"O young man!" said the coachman to the young wayfarer. "One class of the signs of Allah is the creation of animals, with all their qualities, species, appearances, uses and services, colours, and other unseen wonders. Some creep on their belly, some walk on two feet, some on four; some have their defence in their feet, the claws; some in the beaks, like the eagle, the Egyptian eagle, and the crow; some in their teeth; some have horns by which they ward off those who seek to subdue them; some, the lion for instance, have enough power to defend themselves without arms, their power being their weapon; some use defecation for defence. The species of animals are so numerous that their number exceeds a million, insects being the majority. The Qur'an reiterates many of the signs, stresses them time and again, exhorting humans to reflect on them with insistence. This is in fact one of the most basic of the Qur'anic themes.
Consider the impressive wisdom invested in the Lord's bestowing on animals hearing and vision to enable them to go about their interests and, eventually, to give their services to man. If they were blind or deaf they would not be of use to man. On the other hand, He denied them the intellect that man has, despite their big bodies; this is of course how they can be domesticated by man, who guides
them and directs them wherever he likes. If they had intellects, with their extra size, they would for sure have disobeyed man, and would have defied his control. As it is, they have been given such understanding and perception as would serve to realize their needs, and eventually the needs of the species they are destined to be controlled by; on the other hand, they have been made to lack the intellect and understanding that gives man superiority over them; and this also underscores the priority and prestige of man. Observe how man leads them and subdues them despite their bulk, while he would not have been able to control them without that subduing. You see how the camel, with its great bulk, is led by the little boy, humble and meek. If the camel were to attack the boy it would crush it like an egg and tear its limbs apart!
Consider the wisdom embodied in the provision of tools of manipulation to animals and man. Since man was created to practice many industries like masonry, sewing, writing and so forth, he was provided with a flat round hand and fingers that enable him to hold, spread, fold, unfold, gather, scatter, join something to another; the animal, on the other hand, was not destined to practice similar industries, and so it was not provided with a hand and fingers similar to a human's. Because some animals, like wild animals, are carnivorous, they were provided with slender, close-built hands with claws or talons adapted to the catching of preys, not for industries. This is so in carnivores; herbivores, on the other hand, are destined not to catch other animals, nor do they have an industry; and so some have hooves that protect them from the roughness of land while they are roaming the meadows grazing; some have dose -built hooves with an arch like human feet, so that they may be placed on the ground; they are destined to carry and transport, and do not need claws or canine teeth for obtaining food, and so they do not have them.
Consider the creation of carnivorous animals, the wisdom embodied in their having sharp teeth, strong daws and large mouths. They have been provided with arms and tools that are adapted to catching preys and eating. That is why you see the birds of prey with sharp beaks and talons like hooks. That is also why the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited eating all beasts with fangs and ail birds of prey, due to its being offensive, aggressive and destructive. As an eater takes on qualities from the stuff he eats, man would take on the traits of the birds of prey were he to eat their meat and would be aggressive and destructive like them. That is why the Muslim ummah is forbidden to eat that flesh. The hyena, on the other hand, though having canine teeth, is not forbidden to eat, as it is not considered by any nation as a predator: prohibition is confined to animals with the two qualities of having fangs and being a predatory animal. It is not said that this is conversely applied in the case of predatory animals without fangs, as they arr absolutely non-existent.
Consider also the legs of animals and the great wisdom they represent. How the Lord destined that they are in pairs, two or four, not odd. An animal can walk and run, and in this way can go about its interests, which would not be possible had its legs been odd. A walker lifts some legs and supports itself on others; a biped animal lifts one leg and supports itself on the other, and a quadruped lifts two and supports itself on the other two, the two on the opposite side, because if it were to lift two legs on the same side and support itself on the other, it would not be steady on the ground at the moment of lifting its legs, and it would be hopping like a bird, which is harmful and tiring to the animal, though not to thebird. It is dear that if man walks this way for some distance he will be exhausted and fatigued, unlike his normal walking which is the appropriate way for him. Wisdom has determined that he moves his right arm with his left leg and holds back his left arm and his right leg, then he shifts to the other side, which is the easiest and most convenient way of walking for the biped.
