American history is lined with clear examples of overt racism from slavery to the implementation of the Jim Crow Laws, and many other examples that have taken years of struggling to dismantle. However far we seem to have come current events such as the killing of Black individuals including Emmet Till, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, along with the disproportionate mass incarceration rates of Black individuals and the fact that school segregation is worse than it was since the 1954 landmark ruling Brown v. Board of Education, show that the struggle is far from over. These are the consequences of institutional racism, which is defined as a system that is in place in order to intentionally harm certain groups regardless of whether or not the individuals in that system are “racist.” Racism is a social disease that has yet to be eradicated and just as a disease harms multiple bodily systems requiring a multi-pronged approach, racism must be attacked from the angle of education, employment, housing reform, criminal justice reform, and even healthcare reform.

Historical examples of discrimination in healthcare

The exploitation of vulnerable populations in the name of scientific progress and research has innumerable examples that continue to this day. It is important to touch on the history experienced by Black communities because half of today’s white medical trainees still believe notions that were instilled by the scientific community in the past, such as the idea that Black patients having thicker skin, less sensitive nerve endings, or that their blood coagulates more quickly [1].

One such example is Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman from Roanoke, VA, who came to Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 for cervical cancer treatment. Without consent, her cancer tissues were biopsied and cultured by George Otto Grey in order to make the HeLa cell line. Her cells were unique in that they regenerated continuously and became the first “immortalized human cell line.” To this day, her cells have contributed to over 17,000 patents and many major advances in scientific research. The Lacks’ family was not made aware of the HeLa cell line’s existence until 1975, 24 years after Henrietta’s death, despite researchers knowing about it since its inception. While the medical community profited an incalculable amount of money from Henrietta’s cells, she was buried in an unmarked grave and her family has not received any compensation nor control over who uses her cells to this day [2].

Another example is a study titled “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male,” in 1932 where researchers enrolled 600 Black participants in a 6-month study without their consent and without the option to exit the study and then proceeded to withhold penicillin treatment from them for more than 40 years. Not only were they denied treatment of a curable disease, but these men were also never informed of their diagnosis and were instead told that they had “bad blood,” which meant that they went on to unknowingly infect others as well as suffer from the effects such as blindness, deafness, heart disease, and the collapse of the central nervous system. It is also important to note that by 1947 penicillin had become the standard of care for syphilis treatment, but these men were forced to suffer through this inhumane study until 1972 [3, 5]. In 1995, the offspring of these men were enrolled in a program that provided them with medical benefits, 11 of whom continue to receive treatments to this day [4].

Perhaps the most barbaric recorded example is of J. Marion Sims, renowned as “the father of gynecology,” who would perform surgical experiments on enslaved Black women without anesthetics (which he would provide to white patients) [6]. What is most appalling, perhaps, is that some medical institutions still defend Sims’ actions and glorify him with monuments across the nation [7]. It is easy to think that these horrific events that happened in the past have no current impact, but the truth is that race-based studies such as these have caused generational trauma among Black communities. They also continue to impact how much, or how little, Black communities trust our healthcare systems today thus directly affecting patient-physician relationships. We could continue to delve into this brutal history with endless examples including the eugenics movement and craniology [8], however, given the limited space of this article, it may be more constructive to focus on the racial disparities in healthcare that we see today.

Current day examples

The consequences of racial inequality continue to this day as has been displayed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 2020, about 70% of Chicago’s COVID-19 deaths occurred among Black patients even though they account for 30% of the city’s population. As Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale School of Medicine said, “We know that these racial ethnic disparities in COVID-19 are the result of pre-pandemic realities. It’s a legacy of structural discrimination that has limited access to health and wealth for people of color” [20].

