If you had 450-500 eggs and if you had to preserve them outside, what
would you do? The wisest course for you would be to take precautions to
prevent them from being scattered around, say, by the wind, or other environmental
factors. Being one of the animals that lay the most eggs at one time (450-500),
the silkworms use a very intelligent way to protect their eggs: they unite
the eggs with a viscous substance (thread) they secrete to prevent them
from being scattered around.
The caterpillars that pop out of their eggs firstly find a safe branch
for themselves and then get tied to this branch with the same thread.
Later, to promote their own development, they start to spin a cocoon for
themselves with the thread they secrete. It takes 3-4 days for a caterpillar
that has opened its eyes very recently to life to complete this process.
During this period, the caterpillar makes thousands of turns and produces
a thread an average of 900-1,500 metres long. At the end of this process,
it starts a new task through which it undergoes a metamorphosis to become
an elegant butterfly.
Neither the action taken by the mother silkworm to protect its eggs,
nor the behaviour of a tiny caterpillar devoid of any awareness, education
or knowledge can be explained by evolution. First of all, the ability
of the mother to produce the thread it uses to secure its eggs is miraculous.
The newly-born caterpillar's knowing the most suitable environment for
itself, its spinning a cocoon in accordance with it, its undergoing a
metamorphosis, and its coming through this metamorphosis without any problem
are beyond human comprehension. Hence, we can simply say that each
caterpillar is born into the world with a foreknowledge of what to do,
which means that it was 'taught' all of these things before it was born.
Let us explain this with an example. What would you think if you saw
a new-born baby standing up a few hours after his birth, getting together
the things he needs to make his bed (like quilt, pillow, mattress), and
later putting all these together neatly, making his bed and lying down
on it? After you recover from the shock of the event, you would probably
think that the baby must have been taught in an extraordinary way in his
mother's womb to perform such a process. The case of the caterpillars
is no different from the baby in this example.
This again leads us to the same conclusions: these living creatures come
into life, behave and live in the way determined by God Who has created
them. The Qur'anic verse stating that God has inspired the honeybee
and commanded it to make honey (Surat an-Nahl, 68-69) provides an
example of the great secret of the world of living beings. This secret
is that all living beings have bowed to God's will and follow the fate
determined by Him. This is why the honeybee makes honey and the silkworm
produces silk.
The Symmetry in Wings
When we look at the butterfly wings in the pictures, we see a perfect
symmetry prevailing over them. These lace-like wings are so adorned with
patterns, spots and colours that each of them is like a work of art.
When you look at the wings of these butterflies, you notice that the
patterns and colours on both sides are fully identical, no matter how
intricate they may seem. Even the smallest dot is present on both wings,
thereby introducing a flawless order and symmetry.
In addition, none of the colours on these thin wings mixes with the other,
each being sharply set apart from the other. Actually, these colours are
formed by the amassing of tiny scales clustered one on top of another.
Isn't it a wonder how these small scales that are easily dispersed with
your hand's slightest touch can be arranged in both wings without any
mistake in their disposal so as to produce exactly the same pattern. Even
the replacement of a single scale would destroy the symmetry in the wings
and impair their aesthetics. However, you never see any muddle in the
wings of any butterfly on the earth. They are as neat and elegant as if
made by an artist. And they are indeed made by an Exalted Creator.
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