Eighth Lecture
A World of Wonder in a Small Flying Animal

Now we wish to leave the territory of our bodies and search for other signs of miracles in the wonderful creatures in our world.

If we gaze into the dark sky at night, we might be able to see a flying creature courageously searching the sky for its prey.

This creature is the bat which exhibits very strange behaviors, especially its flight during the dark and gloomy night.

The bat’s swift movement in the dark without striking any obstacle is wonderful indeed. The more we study this creature, the more the mysteries of this animal become apparent.

This animal flies in the dark sky with the same speed and courage as a pigeon in the daylight. If the bat knew it would collide with any obstacle, it would be more cautious, however, it has an apparatus which informs it of any imminent danger.

If a bat is left in a dark, winding tunnel, the walls of which are covered with soot, it would pass through the tunnel walls without having its wings blackened. A bat has a built-in apparatus like radar which helps it to find its way during the night.

Now let us think a little about this radar system to see how the bat makes use of it.

One of the subjects of physics is ultra-sound waves. These waves have frequencies that are inaudible to the human ear. For this reason they are called ultra-sound waves, for they are beyond the range of sound audible to the human ear.

When these waves are emitted from a strong transmitter, they travel in a straight line, but when they strike an obstacle such as an enemy airplane or other obstacle, they reflect back like a ball which bounces back if it strikes a wall. The time it takes for a beam of sound to strike an obstacle and then bounce back could be measured accurately.

Most military and commercial planes and ships use radar systems to identify the position of other planes and ships in the vicinity.

Scientists tell us there is an apparatus like a radar system built in the body of a bat. The presence of such a system could be shown by the following experiment. Let a bat fly in a room, then let a microphone change the ultra-sound waves into audible ones. Under these circumstances, the bat would emit ultra-sound waves with the frequencies between 30 and 60 hertz.

Now we would like to know which of the bat's organs are responsible for the creation of such waves.

Scientists inform us that these waves are produced by the strong muscles of the bat’s larynx and are sent out through its nostrils. Its rather large ears are the receivers for the in-coming waves.

Thus, a bat owes its nocturnal excursions to its large ears. A Russian scientist called Julian, has shown in some experiments that if the bat’s ears are removed, it could never fly without hitting obstacles. But if its eyes are removed, it could still skillfully move around. Thus, a bat “sees” with its ears, not with its eyes. This is strange indeed.

Now reflect on this question for a moment: who has installed this delicate apparatus inside this tiny animal? Who has taught the animal how to use this apparatus?

Could unconscious nature accomplish such a feat?

Imam `Al¢ (s), talking about the creation of bats in Nahj al-Bal¡ghah says:

لاَ تَمْتَنِعْ مِنَ الْمُضِيِّ فِيهِ لِغَسَقِ دَجْنَتِهِ... فَسُبْحَانَ البَارِئِ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلَى غَيْرِ مِثَالٍ

Never does the bat stop flying due to extreme darkness…Noble and immaculate is the God Who has created everything without previous models. [Nahj al-Bal¡ghah, Sermon 155]

Think and Answer

Ninth Lecture
The Friendship between Insects and Flowers

One spring day, when the weather becomes warm, pay a visit to a garden or a green field. You will observe swarms of small insects, bees, flies, butterflies and tiny mosquitoes flying here and there, from one flower to the next, and from one branch to the other.

They are so involved in their activities it seems as if a stern supervisor commanded them to move about. Their wings and feet smeared with yellow-colored pollen, these insects resemble factory workers who diligently work in their own workshop. But their mission is so worthy that professor Leon Burton writes on their job and function:

“Few people realize that without insects our baskets would remain empty.”

We would like to add to his statement the following observation: “And during the next generations our gardens, orchards, and fields would lose their freshness and vigor.”

Thus, we could say that insects are the true growers of fruits and patrons of flower seeds.

You might ask for the reason. Insects are deemed crucial for one of their most vital functions related to plants, i.e., fertilization. You probably know that flowers, like most animals, have either male or female organs. Without the contact between these two organs, seeds and fruits would not be produced.

But have you ever thought how these two organs together contact each other when plants themselves cannot move? How does the male pollens which acts like sperm integrate with the little seeds that act like ovules and bring about their fertilization?

This is done, in most cases, by insects and at times by the wind.

But the issue is not to be taken lightly. This auspicious marriage, which is initiated by insects, has had a long and interesting history and background.

According to the findings of two scholars of the natural sciences, plants and flowers were created during the second half of the second geological age, i.e. during the Mesozoic period. Strange to say, insects were also created during this era. These two creatures have lovingly lived side by side as two intimate friends during the whole history of creation and have always completed each other.

To attract their friends, flowers have produced a delicious juice inside their rosebushes. And when insects try to move the male pollen to the flowers’ female organs in order to let fertilization take place, they get some of this juice free of charge. This precious juice is so palatable for insects that they are involuntarily attracted toward it.

Some botanists contend that the beautiful color and scents of flowers play a significant role in attracting insects. Experiments on bees have shown that they can distinguish between the different colors and scents of flowers.

In fact, it is the flowers that decorate themselves for the insects. In this way, they attract the magnificent butterflies and bees. In this transaction, both sides benefit. The sweet nectar produced is the most perfect food for insects. When concentrated, this juice is called honey. This is because when insects come to visit the flowers they drink some of this juice. When they leave, they take most of this reserved juice and store it in their nests. This friendship, which is based on mutual benefit, has always been and will continue to exist between flowers and insects.

A Lesson from Monotheism:

When we see these wonderful aspects of the life of insects and flowers, we might be tempted to ask ourselves the following question: Who has arranged this contract of friendship between flowers and insects?

Who has provided flowers with this special nectar? Who has given them these breath-taking colors and scents?

Who has provided these insects, butterflies, and bees with such delicate legs to carry the pollen from the flowers?

Why is it that bees have become fond of a special flower? How is it that the life histories of flowers and insects coincide with each other?

Could anybody, however obstinate he might be, believe that all these events have occurred haphazardly without any planning? Could we believe that these wonderful natural sights have been created by an unconscious nature? Never could this have happened!

The Holy Qur’¡n states:

وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنْ اتَّخِذِي مِنْ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتاً وَمِنْ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ. ثُمَّ كُلِي مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً.

And your Lord revealed to the bee saying; Make hives in the mountains, in the trees, and in what they build: Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. [Qur’¡n 16: 68-69]