Maternal mortality is an indicator of development and while it has gone down by 38% worldwide since 2000 it has gone up in the United States by over 25% thus making it the country with the highest percentage of maternal mortality in the “developed” world [9,10]. Perhaps one of the most glaring failures of the United States healthcare system is seen in its infant mortality rates, which are twice as high in Black infants. Although this is a frightening statistic for all women and their loved ones it is important to make the distinction that Black women are 3-4 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death in America. Studies have found that Black women are at an increased risk for several pregnancy-related complications, such as cardiomyopathy, hypertensive disorders, abruptio placentae, placenta previa, and postpartum hemorrhage [11, 12]. 60% of these deaths were deemed preventable with no significant difference in preventability across racial groups. If this is the case, then one cannot help but wonder how this happens so disproportionately to Black women. This was accurately illustrated in one episode of “The Resident” that was inspired by the true story of Kira Johnson, a Black woman who never came home from her routinely scheduled C-section. She was ignored by doctors and staff despite complaining of severe pain in her abdomen. During her surgery, doctors lacerated her bladder and saw that Kira had been bleeding internally for hours. By that time, it was too late and Kira died on the operating table due to complete negligence. It can be easy to dismiss Kira’s experience as the carelessness and bias of one physician, but several studies have confirmed that racial bias in pain assessment and treatment is real and can have real consequences as was the case with Kira Johnson [13].

Racial disparities in chronic health problems and diagnostics

Black people are 40% more likely, with Black women specifically being 60% more likely, to have hypertension compared to their white counterparts, which translates into higher rates of heart disease in Black people compared to whites. Heart disease is multifactorial, therefore socioeconomic issues such as living in “food deserts” with little access to healthy food, which are a direct byproduct of years of racist housing policies – such as “redlining” – must also be considered [14]. Black men are also less likely to have their blood pressure under control, which could be due to a variety of factors including lack of access to medication or hospital facilities, or even a distrust in the medical system that prevents them from seeking care. However, regardless of barriers within the community, institutional racism is still clear in how these Black patients are treated once they enter through a hospital’s doors. Black patients are 29% less likely to undergo an angiogram after a heart attack, compared to white patients, and are also 45% less likely to be treated with bypass surgery or an angioplasty compared to white patients, thus denying Black people the standard of care that they deserve [15].

Hospital statistics have also shown stark differences in between diabetes data for Black and white patients. For example, Black patients are 2.5 times more likely to have uncontrolled diabetes, 2.3 times more likely to have a lower extremity amputation due to diabetes complications, and 3.5 times more likely to have end-stage renal disease compared to white patients [19]. Healthcare professionals need to ask why this is the case and address this crisis. Physicians should recognize the unconscious biases that live within our field and discuss how we can overcome them in order to build stronger and healthier relationships with our Black patients. We must recognize where we stand as healthcare professionals and that we have the power to change a stacked system into one that is more compassionate and equal.

Racial disparities can even be seen in diagnostic techniques that measure kidney and lung functions as well as those that use artificial intelligence algorithms. Kidney function is estimated using the MDRD equation which factors in race on the basis that Black patients have “greater muscle mass” citing studies from the 1970s where Black patients were highly underrepresented. This causes the equation to overestimate kidney function in Black patients, meaning that they are less likely to be diagnosed and treated for kidney diseases [17]. In 2018, the University of Washington, with an initiative spearheaded by their medical students including Naomi Nkinsi, was the first institution to transition to calculating kidney function without adjusting for race [16]. Lung function was long believed to be lower in Black individuals and even current research that uses old National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) datasets supports this belief. However, much of this data was collected before the end of Jim Crow segregations when Black communities were subjected to increased environmental injustice. Using newer datasets, significant discordance has been recorded between older reference standards and NHANES III [18]. Decades of unjust housing practices such as redlining, and less obvious practices that continue to this day that keep communities segregated, newer data sets are also likely to be skewed. The use of a single, standard correction factor to adjust for race, rather than a holistic view of unjust socioeconomic or environmental risk factors, must be questioned if we truly want to provide the best care for our patients.

The scientific community has tried to simplify a heterogeneous Black community into a homogenous one which limits the reliability of race-based equations or racial conversion factors. It is important to keep asking ourselves; is “race” or “racism” the risk factor? Furthermore, with increasing utilization of artificial intelligence to improve precision and accuracy in medicine it is crucial to note how race will play a role in machine learning tasks that are built using historical data sets that can be inherently biased against race. Just to name a few obstacles, Black patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and there is scant data of images of skin cancers on dark-skinned patients, which will translate into inaccurate predictions of adverse drug effects and increased misdiagnoses in Black patients.

