A brief look at sign of Allah’s infinite Mercy toward human being

A Manifestation of Allah’s Mercy

It is necessary to have a look at another sign of Allah’s infinite Mercy toward human being here, so that it removes our inadvertence, increasing our eagerness to worship and our hatred of sins.

Scientifically, the system of human brain is the most awesome machine and performs duties that the most developed human-made machines are unable to complete. One of the duties of the brain is to record various events in the memory. Human memory is related only to a small part of the brain. For showing the memory capacity, an example has been repeatedly given:

Suppose a fifty-year old man wants to write all his memories collectively. For this he will need 160 million large size newspapers that are printed with small in twenty pages each. In many respects, the mechanism of remembering the memories resembles that of the tapes of voice recorders. The difference is that the power of brain tapes is provided by body nerves and they need not to rotate.

If we want to build a machine that performs the work of human brain more or less, we should make an apparatus two times the largest buildings in the world, allotting all the electricity made by the water of world largest fall for its power. Because the electric lamps and wires make the machine hot, all the water of the supposed fall should turn around the machine. The invented machine will not after all perform all the thinking duties of an ordinary human brain.

The command of sucking milk from the mother breast is issued from the child’s brain to its lips, and the child feeds from its mother’s breast calmly and with no mistake. In the mother body, there is an automatic chemical factory that turns her blood into a useful and delicious food, suitable for the infant’s digestive system. When the fetus is created in the mother womb, the suckling factory revives in the mother body and begins work. As the fetus grows, this factory gets more active until it produces suitable milk for the baby at the birth. After the birth, as the child grows up, and its digestive system becomes stronger, the produced milk changes accordingly.

The precious product of this factory is assembled in two sources on the mother breast and leaks out of their nipples by the baby’s sucking and becomes part of its body. The size of the nipples is appropriate for the baby’s mouth, including tiny openings that open by the baby’s sucking and are automatically closed afterwards, not to waste the milk.

All these interesting events and alterations for the sake of humans are nothing but Allah’s infinite Mercy and unlimited blessing. Human being should ponder in these phenomena, praise the Almighty, and beg Him for spiritual blessings.

The Respiratory System

Human lungs inhale and exhale the air for approximately 500 million times, during a typical lifetime. In the respiratory system, there are hundreds of thousands of glands that leak out a sticky liquid to absorb the harmful dust particles entering the lungs when breathing. If this liquid did not exist, the particles obstructed the respiratory pipes in a few seconds, causing death.

Also there are tiny hairs in these pipes that constantly clean them. These hairs clean all the pipes twelve times per second, and send the harmful particles into the digestive system in which they become ineffectual.

The respiratory pipes transfer the air to 750 million bags inside the lungs in which the carbon dioxide is taken from the blood and oxygen is replaced instead. The respiratory system, with such a small size, important duty, and amazing process is but one part of “كل شيء” (everything) that are embraced by Allah’s Mercy.

The Skin

Human skin has various benefits, some of which are represented here:

There are very tiny holes all over the skin through which part of human breathing takes place and in case these holes are closed human being cannot continue life.

The skin contains glands that produce sweat and send it out to maintain the normal body temperature.

The skin includes some oily glands that keep it and the hairs constantly soft and fresh.

The skin defends the body against the outside microbes.

It wards off part of body poisons through the sweat and hence helps the kidneys in their duty.

It prevents the useful body liquids from leaking out.

The skin is the center for the sense of touch after all. The sense of touch helps us feel cold, heat, softness, harshness, thinness, and thickness of the objects.

The skin is another blessing that is embraced by Allah’s Mercy, and hence so many useful processes are done inside it.

The Defensive System of the Body

When the Omnipotent Allah created the human body, He granted him five protecting walls against the microbes and the diseases, which are:

The skin that has covered all the body as a fort;

The ganglion tissues that are cotton–like milky tissues under the skin and sometimes change color; they are thick in some spots and thin in others. If something harmful passes the skin, it faces the resistance of the ganglion tissues.

The mucus membranes, which are membranes surrounding some body organs, are the same color as the organs, and protect these organs. Some of the organs like the heart have two membranes; one that surrounds the outer part of the heart called the ‘outer mucus’ and another that is inside the heart or the ‘inner mucus’.

The stomach acid that eliminate anything harmful which has passed other protective walls of the body.

The white globules are ball-shaped beings in the blood that fight the microbes that have entered the blood and eradicate them. Interestingly, these white balls cooperate with the useful microbes that enter the body.

Isn’t it Allah’s Mercy granted to all these guards that protects human being from the diseases and viruses? How extended is Allah’s Mercy that have encircled the appearance and inside world of human body and every fragment of his being!

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.[1] 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.[2] 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.

Allah’s Guidance; a Valuable Blessing

The Omnipotent Allah has willed to place human being in a corner of the world for a limited time, out of Mercy, benefiting him from all the blessings and good things that are prepared via the processes of the ethereal elements like the clouds and the winds, the sun and the moon. He has bestowed on the human various kinds of fruits, vegetables, and seeds, and also halal (pure) meat of creatures from the sky, the earth and the seas. Allah has granted the necessary equipment to human for establishing his own life. Human being should rely on his mind and free will to choose the religious guidance; a unique blessing, that is the right path offered by the Heavenly Books and especially Qur’¡n, the holy prophets (s.a), and Imams (a.s). By doing so, man recognizes his duty and responsibility toward his Creator and rightfully tries to fulfill these duties, so that he will acquire his due perfection. Human being should attempt to work for his Hereafter during the limited worldly life and prepare for Allah’s satisfaction and His paradise.

If man contemplates on all the material as well as spiritual blessings granted by the Almighty, he discovers that His general Mercy has surrounded both the apparent and the hidden sides of the heavens and the earth. Man himself is so much cloaked in Allah’s Mercy and subject to His beneficence that no other creature, even the nearest angel, is like him.

At this point, human being should insightfully begin the spiritual journey to serve Allah and reach His countenance, not disregarding to serve Allah and His servants. He should humbly pray and worship Allah, with all his organs, at every point in time and beseech Him.

By choosing the right path that is Allah’s strong guidance, fulfilling the duties and serving the servants, humans, as asserted by the holy Qur’¡n, will be granted great reward and Allah’s paradise.

Allah’s Mercy

If human being commits a sin due to ignorance or negligence during the lifetime, and he regrets and returns to Allah by beseeching him, repentance, and compensation of the sin, Allah will forgive him. It is recommended that repentance be accompanied by the du`¡’ Kumayl on Thursday night; the night of Mercy and the descent of Allah’s Blessings to the servants.

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِي الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ.

Say: O my people who have been prodigal against yourselves, do not despair of God’s mercy; surely God forgives sins altogether; surely He is the All-forgiving, the All-compassionate. (39:53)

There are so many verses in the holy Qur’¡n that end with the phrases such as:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ.

Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. (2:173)

وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ.

Allah is gentle with His servants. (2:207)

وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ.

Allah invites into the Garden, and forgiveness by His grace. (2:221)

أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ.

And know that Allah is All-forgiving, All-clement. (2:253)

وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ.

But Allah singles out for His Mercy whom He will. (2:105)

وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ.