[Al-Quran 50:6-8] Have they not looked at the heaven above them - how We structured it and adorned it and how it has no rifts? And the earth - We spread it out and cast therein firmly set mountains and made grow therein [something] of every beautiful kind, Giving insight and a reminder for every servant who turns [to Allah].

Showing posts with label genome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genome. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Double Helix

Creation in Pairs

Related posts:


Abstract
Expressing wonder at the presence of the double helix shape at the molecular scale in water clusters and in the human DNA, the helical shape of the heart muscle, as well as the Double Helix Nebula, several light years in length, near the centre of our galaxy.   


Full Text 

The Bible mentions Living Water in  Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13, Zechariah 14:8 and John 4:10.



قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ كَفَرْتُم بِهِ مَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ هُوَ فِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَاءِ رَبِّهِمْ أَلَا إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّحِيطٌ

[Al-Qur’an 41:52-53-54] Say, "You see - if it is from Allah then you disbelieve in it, who (is) more astray than (one) who - he (is) in opposition far?"
Soon We will show them Our Signs in the horizons and in themselves* until becomes clear to them, that it (is) the truth. Is (it) not sufficient concerning your Lord, that He (is) over all things a Witness?  
Unquestionably, they (are) in doubt about (the) meeting (with) their Lord? Unquestionably, indeed, He (is) of all things encompassing.

The Double Helix occurs in the molecular scale in water clusters and in the DNA of living things. Moreover, the shape of the heart muscle is helical. Strangely, the same shape appears in a nebula that is several light years in length.  The Double Helix Nebula is located near the centre of our galaxy.  

* their Nafs [links to posts about Nafs: https://signsandscience.blogspot.com/p/nafs.html


Code and the Double Helix

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ


[Al-Qur’an 35:1] All praises (be) to Allah, the Fatir (of) the skies and the earth, (Who) makes the Angels messengers having wings two or three or four. He increases in the creation what He wills. Indeed, Allah (is) on every thing All-Powerful.

The Qur’an stresses belief in the ‘Al-Kitab’, the Book. It also emphasizes the central role of the heart (qalb) vis-à-vis revelation.

The Qur’an keeps drawing attention to multiple forms of creation, as well as the diversity within each form. It claims that water is the basis of all life forms. Q30:30 warns us that there should be no change in the creation of Allah, especially the human nature.


Genes – shape: Double Helix - Pairs of DNA strands

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

[Al-Qur’an 36:36 , Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] Glory be (to) the One Who created (in) pairs all of what grows the earth and of themselves, and of what not they know.

Modern science has learnt that the genome is the software of living things, containing all of the information needed to build and maintain an organism.  The genome is made up of DNA. The DNA molecule is in the shape of a double helix. 

 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleic_acid_double_helix
[Quote] In molecular biology, the term double helix[1] refers to the structure formed by double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids such as DNA. The double helical structure of a nucleic acid complex arises as a consequence of its secondary structure, and is a fundamental component in determining its tertiary structure.
...
The realization that the structure of DNA is that of a double-helix elucidated the mechanism of base pairing by which genetic information is stored and copied in living organisms and is widely considered one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century.  
[Unquote] 




Water Clusters – Double Helix Water

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

[Al-Qur’an 21:30, Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] Do not see those who disbelieved that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then We parted them and We made from [the] water every living thing? Then will not they believe?  


وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن رِّزْقٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ

[Al-Qur’an 45:5-6, Translation: Yusuf Ali] And in the alternation of Night and Day, and the fact that God sends down Sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the change of the winds,- are Signs for those that are wise. Such are the Signs of God, which We rehearse to thee in Truth; then in what exposition will they believe after (rejecting) God and His Signs?  

Science acknowledges that water is the basis of all life forms. Recent imaging of water clusters has revealed structures in a variety of shapes, including the double helix! The discoverer believes the double helix water to be the precursor of the double-helix DNA.   

[Quote] Stable water clusters tens of nanometres to millimetres in dimensions can be seen under the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and the atomic force microscope (AFM). These appear by drying specially prepared distilled water at room temperature and pressure (Lo A. et al., 2012). The clusters consist of millions to billions of water molecules and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes (Figure 1). They make up structures that are flexible, and can be deformed by the tips of the atomic force microscope probe if scanned in the contact mode. Otherwise, they remain stable for weeks, even months at room temperature and pressure. They have all the characteristics of ‘soft matter’ - liquids, liquid crystals, colloids, polymers, gels, and foams - that form mesoscopic structures much larger than the molecules themselves, but small compared with the bulk material (Web ref. 1 ).

Close-up, there appears to be a common fine structure to the clusters; they are all made up of small spheres tens of nanometres in diameter (see Fig. 1, right panel) lined up in strings that are further aggregated into rods (left panel) two of which wind around each other into a double-helix (second panel from left), or loops (middle panel) and wreaths (second panel from left). These and other observations suggest to the researchers that the spheres are dipoles, enabling them to line up end to end to form an infinite variety of shapes and sizes. Significantly, no diffraction pattern characteristic of crystals was recorded, neither the spheres making up the clusters nor the clusters are crystalline.

How This Finding Could Revolutionize Biology and Medicine
Shui-Yin Lo attaches special significance to the double-helix clusters (“double helix water”) found in some preparations of clustered water, which he believes – in the absence of real evidence – to be the precursor the double-helix in DNA …. [Unquote]



Human Heart – shape: Double Helix

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

[Al-Qur’an 8:24, Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] O you who believe! Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to what gives you life. And know that Allah comes (in) between a man and his heart, and that to Him you will be gathered.

Quran and prior scriptures inform us of the huge importance of the heart vis-à-vis knowledge and keeping our duty to God. For example, consider the prayer of Prophet Abraham: 

... إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ...

[Al-Qur'an 26:87 - 90] ... And (do) not disgrace me (on the) Day they are resurrected, (The) Day not will benefit wealth and not sons, Except (he) who comes (to) Allah with a heart sound." And (will be) brought near the Paradise for the righteous. 


Interestingly, the shape of the heart muscle is a double helix:

[Quote] A revolution in cardiac anatomy
The heart was thought to have a helical structure for 500 years. However, unwinding the structure to define this configuration has not been possible until Dr. F. Torrent-Guasp used hand dissection to successfully unfold this “Gordian Knot” of anatomic architecture, and demonstrate for the world the ventricular myocardial band. Re-scrolling this cardiac structure into its natural biologic configuration shows two loops that are termed a transverse basal loop which is an external buttress embracing the left and right ventricles, and an oblique apical loop containing a figure of 8 configuration that forms a helix with a conical apex. This helix comprises the septum and left ventricle.
This helical shape causes the twisting (or wringing) and untwisting of heart muscle to allow for both the ejection of blood, and suction for cardiac filling. The power of this structure is the simplicity of formation, as these sequential actions follow each other before the next heart beat. Disruption of this normal shape relationship occurs when the conical (or elliptical) heart becomes a sphere. Such distortion of the normal geometric form causes the enlarged heart of patients with congestive heart failure.
This normal anatomic configuration is illustrated with the unfolded heart possessing a rope-like form comprised of a left and right segment of the basal loop. The sequential scrolling back into the natural form allows the basal loop to embrace the oblique segments (descending and ascending) of the apical loop and to form the helical shape and buttress wrapping that underlies cardiac function.
"Anatomists have traditionally dissected the heart, but they did not understand the perennial problem of where the heart started and where the heart stopped. Dr. Torrent-Guasp has solved this mystery by showing the site of origin and end of the myocardial fiber band."
Gerald D. Buckberg M.D., "Basic Science Review: The helix and the heart". The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Vol. 124, No. 5, Nov. 2002. [Unquote]

Double Helix Nebula

قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ

[Al-Qur'an 20:50, Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] He said, "Our Lord (is) the One Who gave (to) every thing its form, then He guided (it)."

Allah is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, and everything and everyone within them. Belief in the Al-Kitab, the Book, is one of the articles of faith. I understand Al-Kitab to be the software of creation: 

يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِندَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ

[Al-Qur'an 13:39, Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] Allah eliminates what He wills, and confirms, and with Him (is) the Mother (of) the Book.

The discovery of a nebula in the shape of a double helix is absolutely amazing! I wonder, and its a big question mark, if this Nebula contains some portion of the software of our galaxy. Perhaps, if Allah wills, He might grant us some insights into the wonders of His creation. The Qur'an does record the courtier of Prophet Solomon who had knowledge of Al-Kitab and thus was able to instantly transport the Throne of the Queen of Saba from Saba to the Court of Solomon: 


قَالَ الَّذِي عِندَهُ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِندَهُ قَالَ هَٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَنِي أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّي غَنِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ   

[Al-Qur'an 27:40] Said one who, with him (was) knowledge of Al-Kitab, "I will bring it to you before [that] returns to you your glance." Then when he saw it placed before him, he said, "This (is) from (the) Favor (of) my Lord, to test me whether I am grateful or I am ungrateful. And whoever (is) grateful then only he is grateful for his own soul. And whoever (is) ungrateful, then indeed, my Lord (is) Self-sufficient, Noble."

False-Color Image of Double Helix Nebula


[Quote]
03.16.06

Using observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers report an unprecedented elongated double helix nebula near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The part of the nebula the astronomers observed stretches 80 light years in length. The research is published March 16 issue of the journal Nature. 

"We see two intertwining strands wrapped around each other as in a DNA molecule," said Mark Morris, UCLA professor of physics and astronomy, and lead author. "Nobody has ever seen anything like that before in the cosmic realm. Most nebulae are either spiral galaxies full of stars or formless amorphous conglomerations of dust and gas — space weather. "

The double helix nebula is approximately 300 light years from the enormous black hole at the center of the Milky Way. (The Earth is more than 25,000 light years from the black hole at the galactic center.)

Spitzer is an infrared telescope that is imaging the sky at unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, enabling it to see the double helix nebula clearly
.
[Unquote]

-----------------------------


أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ

[Al-Qur'an 57:16, Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] Has not come (the) time for those who believed that become humble their hearts at (the) remembrance (of) Allah and what has come down of the truth? And not they become like those who were given the Book before, (and) was prolonged for them the term, so hardened their hearts; and many of them (are) defiantly disobedient.


-----------------------------






References & Further Reading:

DNA


Heart

Water Clusters

Double Helix Nebula

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Adam's Attempt to Improve upon Allah's Creation

Outcome: Mutated, Non-Functional Genes 
No change should there be in the creation of Allah [Quran 30:30]  

Abstract
Upon eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and his wife were repentant that they had wronged themselves. Adam had tried to change creation in pursuit of Immortality and A Kingdom that Never Decays. This makes it the earliest known attempt at genetic modification!    

This study revisits the narration of Adam’s trial in the Qur'an to understand the lesson in it, along with with the signs in nature and the latest discoveries in genomics. It appears that, like other animals, humans also have the software to grow a coat on their skin, but that these genes have mutated and are no longer functional in humans.


Full Text
The Qur'an states that the pursuit of Immortality and A Kingdom that Never Decays overcame Adam’s sense of duty, and thus, Satan was able to mislead Adam into not keeping his covenant with God.  

Just before commencing the narration of Adam’s trial in Surah Taha, Qur'an 20:113 informs us that explained in detail, in the Qur'an, are some of the warnings, so that we keep our duty, or remember what happened. The next verse informs us the Allah is the Real King, and that we should not be in haste with the Qur'an… but pray that ‘O my Lord, advance me in knowledge’.

The story of Adam’s creation and trial is presented in several places in the Qur'an. The purpose of his creation, he being given knowledge, and then being honoured above the angels are mentioned. We are also informed that a covenant was taken from him, prior to placing him in the Garden and then he was tried through the forbidden Tree. Desire overcame his sense of duty, and in his attempt to change himself, he caused harm and brought shame upon himself.

Clothing: a Sign! 
Al-Qur'an 7:26 informs us that clothing is a sign:  O Children (of) Adam! Verily We have sent down to you clothing, it covers your shame and (as) an adornment. But the clothing (of) [the] righteousness - that (is) best. That (is) from (the) Signs of Allah so that they may remember.

The next few verses warn us against Satan's deception and immorality, and then Al-Quran 7:29 informs us: Say, "My Lord has ordered justice and set your faces at every masjid and invoke Him (being) sincere to Him (in) the religion. As He originated you (so) will you return."

Notice that Al-Qur'an 7:29 exhorts being sincere in religionAl-Qur'an 30:30, which is the basis of this series of posts Mission of the Messengers also states that the right religion means that there should be no change in the creation of Allah:

Al-Qur'an 7:29
قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ

Al-Qur'an 30:30
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Al-Qur'an 30:43
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ الْقَيِّمِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ


Al-Qur'an 7:26 asserts that Clothing is from the Signs of Allah. In Surah Ta-Ha, after relating the trial of Adam, the subsequent ayaat discuss the fate of those who do not believe in and heed to the Signs of Allah, and then Q20:127-128 state: And thus We recompense (he) who transgresses, and not believes in (the) Signs (of) his Lord. And surely (the) punishment (of) the Hereafter (is) more severe and more lasting. Then has not it guided [for] them how many We (have) destroyed before them, of the generations, (as) they walk in their dwellings? Indeed, in that surely (are) Signs for possessors (of) intelligence.

The following explains my understanding behind why I believe that corruption of the genome was the reason why Adam was expelled from the Garden:

Clothed in the Garden
Al-Qur'an 20:118 informs us that there was enough in the Garden for Adam and his wife to neither go naked nor hungry
The popular belief across religions is that Adam and his wife were naked, but only unaware of it. The Al-Qur'an clearly states that they were not naked. I think this is a key to understanding what happened and the lesson for us in the story of Adam.  

Satan’s Deception: Desire and Temptation
Al-Qur'an 20:120 informs us of Satan (Iblis)’s attempt to seduce Adam: Then whispered to him Shaitaan, he said, "O Adam! Shall I direct you to (the) tree (of) the Eternity and a kingdom not (that will) deteriorate?"  

The verses of the Al-Qur'an are very clear that Adam sought Immortality and A Kingdom that Never Decays. According to scientific knowledge, we now know that changes in the genome cause fundamental changes in the organism. Modern science promises to increase longevity and eradicate disease by making sufficient advances in genomics.  Eugenics, Transhumanism, Posthuman and eventually Posthumanism all seek to transcend the human into a utopian superbeing, who will then no longer be a ‘human’. However, as illustrated by Adam’s example, efforts in this direction can only cause depletion and loss. God’s perfect creations cannot be improved upon!

Clothing Stripped Off
[Al-Qur'an 20:121, Translation: Sahih International]  And Adam and his wife ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.

When Adam and his wife were placed in the Garden, they were not naked. When they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, their clothing was stripped off them and thus their nakedness became apparent. Consequently, they started covering themselves with leaves, repentantly praying that they had wronged themselves. They were forgiven and clothing was then again bestowed upon humans to cover themselves. 

Natural Clothing
The key phrase in Al-Qur'an 20:121 is ‘their private parts became apparent to them’. The Arabic word used sawātuhumā [root: sīn wāw hamza] for private parts is variously translated. According to Lane’s Lexicon, page 1458, column 2, bottom: 
  • the primary significance of the word is that it refers to the pudendum …, so called because its becoming exposed to men displeases (or shames) the owner thereof, or because of its unseemliness
  • the secondary significance is dead body or corpse, because it is deemed unseemly to be seen 
and variation of the same root in form maswaatun, page 1459, column 1, bottom denotes:
  • evil, vices, faults, defects, imperfections, diseases and acts of disobedience
The next clue in Al-Qur'an 20:121 is that they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the Garden. Why would they do that? 

On Earth, humans are among the rare creatures whose skins are bare and not covered with fur, feather, shell or some other form of covering to hide their body.

Scientists have discovered pseudogenes (mutated, inactive genes) in humans, which indicate that perhaps sometime in the distant past, human skin was covered in fur or feather.


Regarding the Hereafter, the Al-Qur'an provides imagery of clothes made of silk and brocade, and adornments of gold and silver: the ‘libas-ut-taqwa that Allah designed for humans. After all, nothing can excel Allah’s design – it has to be the best!  

Before Adam and his wife ate of the cursed tree, perhaps the clothes were growing upon or glowing off their body, and were shed off due to mutation caused in the genes upon eating the forbidden fruit? Or perhaps, the clothes were not connected to their body, but were to be worn externally like we do here on Earth.  However, the bioluminescencementioned in the Al-Qur'an, its function appears to be in the context of lightingthe path. Also, Al-Qur'an 7:27 informs us that the clothes were stripped off, and then they started covering themselves with the leaves of the Garden, Al-Qur'an 20:121. Noteworthy is the fact that the imagery given of the clothing of the Hereafter is of only one kind of dress, that the ‘muttaqi’ will be adorned with in the Garden. There is no mention of any fancy wardrobe to pick and choose from. Therefore, I infer, that the ‘libas-ut-taqwa’ mentioned in Al-Qur'an 7:26 is referring literally to the clothing that the ‘muttaqi’ will be wearing in the Garden, which will be part of their body, covering and attached to their skins.

The following five mentions describe the kind of clothes of those who will dwell in the Gardens of the Hereafter. Interesting to note is that the kind of clothes vary according to the level of piety in this world and the grade of dignity in the Hereafter:    

Verses mentioning Clothes of Green Silk
[Al-Qur'an 18: 30-31, Translation by: Yusuf Ali] As to those who believe and work righteousness, verily We shall not suffer to perish the reward of any who do a (single) righteous deed. For them will be Gardens of Eternity; beneath them rivers will flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade: They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on!
http://searchtruth.com/chapter_display_all.php?chapter=18

[Al-Qur'an 76:20-22, Translation by: Yusuf Ali] And when thou lookest, it is there thou wilt see a Bliss and a Realm Magnificent. Upon them will be green Garments of fine silk and heavy brocade, and they will be adorned with Bracelets of silver; and their Lord will give to them to drink of a Wine Pure and Holy. "Verily this is a Reward for you, and your Endeavour is accepted and recognised."
http://searchtruth.com/chapter_display_all.php?chapter=76 

Verses mentioning Clothes of Silk but not specifying the colour of the silk
[Al-Qur'an 22:23-24, Translation by: Yusuf Ali] Allah will admit those who believe and work righteous deeds, to Gardens beneath which rivers flow: they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk. For they have been guided (in this life) to the purest of speeches; they have been guided to the Path of Him Who is Worthy of (all) Praise.
http://searchtruth.com/chapter_display_all.php?chapter=22

[Al-Qur'an 35:32-35, Translation by: Yusuf Ali] Then We have given the Book for inheritance to such of Our Servants as We have chosen: but there are among them some who wrong their own souls; some who follow a middle course; and some who are, by Allah's leave, foremost in good deeds; that is the highest Grace. Gardens of Eternity will they enter: therein will they be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk. And they will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has removed from us (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving Ready to appreciate (service): "Who has, out of His Bounty, settled us in a Home that will last: no toil nor sense of weariness shall touch us therein."
http://searchtruth.com/chapter_display_all.php?chapter=35

[Al-Qur'an 44:51-53, Translation by: Yusuf Ali] As to the Righteous (they will be) in a position of Security, Among Gardens and Springs; Dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade, they will face each other;
http://searchtruth.com/chapter_display_all.php?chapter=44
   

Warning for the Progeny of Adam
Al-Qur'an7:27 warns us that: O Children (of) Adam! (Let) not tempt you [the] Shaitaan as he drove out your parents from Paradise, stripping from both of them their clothing to show both of them their shame. Indeed, he sees you - he and his tribe from where not you see them. Indeed, We have made the devils friends of those who (do) not believe.  

Adam tried to achieve Immortality and A Kingdom that Never Decays. Instead, he ended up corrupting his genome. Iblis and his progeny continue to use the same temptations to mislead Adam’s progeny into tampering with creation, which only causes loss to us, both in this life and in the Hereafter.  Adam disobeyed and erred. If we disobey, we will also err!

The Quran warns us repeatedly against corruption, and gives examples of nations who were destroyed for their corruption. We must pay heed, lest we become the tools for our own destruction and loss!   

[Al-Qur'an 30:41, 30:42, 30:43] Has appeared the corruption in the land and the sea for what have earned (the) hands (of) people, so that He may let them taste a part (of) that which they have done so that they may return. Say, "Travel in the earth and see how was (the) end (of) those who (were) before. Most of them were polytheists." So set your face to the religion right, before [that] comes a Day not (can be) averted [it] from Allah. That Day, they will be divided.


Can God’s Creation be Improved?
It is not permissible to tinker with Allah’s creation:  
[Al-Qur'an 30:2930:30, Translation: Literal (Word by Word)] Nay, follow those who do wrong, their desires, without knowledge. Then who (can) guide (one) whom Allah has let go astray? And not for them any helpers. So set your face to the religion upright. Nature (made by) Allah (upon) which He has created mankind [on it]. No change (should there be) in the creation (of) Allah. That (is) the religion the correct, but most men (do) not know.


Immortality and A Kingdom that Never Decays are for the Hereafter, while decay and death are decreed for this world. 


Prophet’s Prayer
In the context of the correction of the genome, the prayer of Prophet Solomon asking to be included among the ‘salaiheen’ takes on a new meaning:
[Al-Qur'an 27:19] So he smiled - laughing at her speech and said, "My Lord! Grant me (the) power that I may thank You (for) Your Favor which You have bestowed on me and on my parents and that I may do righteous (deeds), that will please You. And admit me by Your Mercy among Your slaves righteous."

The root ‘S-L-H’ for the word ‘alssaliheena’, generally translated as righteous, is defined in Lane’s Lexicon page 1714 as  … it, and he, was, or became, good, incorrupt, right, just, righteous, virtuous or honest; it was, or became, in a good, incorrupt, right, sound or proper, state, or in a state of order; …

A revisit of the verses of the Quran which employ various forms of root ‘S-L-H’ is also instructive in this regard:
http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=SlH - (27:19:24)   


Scientific Terms and Concepts
With improved technology, rapid advances are being made in the study of genomes. There is plausible reason to believe that humans once had a coat covering their bodies. Pseudogenes are genes mutated into inaction. 

The following are some relevant concepts:

A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism. In humans, a copy of the entire genome—more than 3 billion DNA base pairs—is contained in all cells that have a nucleus.

A copy of a gene that usually lacks ... essential DNA sequences necessary for function. Pseudogenes, though genetically similar to the original functional gene, are not expressed and often contain numerous mutations.

A pseudogene is a DNA sequence that resembles a gene but has been mutated into an inactive form over the course of evolution. A pseudogene shares an evolutionary history with a functional gene and can provide insight into their shared ancestry.

Whether processed or non-processed (duplicational), it has become clear that pseudogenes are almost as abundant as genes ('classical' or otherwise) in the human genome, with ~20 per cent of known pseudogenes being transcribed.

Humans have relatively hairless bodies when compared to our other great ape relatives, even to the 5,000 or so other mammalian species out there. This is curious phenomenon — we seem to defy the very classification of being a mammal.

In addition to nine functional genes, the human type I hair keratin gene cluster contains a pseudogene, ϕ hHaA (KRTHAP1), which is thought to have been inactivated by a single base-pair substitution that introduced a premature TGA termination codon into exon 4. Large-scale genotyping of human, chimpanzee, and gorilla DNAs revealed the homozygous presence of the ϕ hHaA nonsense mutation in humans of different ethnic backgrounds, but its absence in the functional orthologous chimpanzee (cHaA) and gorilla (gHaA) genes. Expression analyses of the encoded cHaA and gHaA hair keratins served to highlight dramatic differences between the hair keratin phenotypes of contemporary humans and the great apes. The relative numbers of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions in the ϕ hHaA and cHaA genes, as inferred by using the gHaA gene as an outgroup, suggest that the human hHaA gene was inactivated only recently, viz., less than 240,000 years ago. This implies that the hair keratin phenotype of hominids prior to this date, and after the Pan-Homo divergence some 5.5 million years ago, could have been identical to that of the great apes. In addition, the homozygous presence of the ϕ hHaA exon 4 nonsense mutation in some of the earliest branching lineages among extant human populations lends strong support to the "single African origin" hypothesis of modern humans.

In genetics, a founder mutation is a mutation that appears in the DNA of one or more individuals who are founders of a distinct population. Founder mutations initiate with changes that occur in the DNA and can be passed down to other generations.

Humans have artificially selected some domesticated mammalian species to have breeds that are hairless. There are several breeds of hairless cats, perhaps the most commonly known being the Sphynx cat. Similarly, there are several breeds of hairless dogs. Other examples of artificially selected hairless animals include the hairless guinea-pig, nude mouse and the hairless rat.

Atavism is the tendency to revert to ancestral type. In biology, an atavism is an evolutionary throwback, such as traits reappearing which had disappeared generations before… Evolutionarily, traits that have disappeared phenotypically do not necessarily disappear from an organism's DNA. The gene sequence often remains, but is inactive. Such an unused gene may remain in the genome for many generations. As long as the gene remains intact, a fault in the genetic control suppressing the gene can lead to it being expressed again.   

The human body literally glimmers. The intensity of the light emitted by the body is 1000 times lower than the sensitivity of our naked eyes. Ultraweak photon emission is known as the energy released as light through the changes in energy metabolism.

In biology, moulting or molting … also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer layer or covering), either at specific times of the year, or at specific points in its life cycle.
Moulting can involve shedding the epidermis (skin), pelage (hair, feathers, fur, wool), or other external layer. In some groups, other body parts may be shed, for example, wings in some insects or the entire exoskeleton in arthropods.


Last updated on: August 6, 2016