Conclusion

This article has only scratched the surface of patients’ experiences with racism, but we must not forget the racism experienced by physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and all other healthcare workers. We did not even get to discuss how screening rates for various cancers are lower and mortality rates higher among African Americans, how Black Americans are less likely to obtain mental health treatment, less likely to be referred to specialists, and twice as likely not to have health insurance. The examples of how race plays a role in healthcare are limited in the scope of this article and were intended to spark curiosity in learning more about the impact of racial disparity in the healthcare system and overall. The Student National Medical Association has suggested reading Medical Apartheid, Why All the Black Kids Are Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Crucial Conversations, The New Jim Crow, White Fragility, and several other books for further self-education and understanding of this complicated and multi-faceted issue. The disparity in health inequity is caused by a history of racist practices that are continually enforced; this is not something we can continue to turn a blind eye to. In fact, it is a healthcare crisis. We cannot deny the responsibility of bringing to light our own biases and unpacking the covert prejudice within us through self-questioning, education, and proactive and engaged human connection. We must hold ourselves accountable to have difficult conversations with our community, to advocate, to be an ally to all those who are oppressed, and to listen to the needs of the Black community so that we can stand stronger together.

References

1. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/how-we-fail-Black-patients-pain
2. Skloot, Rebecca. 2011. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, New York: Crown.
3. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/26/archives/syphilis-victims-in-us-study-went-untreated-for-40-years-syphilis.html
4. https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/index.html
5. https://healthpolicy.fsi.stanford.edu/news/researchers-and-students-run-pilot-project-oakland-test-whether-tuskegee-syphilis-trial-last
6. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/17/603163394/-father-of-gynecology-who-experimented-on-slaves-no-longer-on-pedestal-in-nyc
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563360/
8. Tiedemann advanced this in 1838 in his paper “On the Brain of the Negro Compared with that of the European and the Ourang-Outang.” Accessible here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstl.1836.0025
9. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html
10. https://www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health#tab=tab_1
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781382/
12. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/health/maternal-mortality.html
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843483/
14. https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=racial_justice_project
15. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/09/20/differences-remain-in-heart-attack-treatments-for-Black-patients#:~:text=Black%20patients%20also%20had%20a,as%20bypass%20surgery%20or%20angioplasty.
16. https://medicine.uw.edu/news/uw-medicine-exclude-race-calculation-egfr-measure-kidney-function
17. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2735726
18. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095461110900362X#bib5
19. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/diabetes-care-u-s-changed-time/#item-start
20. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/30/865413079/what-do-coronavirus-racial-disparities-look-like-state-by-state

Is hair graying reversible?

Rosenberg et al. Quantitative mapping of human hair greying and reversal in relation to life stress. eLife, June 2021.

A new study has found that the old rumor about why our hair turns gray is proven to have a scientific basis. Humans tend to lose hair color the older they get as the cells in our hair follicles stop producing the pigment melanin. But there have been many stories of even younger people’s hair losing color almost immediately after a stressful event. While some of these stories are just old fables some cases have also been documented by doctors. In a recent study, scientists collected 400 hair samples from 14 participants from age 9 to 39 with either “some grey hairs” or “two-colored hairs.” By using a newly developed high-resolution imaging technique, scientists were able to collect and compare tiny slices of single hair strands from volunteers. These slices of hair were later analyzed like the rings inside a tree, indirectly showing the health of the follicle as it formed the strand over time including the status of pigmentation. They then analyzed the color of each strand and compared it to the timing of their hair growth. Participants whose hair changed to gray reported experiencing a stressful period in their lives. On the other hand, participants whose gray hairs reversed back to having color reported feeling more relaxed at the time their hair sample was analyzed thus suggesting a link between stress and the graying process. It was found with one of the participants who went on vacation that five of his hairs reverted back to their original color during the vacation. While the color reversal process is intriguing it can only be possible if it is caught early enough in younger ages. There seems to be a window of opportunity during which graying is probably much more reversible than had been considered before. Reducing stress levels in a 70-year-old will likely not darken their hair, or increasing stress in a 10-year-old will be enough to tip their hair over the gray threshold. Although these findings are based on a relatively small sample size they still provided some important insights into the reversible dynamics of hair graying in humans.

