Foreword

The subject of this book is the cell, the building block of the human body and of every species of plants and animals. Most people would say that this topic belongs to the realm of biology or even chemistry, reasoning that any treatise about the human cell could only be a biology or a chemistry textbook. However, the book you hold in your hands is no textbook. Its aim is neither to increase your scientific knowledge, nor teach you biology in detail, because by itself, increased biological knowledge of the cell is of no benefit. And besides, most of the details are taught to students while at school-though most of them forget it all soon after, never to remember it again. Why? Because this type of biological information about the cell is presented to students in a completely wrong logical context.

In fact, young people are infected with this twisted logic right from the beginning of their lives. As soon as a young child starts to observe the world around him, he's amazed at everything he sees and begins to ask questions. Looking at the Sun, he is awestruck. "How," he asks, "can such a vast ball of fire can stay up there in space, just the right distance away to produce just enough heat and light for human beings on Earth? Who put the Sun there? And how? And why?"

But in response to this and other similar questions, the answer that the child will probably receive is, "The Sun is a perfectly normal star, and it's been there for billions of years. Moreover, nobody placed it there. It appeared by chance as a result of a big explosion that took place, and the Earth-again by coincidence-formed in just the right spot for human life to exist."

But if this same child was raised in a knowledgeable society possessed of a conscience, the answer he received would be quite different: "That the Sun gives us heat and light is a manifestation of God's endless knowledge and perfect creativity. If He had not willed the Sun to exist, we would not have been able to live our lives here on Earth. Had the Sun been either closer to, or further from, the Earth, we still couldn't exist. Just like everything else around us, the Sun is a miracle and a mercy from God. It should be a means for us to remember Him and to thank Him continuously."

But as mentioned before, the child seldom gets this kind of response and his curiosity is put to sleep with strictly "scientific" logic. Meeting with this type of answer to his every question, finally he learns not to be amazed at anything and to overlook the extraordinariness of all things. When he first eats a tasty apple, he asks, "How is it that trees present such beautiful and beneficial things to man?" In all probability he will receive the same predictable answer: "Trees have been producing fruit for millions of years. It's a natural process. There's nothing amazing about it."

The child who's been desensitized by the society he lives in obtains his real education at school. In general science first of all, he learns the scientific explanations behind all creatures and all events. Then, when he gets a bit older, physics, biology and chemistry lessons teach him about the workings of the human body or nature, but he is made to believe that all of this is just natural and not miraculous in any way. He is never allowed to ask the questions that need to be asked: How did all of this happen? What is the source of the intelligence behind it all? How could such a balance have come about?

He learns never to ask such questions. For example, he learns the biological details of how fruit develops on trees. He is loaded up with facts about photosynthesis and plant structure. But all the while, questions like the following are never asked or answered: "How could such a perfect nutrient, presented in the world's most beautiful package and so suitable to a person's taste and health, have come from inside a piece of wood?" "Isn't this a sign that the fruit has been especially created for man; and that both the tree and man have been created by the same possessor of intelligence?"

He is never asked to reflect on the purpose of created things. The only thing he does is to be given more and more information about the nature of these things. Dry facts and names do not benefit man in any way; nor do they have the slightest positive effect on his heart or his soul.

As a result of all this, the child loses his sensitivity and his awe toward the miracles in creation. He learns not to display amazement towards anything. He learns to be blind, while claiming that he sees. Finally he is ready to accept certain other ideas. And at this point, the last stop in his education, the theory of evolution finally arrives on the scene.

This desensitized young person has been blinded to all the miracles and extraordinary events surrounding him. Now he struggles to answer this one question: "How did all of these living things come into existence?" And so, the false savior of evolutionary theory comes to his aid. It presents to him in scientific guise such nonsense as the idea that everything came into being as a result of coincidence. And so, "enlightened" by this theory, this young person's heart becomes hardened and he becomes an unbeliever.

He will spend the rest of his life in pursuit of comfort, seeking only to satisfy his selfish desires, and eating and drinking without any reflection. This is because he has eradicated from his heart the last remains of his conscience that, up until now, has continued to make him uncomfortable. But when death comes upon him in this state, and he is thrown towards the Fire, he will beg to be returned to the Earth and become one of the believers. But he will be given the following reply:

... Did We not let you live long enough for anyone who was going to pay heed to pay heed? And did not the warner come to you? Taste it then! There is no helper for the wrongdoers. (Qur'an, 35:37)

And so, as mentioned in the verse above, it behooves man to reflect and take heed during the period of time given to him. It is not known when one's time will be up, nor is there a minute to lose. Man has been created in order to reflect upon how he and every thing around him have been created and, consequently, to know God and appreciate His power. This is the fundamental purpose of man's life in this world.

And this book's purpose is to aid in your reflection and guidance. As mentioned before, the dry facts learned at school numb the brain because this method stops one from asking questions that need to be asked. The following pages will analyze some of the technical details taught at school but at the same time, we are going to ask the necessary questions and search for the wisdom behind the events that are so dryly described.