Regard also the deep judgement behind having the backs of transport animals level like a roof built on columns, which is convenient for riding, and for carrying loads. Camels, in contrast, are different, for their backs are humped, having that arched form; for they are designed for extra heavy loads and are provided with special strength, II is known that domes endure weights that level roofs do not endure - it is even said that the idea of making domes came from the backs of camels. Observe also that as the camel is provided with long legs, its neck is also made correspondingly long, so that it can reach grass while the camel is standing. The camel would not have been able to graze if its neck were short. Another reason its neck was made long is that its length balances the burden on the back once the animal starts to go ahead. The situation is somewhat similar to the one you see in the length of the bar of the bar-scale - it is even said the bar-scale was invented in imitation of the camel, by observing the length of its neck and the weight of its burden; you see how it extends its neck as it goes ahead with the burden, as if it were deliberately balancing it.
Consider how the bodies of animals of lower species have been covered with that hairy, furry, woolly skin; how birds have been covered with feathers, and how some animals have been provided with a strong and tough shell, like the tortoise; some have feathers that are like spears; and see how in every case the covering is adapted to the animal's need for protection from heat, cold, and from enemies that seek to harm it. Since animals are unable to obtain clothes, manufacture garments and coats of arms, they have been supplied with clothing and covering that are permanent, with tools and arms that they can use in self-defense, with hooves, pads and cloven feet in place of shoes and sandals, so that they have their permanent shoes and drinking vessels. The horse, the mule and the donkey were privileged with hooves because they were created to trot, run and race; hooves are also used as weapons, in place of talons, claws and fangs, when these animals want to revenge themselves against their adversary. Reflect, then, on this kindness and mercy: since they are dumb animals that are senseless and have no hands that are adapted for manipulation and defence, and have no share in what humans have of fabrication, knitting and subtle skills, they have been provided with their natural cover, so that it accompanies them as long as they live; and have been provided with weapons and tools that help them defend themselves, so that they can fulfill the wise purpose of their creation.
As for man, he has skill and a hand that is adapted for industry, so it can knit and spin; he can wear apparel that he can change at will. Clothing is a distinguishing mark that sets man apart from the lower animals, in the same way that the Lord distinguished man in nutrition, dwelling, expression, mind and comprehension. Apparel and body- covering vary in accordance with the variety of situation and occasion; as dictated by industry, peace and war, settling and travelling, health and illness, sleep and wakefulness, and luxury. For every aspect of these, a distinguished apparel and body -cover are used, peculiar to it, adapted only to it. There is no apparel that fits all those aspects, that does not vary with the variation of situation. In this, man has been honoured and raised above all other animals.
Regard now the exceeding wisdom represented in the particular shapes of the animals' faces. Observe how the eyes are in front of the face; that enables an animal to see in front of it more than any other direction, which helps it protect itself and its rider, avoid running into a wall or falling down a hole. Animals' eyes are in a position similar with that of a standing person, because eyes function as scouts of the animal. Their mouth is a slit below the nose, which helps them bite and hold the fodder. If it were at a level with the nose and above the chin, as it is in man, they would not be able to pickup anything with it from the ground: do you not see how man picks up food with his hand not with his mouth? As an animal does not pickup its food with its hand, its mouth is a cut at the bottom of the head, which enables it to put it onto the fodder, pick it up and then masticate it. Its lips are like man's, but adapted to its particular needs; they help it reach things near and far. The functions of the tail are a mystery to some people; they do not perceive any of its many advantages. It is in fact like a lid over the anus and a covering to the animal's genitals, covering them and hiding them. In addition, the line along an animals belly, between the anus and the upper part, is a filthy place, where flies and mosquitoes swarm and annoy the animal; and the tail performs here the part of a whisk or a fan that scares the insects away. Another function is that a beast has relief in wagging it to the right and left: It stands on all fours, and its legs are busy carrying the weight of the body, so that they cannot budge or shuffle, and hence it find relief in wagging the tail. There might be, besides, other functions that humans' minds fail short of discerning, and the reader might deny them unless he sees them at the critical time; there is for instance the animal's wallowing in the mud, when nothing helps to get it out more than taking it by its tail.
There is also a very curious wisdom associated with domestic animals, wild animals, predatory animals and animals in general: that you do not see anything of the remains of their dead despite their great number. They are not so few as to be hidden from sight; scarcity is definitely not the cause. They are said to be more numerous than humans. You may take example from what exists in the wilderness, antelopes, deer, cows, wolves, tigers, all kinds of reptiles and insects in their abundance, the many species of birds which are many times as numerous as humans; but you hardly ever come across their carcasses in their dens, habitations, burrows or meadows; along their tracks, near their drinking-places, hiding places or resorts, or places of ambush; except if any of them gets assaulted unprepared, devoured by a wild animal, or shot by a hunter, in a way that it does not have the chance, nor any of its group, to hide itself at death, to have its carcass concealed. This is a proof that when an animal feels the approach of death, in contrast with sudden demise, it lies where no one can reach its body, and buries its body before death occurs. Otherwise, the desert would be filled with the carcasses of dead animals, the air would be polluted with them, and they would be a great source of trouble to people and a plague would spread among mankind.