Doomscrolling: Obsession with pain

Jezzini et al. A prefrontal network integrates preferences for advance information about uncertain rewards and punishments. Neuron, June 2021.

“Doomscrolling” or “Doomsurfing” describes the act of endlessly scrolling through predominantly negative news on social media. Unfortunately, this bad habit has become widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is still unclear why some people seek out potentially bad news by doomscrolling through horrifying headlines while others try to stay away from negative information. In a recent study, researchers have explored

the underlying biology of a similar curiosity and dread behavior using monkeys. Researchers first used symbols to train monkeys to anticipate a potentially unpleasant event – a puff of air to the face. The first set of symbols alerted the monkeys that a puff of air was a possibility but with a highly variable degree of certainty. A second set of symbols eliminated the doubt, communicating that either a puff of air to the face was certain or nothing happened. Behavior analyses revealed that some monkeys trained their eyes on the second set of symbols while others averted their look in order to avoid the potentially bad news. A simultaneous monitoring of neural activity in the brains of the monkey models showed that the anterior cingulate cortex separately processes information about both good and bad possibilities. Meanwhile, a second area, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, dictates the monkeys’ overall attitudes. Understanding the specific brain regions and circuits underlying uncertainty is a critical step for helping people with psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which typically manifest an inability to tolerate uncertainty. Moreover, these findings could bring new insights into how to cope with the flood of information in our modern times.

COVID-19 vaccines promise years of immunity

Turner et al. SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines induce persistent germinal centre responses in humans. Nature. June 2021.

The first two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, performed very well in clinical trials. But there were still concerns for how long immunity induced by these vaccines would last. A new study found evidence that the immune response to vaccines is both strong and potentially long-lasting. After vaccinations, a specialized structure called the germinal center forms in lymph nodes where broader ranges of B-cells are produced to fight against infections. These centers are immune cell training areas to better recognize the enemy. A better germinal center response is typically accepted as a better vaccine. Researchers found that people who received the Pfizer vaccine still had active germinal cells generating new fighter B-cells even after 4 months of the first injection. In a more longitudinal analysis, 8 out of 10 people still had detectable germinal centers containing B cells after 15 weeks of the first dose. Moreover, Pfizer vaccination generated high levels of neutralizing antibodies effective against at least 3 different major variants. Finally, they found that people who were infected and later vaccinated showed an even more robust immune response. The vaccine clearly adds extra benefit, even in the context of prior infection. The results suggest that a vast majority of vaccinated people will be protected over the long term, possibly a lifetime. One exception to this argument could be elderly people with weak immune systems. They may need additional boosters.

Question: What are the points to be considered while seeking to have a fair perspective of Prophet Muhammad?

There are extensive literature and sources that explore the different aspects of the noble Prophet’s life, attributes of his Prophethood, and his general human qualities. Undoubtedly, those works are very important for a proper recognition and understanding of him. However, it should not be forgotten that the narrations related in those works are based on some subjective considerations from the authors’ own perceptions according to what they heard, perceived, and understood. For this reason, while reading such works and learning about some everyday situations one may subconsciously lose respect for him and fall for considerations that are not very appropriate for his actual standing. For this reason, the entirety of the narrations about him needs to be brought together and considered with a holistic perspective.

Undoubtedly, the people who knew him best were his Companions as they were the ones that lived directly with him while he was alive. In particular the four people known as the Rightly Guided Caliphs are the foremost ones among the Companions. Each of them knew him more accurately than we do and benefited from that fresh spring to their heart’s content. They not only benefited from it, but also transmitted everything they heard and saw so that the next generations could get to know him better. What falls to us is to appreciate this transfer of information and to benefit from it. Each of the Companions perceived the noble Prophet with a different depth. If we can bring their words together and view his character thus then we can see and recognize him in accordance with his actual standing.

