100 Proofs That Islam Is True (Part 20): All Life From Water
Mufti Faijullah Aman
Introduction
In Part 19 we looked at the first part of verse 30 of Surah al-Anbiya, which speaks of the heavens and the earth being joined together and then separated. Today we will look at the second part of the same verse.
Allah says: "And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?" (Surah al-Anbiya 21:30)
He also says: "Allah created every living creature from water. Among them are those that move on their bellies, those that walk on two legs, and those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills." (Surah an-Nur 24:45)
And: "It is He who created human beings from water." (Surah al-Furqan 25:54)
The Main Component of Every Cell
Today's biology tells us that the largest component of every living cell on earth is water. About seventy percent of an ordinary cell is water. About sixty percent of an adult human body is water. About three-quarters of the brain and the heart is water. And some sea creatures, such as jellyfish, are almost entirely water.
Water is essential not only in amount but also in function. Almost all the chemical reactions inside a cell take place through water. Water carries food and oxygen, removes waste, and regulates body temperature. Water can dissolve so many substances that scientists call it the "universal solvent." Because of this property, the complex chemistry of life has become possible.
Life Began in Water
The broad view of scientists is that the first forms of life on earth were born in water, in the ancient seas. For billions of years, life was limited to water alone.
Scientific explanations on this subject may change over time, and we do not want to tie the Qur'an to any particular theory. But this much is clear: from both sides, the origin and the composition of life, today's science sees water as the basic component of life.
Searching for Life in Space
The principle that the American space agency NASA has followed in searching for life on Mars and other planets and moons was summed up as: "Follow the water." Scientists know that no life known to us can survive without water. So to understand whether a planet might hold life, they first look for whether liquid water is there.
Two Objections and Their Answers
Critics raise two objections against this proof. They should be looked at honestly.
First objection: Long before the Qur'an, in the sixth century BCE, the Greek philosopher Thales said that the basic substance of everything is water. So what is new in the Qur'an's statement?
Answer: Thales said that "everything" comes from water: stones, soil, metals, everything. This has been proven wrong. But the Qur'an said that "every living thing" (kulla shay'in hayy) comes from water. The Qur'an limited the statement to living things. And this very limit has kept the Qur'an's statement correct before today's science, where the statement of Thales did not stand. If the Qur'an had borrowed from the philosophy of that age, that mistake would naturally have come with it.
Second objection: The people of the desert already knew that no one can live without water. What is so special about this?
Answer: It is true that everyone knew one cannot live without water. But the Qur'an did not say "We keep life alive with water"; it said "We created from water." In other words, water is not only a need of life, but its material and its source. How could people who did not know that the body is made of cells know that the main component of every cell is water? And looking at the desert camel, which goes for days without water, or the dry shrubs of the desert, no one would easily think that these too are made mainly of water.
Unity Within Diversity
The verse of Surah an-Nur shows another beautiful aspect. Allah says that all creatures are created from water, yet some move on their bellies, some on two legs, and some on four. Today we know that from snakes to humans, from ants to whales, all bodies are made of the same kind of cells, and inside every cell is the same water, the same basic chemistry. This inner unity behind so much outward diversity points to one Creator.
Why Is This a Proof?
The strength of this proof lies not in a dramatic claim, but in precise wording. The Qur'an spoke a sentence to the people of the seventh century that was easy for them to understand, yet is also correct for a biologist of the twenty-first century. The sentence is not so broad that it leaves room for error, nor so ordinary that it is merely common experience. The mistake found in earlier philosophy is not in the Qur'an. And as time has passed, the depth of this sentence has become ever clearer.
Conclusion
Notice the last part of the verse: "Will they not then believe?" Here Allah is asking human beings a question. Look at the water you drink every day, the water that makes up most of your body. How did such varied, complex, and beautiful life come from the same simple water? Is there not a wise Creator behind it?
Previous part (Part 19): The Beginning of Creation and the Expanding Universe
In the next part: Mountains, the Pegs of the Earth. In sha Allah.
