sheep: Natural scientists believe that everything in the nature exists as much as the creatures needs it, and they are right. In case of the mammals, there is enough milk in the female animal’s breast for its child. But Allah’s Mercy has set the cows and sheep exceptions to this general rule, since their milk is not only food for their children, but an inclusive food for the human beings as well.
The milk of cow and sheep is a valuable food for the infants, children and even growing or grown-up humans. The products of milk provide one of the most important needs of human body. Is Allah’s Blessings toward humans not evident? The Almighty, out of Mercy, has set these animals at the service of humans. The benefits of such animals are so great and their probable harms are so little. Humans use every organ and product of the sheep in a way. The interesting point is that the food of all three types of sheep, which are raised for their wool, meat, and milk, is the same. This is the Power of Allah, Who changes one kind of food in the body of an animal into three different products for the sake of humans, and hence provides food and clothes for them, some of whom are not thankful. The sheep is only a minute part of “كل شيئ” (every thing), which are developed by Allah’s Mercy. So many books are required to cover all the blessings Allah has bestowed on this animal.
Honeybee: Botanists say that most of the flowers do not have sap all through the day, but at certain times of the day and this period does not exceed three hours. Not all the flowers offer their sap at a single time; some have sap in the morning, some at noon and still others in the afternoon. The honeybee is both botanist and punctual. It knows the flowers and the time each of them has sap and goes to get the flowers’ sap on time. Then it changes the flower sap into a substance that is not only sweat and pleasant, but also colorful and energizing. The honey produced inside the bee’s body is a unique food in the world that resists putridity. And above all, as stated in the holy Qur’¡n, it is a cure to human diseases: “Wherein is healing for mankind. (16:69)” Hundreds of books have been written about the bee and its life, which shows Allah’s embracing Mercy toward this apparently small, but valuable creature.
source : a commentary on Kumayl Supplication