Believing in the teachings of the Messenger of God, and adhering to his traditions, is a means of deliverance for believers. According to Muslims, he is the owner of the first blessed light and is regarded as the purpose of creation; thus, it is very important to be able to see his actual worth. There is a saying acknowledged mostly by mystics but criticized by hadith scholars, which goes as follows: “God would not have created the universe, if it weren’t for him” (Ajluni, Kashfu’l- Khafa 2/214). The late Necip Fazil also named a book he wrote about the Prophet “He for the Sake of Whom We Are.”

The meaning of this is that the universe would not be understood if there was no person to serve as a guide for the attendants to this universe that is laid before us as an exhibition. It could not be known that existence consists of the manifestations of the Divine names; God Himself would not be known with His beautiful Names and glorified Attributes. Likewise, people would live in the world unaware that they remain here as guests and are to migrate to another realm. Therefore, they could not find the right path, could not walk on the right path, and could not reach the horizons they are supposed to reach. If we know anything about all of these matters we know of them thanks to the Messenger of God. In order to express this truth, the poet Mehmed Akif said,

Indebted to him are his society,
so is each person;
indebted to him are the entire humanity.
O Lord! Please resurrect us upon this affirmation
on the Day of Resurrection!

In this respect, his blessed personage is beyond the scope of books of history.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi states this truth as follows: “…since he is creation’s result and most perfect fruit, as well as the beloved and interpreter of the Creator of the universe, his true nature and true perfections cannot be contained in accounts of his recorded human qualities. Certainly the stature of one served by archangels Gabriel and Michael as aides-de-camp during the Battle of Badr cannot be sought in accounts of, for example, his bargaining over the price of a horse. To avoid falling into error, we must focus on his true nature and illustrious spiritual persona in his rank of Messengership. Otherwise we may risk showing him disrespect or entertain uncertainties about his persona” [Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 19th Letter, Fifth Essential, The Light Inc., p.125].

One should not take the Messenger of God as an ordinary person by looking at the narrations about the mundane situations in his everyday life. In addition to such situations, it should not be forgotten that he is in contact with the heavenly realms beyond this one, that God blessed him with a shower of revelations, that people clearly witnessed different miracles by means of him, that he was a paragon of Qur’anic virtues. Also, Nursi gives the analogy of a peacock that its beauty cannot be appreciated by looking at the eggshell it was hatched in. In the same way, one cannot appreciate the true worth of the Messenger of God spiritual personage with a superficial glance at his early life (The Letters, p. 126).

In order to understand his true value, one should look at the light he has spread all over the world. At the beginning, a peacock is just a chick out of an egg, but later on it grows up and begins to possess colorful patterns, dazzling colors, and dizzying beauty; it is necessary to see this aspect instead.

In the same way, one should not be preoccupied with the “eggshell” while looking at the Messenger of God. If he is evaluated only in terms of his parents, the household he grew up in, the environment in which he grew up, if he is seen only as the orphan of Abu Talib then one will fail to appreciate his true worth. He is an exceptional being that God created with a special nature. In a way, God Almighty takes him as a measure in consideration of the existence. Great personages, who were aware of this value of him, did not neglect to ask for togetherness and reunion with God’s beloved while praying for reunion with God. It is necessary to try to feel and know him with all of these merits.

Like Imam Busiri said, although he was human he was not an ordinary human being. He too had hands and feet, eyes and ears like us; he ate, drank, did trade, and met other human needs. However, besides this he hadp a different spirit, and spiritual faculties (Latifa al-rabbaniyya, sir, khafi, akhfa). Unless you look at the Messenger of God with all these qualities it is impossible to see and know his true worth. Even though he is human, he is like a ruby among stones. A ruby is also a stone, but not an ordinary one.

Holy migrant to the horizons of humanity

What has been said about the Messenger of God is only one percent of what needs to be said about him; he is the spiritual sultan of this world and the next. He is the first being determined in the divine knowledge as a kernel. In this respect, if we take the universe to be like a tree, while it is possible to view him as the kernel of that tree with reference to the initial truth (of Ahmad) he stands for it is also possible to view him as the fruit of that tree with reference to the ultimate truth (of Muhammad) yielded. As he was the first one to come to existence among the creation with his nature and status, he also directed humanity to God with the message he brought.

