| Order
in Providence:Nutritional evolution for nourishment
and nurture: The description of nutritional evolution illustrates
the beautiful chain of Allah's ‘Rubuubiyat’, which
means provision of sustenance to everything from its initial
stage to the stage of final destination. This covers every
thing in all universes. The Holy Quran begins with the thankfulpraise
to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of all creations-universes
(`Alhamdu Lillaahi Rabbil Aalamiin',1-2).
"There had been a tremendous expansion of
living mass from the first cells on earth. It makes an interesting
study from Quranic point of view how with the gradual disappearance
of the free molecular food from the oceans, the nutrition
of a vast number of organisms that branched out from the first
cells, could be maintained.” Abdul Wadud goes on to
explain his observation in detail in his book ‘Phenomena
of Nature and the Quran’ (pp.71-73): “This happened
in the following ways: (i) `Parasitism': With the disappearance
of free molecular food from the oceans certain organisms began
to procure food from the bodies of living organisms.(ii) `Saprotophism':
Here the organisms began to live on dead bodies of other organisms.
Many types of bacteria adopted this method of obtaining food.
(iii) `Holotrophism': It is the process of eating whole living
cell....The above three methods of food gathering did not
add anything to the total food stores on the earth. It was
just one cell eating the other dead or alive.. Thus the evolution
of some new methods of manufacturing organic compounds became
necessary.. Thus cells could continue to exist only if they
evolved methods of utilizing external resources of energy.
"This happened in two different ways: (a)
`Chemosynthesis':... Certain types of bacteria, started extracting
energy from sulphur, iron and nitrogen compounds. They absorbed
these compounds into their bodies and on account of certain
reaction that took place bonds were broken, and bond energy
became available for the synthesis of carbohydrates from carbon
dioxide and water.. But the process had its limits, as it
depended on the availability of certain chemicals. (b) `Photosynthesis’...
A huge source of energy was present in the light rays of the
sun, only an energy-trapping substance was required within
the cell. Such substance came to be evolved in the form of
Chlorophyll.. It saved the living organisms from premature
extinction. ..Only the last two added to the total food supply
on the earth."
Allah's Laws are Immutable
"Nobody can change the laws of Allah"
6-34
"You do not find a change in the working
of the Divine Laws". 35-43
"We (Allah)
will show them Our Signs in the universe and within themselves,
until it becomes manifest unto them that this is the `Truth'"
(41-53).
It is important to note that the Quran
is not a book of physics or chemistry, etc, though it invites
attention to reflect on material and moral aspects of human
life blended in the organization of the material world as
an evidence to the Truth.
"Our
Rabb! You have not created all this without purpose.
Glory to Thee!
Give us knowledge to discover the laws
of nature,
To save ourselves from destruction." 3-191
First
revelation with an introduction to Rabb:In
the first revelation to Prophets Muhammad (Peace be upon him),
and communication with Moses (Peace be upon him) and Ibrahim
(Peace be upon him ) the term Rabb has been used. This refers
to the perspective of the society in which polytheism was
rampant and they were not willing even to listen to the argument
of the fact of the Oneness of Allah as Rabb also (Oneness
of Uluuhiyah and Rubuubiyah) of universes-all creations. The
Prophets, in response to their meditation, reflection on the
fact of life and creation, and their quest for the Truth,
were addressed using this term.
To Moses (Peace
be upon him):
“Verily, I (Allah) am your (Rabb) Lord (Allah)!
20-12
To Muhammad (Peace be upon him):
“Read! In the Name of your (Rabb)
Lord-Master-Sustainer (Allah), Who created.”
96-1
Evidences
of Rubuubiyah:All the Most Beautiful-Best
Attributes of Allah make, mark and illuminate their manifestations
in the universe. In this context Rubuubiyah has been explained
by the Quran very frequently. It is an evidence to the Unity
of God flawless creation, perfect order, astonishing arrangement
and organization, precision in predictability and certainty
in the execution of orders. They all prove, besides Existence
and Providence, Perfection of the Power of the Regulating
Mind that directs all affairs. It is in the very nature, that
if man reflects on the working of the universe he can not
deny the Existence of Allah, and His Oneness as ‘Ilaah’
and ‘Rabb’. This is what, in fact, the Unification
Theory in science, amounts to.
Probe into the evidence of Rubuubiyah does not
require microscopic mind or telescopic traversing. What is
required, is a common sense, a naked and open eye (vision),
an uncovered ear (listening), and an ordinary, simple and
pure mind (reflection). Science, however, takes a deeper look
and discovers the details.
"Let man look at his food;
It was We (Allah) who rained down the copious
rains,
Then cleft the earth with clefts, and caused the
up-growth of the grain,
and grapes and healing herbs, and olives and date-palms,
and gardens dense with many trees, and fruits
and herbage,
for the service of yourselves and of your cattle."
80-23 to 32.
Also see, for example: 16- 65 to 70, and 56- 63
to 73.
Computer
Simulations Explain Mathematical and Physical Patterns in
the Universe: Scientific advancement, at any
given point of time, has always roused feelings of admiration,
perplexity and adoration for the creation of the world of
wonders and being sustained and developed all along. The latest
in this regard being the computer science. Many scientists
regard `computer’ as a central component in any system
of thought that attempts to give meaning to mathematics. They
proclaim, `what can't be computed is meaningless'. In particular,
any description of the physical universe must use mathematics
that can actually be implemented, in principle, by a computer.
The astronomer James Jeans proclaimed that God is a mathematician.
This expresses the belief that the underlying order of the
world can be expressed in mathematical form, i.e., physical
world is the manifestation of mathematical order and harmony.
This lies at the very heart of science. One school of thought
goes to the extent that mathematics is not a human invention
but it has an independent existence. One scholar remarked
that world is nothing but pieces. May we call `pieces’
as equations, formulations and words
(‘kalimaat’) - `Kalimaatillaah'?
Physical world reflects computational properties
of arithmetic. Computers simulate each other and can simulate
the physical world. Charles Babbage, one of the pioneers of
the concept of computer, conjectured that physical world is
a computer. Tipler went to the extent that computer can simulate
consciousness. Paul Davies in his book `The Mind of God’(pp.111
to 170), has discussed some models and theories which generate
lot of interest in understanding certain aspects of computer
science working in universe and life, as follows: In this
respect , "one can consider the space occupied by the
`dot patterns’ as a model universe.. Everything that
happens in the ‘Life universe’ is strictly deterministic
by the pattern at the preceding step. The initial pattern
thus fixes everything to come, `ad infinitum'. The mechanistic
character of such simulations has earned them the name `cellular
automata,' the cells being the squares or pixels.
"Among the infinite variety of Life forms
are some that retain their identity as they move about. These
include the so-called `gliders', consisting of five dots,
and various larger `spaceships'. Collisions between these
objects can produce all sorts of structures and `debris',
depending on the details.. gliders beget gliders.. Other common
objects are `blocks’, stationary squares of four dots
that tend to destroy objects that collide with them. Then
there are the more destructive `eaters' , which break up and
annihilate passing objects, and then repair the damage to
themselves occasioned by the encounter.. Very powerful computers
are needed to explore the more advanced repertoire of ‘Life
activity’.
“Neumann was fascinated to know whether
a machine could in principle be built that is capable of reproducing
itself, based on the concept of `universal constructor'..
If.. possible.. we would be able to understand the principles
that enable biological organisms to reproduce themselves..
to produce not only a copy of itself, but also a copy of their
programme of how to copy itself, otherwise the `daughter'
machine will be `sterile',.. with of course the requisite
control mechanism.
"It appears as if there is a kind of randomness
or uncertainty (dare I call it , `free will' ?)
built into the ‘Life universe’, as indeed there
is in the real universe, `due to the restrictions of logic
itself', as soon as systems become complex enough to engage
in self-reference which is closely related to self-reproduction..
"Although no such pattern has actually been
constructed, some enthusiasts assert that such self-reproducing
‘Life patterns’ really would be alive,.. if the
essence of life is regarded simply as `energy organised' above
a certain threshold of complexity.. It may be noted that it
is, after all, only a simulated universe. It isn't
real!.. Simulations are only imperfect approximations
to reality.. ‘Life’ is already programmed
into the machine and can be accessed with a few simple commands.
The mystics believe that we ourselves are not `real’.
In the modern terminology of computer it is argued that we
ourselves are. merely a `simulation' inside a gigantic computer!.
Tipler is non-committal to say: ‘we can't know’.!
"In Pythagoras's words:
‘number is the measure of all things’.
The numerological systems developed by many cultures penetrated
both science and art.. and treat the physical world
as a manifestation of concordant mathematical relationships.”
“And
He (Allah) keeps count of all things”
72-28
(Translation, Dr M.M.Khan
and Dr Al-Hilali)
“And
He (Allah) has numbered everything in numbers”
72-28
(Translation,
Arthur J. Arberry)
If the universe
is the `output' of some computational process, then it must
be by definition, computable (finite), i.e., there
must exist a programme or an algorithm from which a correct
description of the world may be obtained in a finite number
of steps. If we knew the algorithm, we would have
a complete theory of the universe, including the numerical
values for all measurable physical quantities.
Although
the universe is complex, it is clearly not random.
We observe regularities, e.g., in the cosmic programme. The
regularities are systematized into what we
call laws analogous to computer programs. Given the initial
state of a system (input), we can use the laws
to compute a later state (output). A classic example is provided
by the prediction of eclipses. Knowing the position and motion
of earth, sun, and moon at one time enables us to predict
dates of future and past eclipses. In computer jargon, we
may say that the data set of eclipses has been algorithmically
compressed into the laws plus initial conditions. Thus the
observed regularities of the universe are an example of its
algorithmic compressibility.
Underlying
the complexity of nature is the simplicity of physics:The
essence of the idea of algorithmic compression hinges on a
very simple question: what is the shortest message (Kalimaah?)
that can describe a system to a certain level of detail? The
complexity of something is defined as the length of the shortest
possible description of that thing.(Kalimaah?)
