The Miracle of Sura Baqar Verses 2:02 to 2:034

[Mohammed Ali Rizvi]

The Miracle of Sura Baqar Verses 2:02 to 2:034

When your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing a caliph on earth,’ they replied: ‘Will You put there one that will do evil and shed blood, when we have for so long sung Your praises and sanctified Your name?’ He said: ‘I know what you do not know.’ He taught Adam all the names and then set them before the angels, saying: ‘Tell me the names of these, if what you say be true.’ ‘Glory be unto You,’ they replied, ‘we have no knowledge except that which You have given us. You alone are wise and all-knowing.’ Then said He to Adam: ‘Tell them their names.’ And when Adam had named them, He said: ‘Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and all that you hide and all that you reveal? (2:30-33)

What are these “names” that are referred to in these Ayaat?

The reference here is to the” basic skill” imparted to Adam, of naming names, a practical consequence of which is the process by which theoretical and scientific knowledge advances and results in creation of complex machines and equipment, be it automobiles, space ships, satellites, telescopes & microscopes facilitating enquiry in the area of medicine, space, genetics, the Human body, et all.

It is that simple! How?

Example:
Let us look at the invention of the wheel at the following site:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004203/science/science02.htm

Invention of Wheel:
Stage one: Early men placed rollers beneath heavy objects so that they could be moved easily.
Stage two: Early men began to place runners under a heavy load, which they discovered would make it easier for the load to drag. This was the invention of the sledge.
Stage three: Men began to combine the roller and the sledge. As the sledge moved forward over the first roller, a second roller was placed under the front end to carry the load when it moved off the first roller. A model of a sledge with such rollers is in the Smithsonian Institution.
Stage four: Soon, men discovered that the rollers which carried the sledge became grooved with use. They soon discovered that these deep grooves actually allowed the sledge to advance a greater distance before the next roller was needed to come on!
Thus, in Stage five: The rollers were changed into wheels. In the process of doing so, wood between the grooves of the roller were cut away to form an axle and wooden pegs were fastened to the runners on each side of the axle. When the wheels turn, the axle turned too in the space between the pegs. The first wooden cart was thus made.
Stage six: A slight improvement was made to the cart. This time, instead of using pegs to join the wheels to the axle, holes for the axle were drilled through the frame of the cart. Axle and wheels were now made separately.
The wheel was furthered improved on later by the Egyptians, who made wheels with spokes, which could be found on Egyptian chariots of around 2000 BC. Over in Ancient India, chariots with spokes in the wheels dating back to around 1500 B.C. were also discovered. The Greeks too, adopted the idea of wheel-making from the Egyptians and made further improvements to it. Later, during the time of the Roman Empire, the Romans too engaged themselves in wheel-making and produced the greatest variety of wheeled vehicles. They had chariots for war, hunting, and racing, two-wheeled farm carts, covered carriages, heavy four-wheeled freight wagons and passenger coaches.
Today, we see that the wheel has indeed undergone a drastic transformation from a simple one made of wood to the pneumatic rubber tyres that we see on vehicles today. What do you think are the advantages of using rubber tyres instead of wooden wheels?

At each stage there was a “naming” process based on utility. It is this ability of assigning a “name” which facilitated the evolution of the wheel &axle and consequently the modern Automobile. And this is the basic skill which God refers to in his Sura.
Today, the Wheel has thousands of parts, each has a “name’ and a function to perform.
This is how the space ship and satellites evolved, this is how we understand the function of the Human Body today, unknown to us hundreds of years ago, and this is how the microscopes evolved.
In the Quran at various places, a “parable” is placed. These, I found, may refer to a tryst with an event which can be explained with knowledge acquired in future times.
The “Parable of the Electric Bulb” is one such sura in the Quran in chapter 24 Verse 35.(see entry below:)
In the present Sura Baqar, verses 2:02 to 2:034 dealing with creation of Mankind, and Hazrat Adam in particular, Ayat 2:026 is a “parable” about the Mosquito, is placed strategically - a very technical object, to explain Mankind the significance of the verses 2:30-33, and the miracle of God in imparting the wisdom and skill of naming “names” on which the edifice of Science & Technology is built.

The Parable of the Mosquito (Ayat 2:026) :

1. It is a Female.
2. It has 100 eyes in its head.
3. It has 48 Teeth in its Mouth.
4. Inside its little body there are 3 complete Hearts.
5. It has 6 knives in its Nose and each knife has its special use.
6. It has 3 Wings on each side.
7. In the body of this insect is a digital X-Ray Machine. It uses it to distinguish the human skin in the dark in violet colour.
8. Its body also contains a small Vaccine working as a local anaesthetic to help it to insert its thorns in the human skin.
9. It has an instrument for blood test, because it does not like all blood types.
10. It has a special mechanism to speed up the blood flow so it can draw it faster.
11. The Most strange discovery by the Modern Science is that there is another very small microscopic insect living on top of this Mosquito!
This Parable has been placed, to show mankind that it is Man's basic skill of naming "Names" will lead to the understanding of this Parable. No body could figure out the complexity of the Mosquito, 1400 years ago!

Jalaluddin Rumi, the Great Sufi Saint and a Poet and in his Masnavi, refers to these suras, in his “The Wisdom of the Weak” with profound insight:
“The earthly Adam was taught of God names,
So that his glory reached the seventh heaven.”

This couplet is taken from the following site:

http://www.for1250rumi-masnavi.htmldham.edu/halsall/source/

The Wisdom of the Weak
"O friends, God has given me inspiration.
Often times strong counsel is suggested to the weak.
The wit taught by God to the bee
Is withheld from the lion and the wild ass.
It fills its cells with liquid sweets;
For God opens the door of this knowledge to it.
The skill taught by God to the silkworm
Is learning beyond the reach of the elephant.
The earthly Adam was taught of God names,
So that his glory reached the seventh heaven.
He laid low the name and fame of the angels,
Yet blind indeed are they whom God dooms to doubt!"

This is what the great Sufi says, “Often times strong counsel is suggested to the weak!”