If the universe is viewed as a book, his blessed light is the ink of the divine pen which authored that book. And if the universe is viewed as an exhibition, his light will be the chief guide and counselor. In this respect, when looking at his prophethood the truths of him being the initial kernel, and being the ultimate fruit of the universe, need to be considered together. It is at this point that we will then be able to understand how the meaning of the universe unfolds by means of him, like a mysterious and magical key, and that God created the existence for His sake.

In terms of these characteristics, the Messenger of God is the hero of a holy migration to the horizons of humanity. The fact that he left behind his status in the realm of spirits or the realm of first creation and come to the realm of being a human is migration even more important than his migration from Mecca to Medina. The migration of the Pride of Humanity to the horizon of humanity marks a rebirth for humanity; because if humanity need to know about the relation they are supposed to establish with their Creator, the purpose of their creation and why they were sent to the world, and where they are traveling to… without knowing these, there is no difference between their existence or nonexistence. It is Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that taught these key points to humanity and solved these problems pertaining to human life. In fact, the effects of the centrifugal force he effected in the Age of Bliss of his lifetime has reached up until the present day.

Perfected human, as a true representative of the universe

The Messenger of God led an otherworldly life thankfully praising God and in remembrance of His Name. So much so that he once stated that he takes delight in servitude to God just like ordinary people get pleasure from eating, drinking, jaunting, or other physical pleasures. He felt such a love and eagerness for worship and servitude to his Lord. Undoubtedly, this showed his profundity in knowledge of God. His certain dealings and engagement in worldly affairs were necessary for his complete guidance and practical representation of his teachings. They were intended for showing his followers how to act in those matters. Otherwise, he had nothing else to do with the world.

In the words of Abdulqadir Jili, the real perfected universal human (insan al-kamil) is Prophet Muhammad, the Pride of Humanity. His becoming the universal human is a result of his servitude to God rather than being a prophet. In the same way, his Ascension (mi’raj) to Heaven was a reward granted for his servitude. The noble Prophet realized the Ascension through the wings of his saintly aspect. It is believed that he had gained such a pious character by means of his deep devotions that he rose to the Ascension with his lucent body. Neither gravity, friction, nor the constraints of time and place posed an obstacle for him. By means of his saintly aspect, he journeyed to realms beyond the corporeal one. He entered such a dimension that distances to be covered in thousands of years became compressed under his feet. He saw things not seen before, things not felt before, and solved problems not solved before with permission from God. He was blessed with reunion with, and seeing, God while he was in this world.

Afterwards, he returned from the Ascension with his Prophethood and brought messages and glad tidings to his followers. In order to hold people by the hand and let them hear what he heard, let them see what he saw, and let them reach the same feast, he returned back to this realm of tribulation and hardship; he crowned his ascent by descending back again. After reaching the horizon of the “distance of two bows” he returned to this realm where his archenemies awaited. By leaving the blessings of Paradise behind, he had returned to a very bitter life; this is an expression of the deep care and love he had for his followers.

It is related in a weak narration that after Prophet Adam (pbuh) experienced his lapse in Paradise, he could not raise his head to the heavens for forty years, that he felt too ashamed for daring to turn to God. In the end, he prayed “forgive me for the sake of Prophet Muhammad.” Although God has knowledge over everything and has no need to ask questions, God asked him how he knew this name. He replied: “While leaving Paradise, I saw that on its gate it was written: “There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is His Messenger.” On seeing his name near Your name, I understood that there is nobody more valuable in Your sight than him. That’s why I made him an intercessor.” Like Prophet Adam, we too mention him as an intercessor at our prayers. Although some Muslims object to this, his spirituality is like a green house. We feel secure in his atmosphere.

As we take refuge in his green house in this world, God willing, we hope to gather under his Banner of Praise (Livau’l Hamd) in the next world. Those who take refuge under his flag will be saved from a hard questioning by the grace and favor of God.