The computer language we choose to work in - LISP, BASIC,
FORTRAN- is irrelevant. It is a straightforward matter to
write instructions (Kalimaah?) to
translate one computer language into another - typically
a very small correction to the total programme-length (Revelation
was transmitted in different languages, carrying the same
message in continuity).
Bennett invites us to think about the state of
the world as having coded information folded up in it; information
about the way the state was achieved in the first place. -
then how much information processing went on - this is what
he refers to as logical depth. One obvious application of
logical depth is to biological systems, as the examples of
organized complexity. A living organism has great logical
depth, because it could not plausibly have originated except
through a very long and complicated chain of evolutionary
processes. The essence of Life’s complexity
lies not with the rules, but with their Repeated Use.
The computer has to work very hard applying the (simple) rule
again and again before it can generate deeply complex patterns
from simple initial states. The world abounds in deep
systems, which show evidence of enormous `work' which
has been done in fashioning them.
For centuries scientists have loosely talked about
the universe being `ordered', without having a clear distinction
between the various types of order: simple and complex. The
world is `ordered' both in the sense of being algorithmically
comprehensible, and in the sense of having depth.
The order of the cosmos is more than mere regimented regularity.
It is also an organised complexity, from which the
universe derives its openness and permits the existence of
humanbeings with free will. The laws of our universe
possess the crucial dual property - Simple Patterns
and Organised Complexity (form that enables
depth)- a fact of literally cosmic significance.
Paul Davies goes on to explain the concept of
the creation of the universe being contingent which leads
to confirmation of the belief of independent and necessary
Creator. "Ultimately, it is the assumption that the universe
is both `contingent' and `intelligible' that provides the
motivation for empirical science. For, without the contingency
we would in principle not be able to explain the universe
using logical deduction alone, without ever observing it.
And without the intelligibility there could be no science.
`It is the combination of contingency and intelligibility,'
writes the philosopher Ian Barbour, `which prompts us to search
for New and Unexpected forms of rational order.' Barbour points
out that the contingency of the world is fourfold: First,
the laws of physics themselves appear to be contingent. Second,
the cosmological initial conditions could have been otherwise.
Third, we know from quantumn mechanics that `God
plays dice'- i.e., there is a fundamental statistical element
in nature.. Finally, there is the fact that
the universe exists.
“After all, however comprehensive our theories
of the universe may be, there is no obligation for the world
actually to instantiate that theory. This last point has been
vividly expressed by Stephen Hawking: `Why does the universe
go to all the bother of existing?', he asks. `What
is that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe
for them to describe.?"
"..There is also a fifth
type of contingency, which is to be found in the `higher-level'
laws associated with the organizational properties of complex
systems. Mendel's laws of genetics,.. though perfectly consistent
with the underlying laws of physics, could not be derived
solely from the laws of physics. Likewise, the various laws
and regularities found in chaotic systems, or in self-organizing
systems, depend not only on the laws of physics, but also
on the specific nature of the systems concerned. In many cases
the precise form of the patterns of behaviour adopted by these
systems depends upon some `accidental' microscopic fluctuation,
and must therefore be considered as undetermined in advance.
These higher-level laws and regularities thus possess important
contingent features over and above the usual
laws of physics.
"The great mystery about contingency is not
so much that the world could have been otherwise, but it is
contingently `ordered'. This is most forcefully apparent in
the biological realm, where terrestrial organisms are clearly
contingent in their particular forms (they could so easily
have been different), where there is a conspicuous and pervasive
order in the biosphere. If objects and events in the world
were merely haphazard and arranged in no specially significant
way, their `particular' arrangement would still be mysterious.
But the fact that the contingent features of the world are
also ordered or patterned is surely deeply meaningful.
"Another highly relevant feature of the world's
ordered contingency concerns the `nature of that order', which
is such as to bestow a rational unity on the cosmos.. `It
is this combination of contingence, rationality, freedom and
stability of the universe,' writes Torrance, `which gives
it its remarkable character, and which makes scientific exploration
of the universe not only possible for us but incumbent upon
us…It is through relying on the indissoluble
bond between contingence and order in the universe that natural
science has come to operate with the distinctive interconnection
between experiment and theory which has characterized our
greatest advances in knowledge of the physical world."
The essence of science is to uncover patterns
and regularities in nature by finding algorithmic compressions
of observations. But the raw data of observation rarely exhibit
explicit regularities. Instead, we find that nature's order
is hidden from us, it is written
in code (Kalimaat?). What is remarkable is that humanbeings
are actually able to carry out this code-breaking operation,
and that the human mind has the necessary intellectual equipment
to `unlock the secrets of nature'. Human abilities, physical
and mental, show wide variations.. Scientists are trying to
understand how mental abilities are controlled by our genes.
It is amazing that physical, biological, and in fact, all
sciences work together. All these research efforts ultimately
lead to praise and adoration for the Creator and Sustainer
of all these systems! “Alhamdu Lillaahi Rabbil
Aalamiin.” Till we were able to fathom the working of
nature, by using scientific method, information to the necessary
extent was provided through revelation.
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