Many rich morals can be drawn from the life of those animals which you despise and underestimate! Many a sign in them exists about the Creator's kindness, mercy and wisdom. It is an amazing instance of the smartness of animals that if the fox falls to obtain food, if it does not succeed in catching a prey, it fakes death and bloats its belly, so that a bird thinks it is dead and alights on its body to eat of its meat. Then the fox suddenly pounces on the bird and catches it. So, who inspired it with this trick and subtle way of catching their preys, which is their sustenance? Who provided it with this trick as a compensation for its lack of strength and ability. Who but the Gentle, the Knowing compensated it with cunning for its lack of strength and ability?"
The coachman silenced for a moment, and said, "It is extremely rare that two persons are identical in every way. This is very unlikely to occur, while it is not so in the case of all species of animals, domestic, wild, birds, and so on. You see a herd of antelope, a flock of sheep, a herd of camels or cows, so resembling each other that you have to contemplate them for a long time to discover a distinguishing mark between one and the other. Humans, in contrast, vary widely in shape and physical build, in such a way that rarely do any two seem identical in even one feature, not even in tone of voice, not in one utterance. The wisdom of this should be clear, since people need to get acquainted with each other, distinguishing each for what he is in appearance and apparel, so that they can deal with each other. If such differences were not there, immense chaos and disturbance would arise; there would be no chance of distinguishing the plaintiff from the defendant, the creditor from the debtor; a man would not be able to distinguish between his wife and other women. Who is it, then, that made the differences in features, shapes, and voices, differences that no words can describe, and no eloquence can express? Is that the work of nature?
Then the coachman said, "O young man, reflect on Allah's wisdom in His creation and commandment, in what He created and in what He decreed; and you will discover in all that a great source of wisdom that speaks of a foolproof system that never fails, nor does it have any loophole. Some people perceive the wisdom of commandment more than they notice the wisdom of creation - these are the select among Allah's servants, who have well comprehended what Allah ordained of injunctions and religion, and realized His wisdom in what He excelled in designing. Their minds and intellect testify that the basis of what they see is deep wisdom, mercy and benefit for the humans in their worldly and hereafter lives. This class of people, however, are of countless levels that only Allah can reckon. Some humans notice the wisdom of creation more than they notice the wisdom of injunctions, and of this class are the majority of physicians who dedicate their thought to the extraction of the benefits and uses of animals and plants, their potentials and what they can serve, individually and in combinations. Their share in perceiving the wisdom of commandment is equal to or less than the jurists' share in perceiving the wisdom of creation.
Another class are blessed with noticing creation and commandment in accordance with their potential and ability: They notice in what they see the exceeding wisdom that overwhelms minds; and as they observe creation and the many aspects of wisdom it implies, they increase in faith, knowledge and endorsement of what the messengers taught. When they consider His commandments and the exceeding wisdom they imply, their faith and submission to the Lord are increased. They are not like those who have been blinded to the Maker by what He made, or blinded by the stars from realizing the star- Maker; those whose vision is blinded, who are barred from the Lord with a thick veil. If these last-mentioned put their knowledge to good use, they would be among the most staunch of believers, having witnessed Allah's wisdom. His most stunning signs, the wonders of His craft that point to Him, to His knowledge, power, and wisdom that is not available to others. It is, however, of Allah's wisdom that the minds of the majority of this group do not avail their privileged place; they are barred from knowing Him, are stopped at the external aspect of the worldly life, unmindful of the hereafter. These minds are unworthy of being acquainted with Him, His names and Attributes, and the secrets of His religion and legislation, being of base interests, mean and petty. But bounty is in the Hands of Allah, and He extends it to whoever He wills, for Allah is the expender of great bounty. But in this regard, what humans have access to is infinitesimal as compared to what is hidden from them. Indeed, what each and every single human has acquired of knowledge, relative to what they ignore, is equal to the sip of a little bird, relative to the sea. But even so, this is no reason for turning our backs to what we can learn and being desperate about it: a thinking human will find in what he perceives an indication of what lies beyond. And Allah knows best."
Reference :"And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered." - [QS.6:38]
- Capt. Anas Abdul-Hameed Al-Qoz, Men and The Universe - Reflections of Ibn Al-Qayyem, Darussalam