To conclude, telling others about the noble Prophet with all of these qualities and profundities in mind, and helping others develop a love for him, is a duty of utmost importance for believers for letting people love him will mean letting them love God. It is unthinkable for people to turn to him but not to turn to God. People who reach up until him and enter his blessed presence will have reached God as well.

“Quick, the cord’s wrapped around her neck. Twice!”

I remember my numb feet in the stirrups. I remember the nurses on either side of me. I remember seeing my baby’s little purple head in the mirror, cone-shaped and strange. The doctor’s hand whirred around it in two circles, concise and quick. But I felt nothing.

“One more push, this is the biggest push!”

Two and a half hours into pushing, and I still don’t know how to push, I thought frustratedly. I tried as best as I could, my teeth crushing each other with determined force, my hands in knotted fists by my ribs. Out! She’s out!

Relief swirled through my exhausted, stretched body. There she was, in their hands, in the mirror. Then on my chest.

My daughter. Katie.

Her pale purple fingers were the first things I could see clearly. They curled and uncurled against my skin, unsure, new. A wet cry joined my panting breaths.

I was always told that a special part of your heart would open up when you held your child for the first time. I had imagined it so many times throughout my pregnancy. I knew just how it would be; they would hand her to me, and it would feel like sparkling, golden honey had flooded my soul as my eyes drank in every delicate feature of her face. 

But here I was, staring at her tiny fingers in shock and confusion instead. This isn’t my baby. Where is the one that lived and hiccuped and kicked in my womb? Surely this isn’t her. It can’t be. There are no sparkles in my heart. Just this strange child on my chest. Purple, alien-esque. And those fingers. Purple. Unfamiliar.

Then she started to slip off of me, and my arms were shaking so badly from the epidural that I couldn’t grasp her well. Her naked rump landed on the bed and I apologized, sorry, sorry! I don’t know what I’m doing. Where is my real baby, where is she?

I glanced desperately at my husband. He was sitting slightly behind me to my right. His face was pale, his gaze distant. He had seen the basins of blood the nurses were taking away. The doctor offered him the scissors to cut the umbilical cord. “No, no,” he said. He had already told the doctor he didn’t want to cut it, but she wanted to give him the chance. “No.” His hands covered his nose in a tent and he slammed his eyes shut, blocking out the images.

So the doctor offered me the scissors. I would’ve laughed if I had the energy; my fitfully shaking arms could barely hold my newborn, much less a sharp object. “Please, cut it yourself,” I muttered, exhausted. “I can’t.”

I can’t. How could I muster the strength to care for this child? How could I even love this child when she felt like a total stranger to me, her own mother? Everything was wrong, so wrong… I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. They had all lied. They lied about everything and I feel worlds away from my own baby, even my own husband. I felt panic start to prickle in my stomach. Perhaps I was in shock, I’ll never know. I handed the baby girl to a nurse, feeling dazed and alarmed at the emptiness in my chest.

I can’t do this.

The words would drift through my mind many times throughout the next few weeks like a cold, gray breeze. They would chill me to the core, and I’d wrap my fuzzy purple robe tighter around myself to stave it off. “Being a mother is the most natural thing in the world,” they had told me. Oh, but it feels so unnatural! Please help me, God! The tears would squeeze out from my clenched eyelids, falling gently on my baby’s swaddle in the dark. I’d try one more time to get Katie to latch for breastfeeding, only to have my toes curl in pain against the flattened rug. I can’t. Not one more time can I do this.

It was then just past two in the morning. I got up twice more that night to nurse her. I gasped in pain, curled my toes, and rocked back and forth to soothe us both. Back and forth. Back and forth. Please God, help me. Take my pain away. Give me strength. Help my baby. Back and forth.

They called them the “baby blues.” I thought of them as the “baby grays,” because the days were gray and the nights were darker gray. I felt as though I were feeling my way through a heavy fog; it filled my lungs with its oppressive weight and made it hard to breathe at times. But I kept feeling and forging on, one day at a time, one hour at a time. There was no other choice. I felt duty-bound to my daughter.

Yet mercifully—out of that horrible, stark grayness—glimmers of light began to beam. Little moments, like tiny fireflies, glowed gently among the struggle-filled weeks.

I held Katie against my shoulder. Her panting was pleasant against my neck, warm and rapid. Her eyelids flickered. Baby dreams. Downy, blond hair tickled my cheek and her tiny hand jerked in a startled reflex. I was touched to see her smooth skin, her plump pink cheeks, her rosebud lips, and know that they were created inside of me.

Then there was my own body. The skin on my belly draped like a loose curtain. My under-eyes were sunken and purplish. Angry stretch marks streaked across a large portion of my body. Sometimes I would see myself in the mirror and think, I’m only twenty-two years old. Should I have waited? What have I given up?

Then I would see her, my beautiful child sleeping blissfully in her crib. I had exchanged my smooth skin for hers. I gave up rest and ease so that she could enjoy both of them. I sacrificed my body’s youthful form to stretch and bulge and itch and creak, all in the hope of granting Katie her chance at life.

During the lonely nighttime feedings, I would ponder how a daughter is not only created in her mother, but from her mother. And that sense of giving, that feeling of servanthood and sacrifice, became sacred to me. I felt as though I had wandered into a humbling sisterhood of billions of women, not really knowing what to expect. Did any of us understand what we were taking on when we felt that gentle stirring in our wombs? But here we were anyway. We were all trying. We were all grappling with this heavy and holy work of raising our children.

That invisible bond pulled me to other women: my mother, my sisters, my mother-in-law, my friends. Drawing from their experiences, their hardships, and their successes was like sipping a warm, soothing beverage for a sore throat. I wasn’t alone in this wrestle. We all had long days that had dissolved into evening tears. We laughed until our bellies ached from the funny stories our children provided. Our hearts had swollen at the sight of our precious children, smiling their crooked smiles and giggling their throaty giggles.

I learned that it might take a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to raise the mother of that child. These women listened to me, they gave advice, they brought meals, they donated clothes, they babysat, and they mentored me. But their various examples were also crucial. I saw how these women hadn’t just accepted their roles; they had grown into them and flourished. I saw that I could do it, too.

As with any growth, though, it would take time. Like my daughter, I was in an unfamiliar infancy—trying to figure out how to gain control of myself, how to form a bond, how to communicate with another being that didn’t speak the same language. We really weren’t that different; I was merely further along on the same path. That perspective helped me develop patience through the exhausting nights and the drawn-out days. Each hour held another lesson. I kept trying to figure out what a specific cry meant, then how to coax a gummy grin out of Katie, and eventually how much pear purée she could comfortably stomach. She kept learning how to get my attention or tell me that she didn’t like having her hair washed. And so we grew and learned together.

My newborn mother-self slowly developed until I was metaphorically toddling along. After five months of having a baby, I finally felt like I had my feet under me. I was confident that I could care for Katie and meet her needs. But like any toddler, I had my stumbles. What do I do when she has a fever? How do I care for her eczema? Oh no, she whacked her head on the bookshelf, how could I have let this happen? Thankfully, my husband was there to assist and calm me in such moments of insecurity. We had made it this far, hadn’t we? We could continue to figure it out.

One of my biggest growing moments occurred when my husband was away for military training. I was at home with my eight-month-old, and the monster Hurricane Michael was bearing down on the Florida Panhandle. It was predicted to make landfall an hour east of our home. My husband and I hadn’t been able to communicate due to strict regulations, so I couldn’t update him on the potential danger I faced. I felt extremely alone and anxious as I debated whether to leave or stay.

Finally, I held my crying daughter in one arm and raced from room to room with my phone in the other hand, taking videos of our home and possessions in case we needed them for insurance purposes. My heart beat wildly as I threw clothes, formula, and other necessities into a suitcase. I grabbed our cardboard “Important Docs Box” and threw it in the trunk.

We were leaving. There was no time to keep debating about an evacuation. I prayed silently as I buckled Katie into her carseat. Please protect my home, Heavenly Father. Keep us safe on the roads.

I might have stayed if it were just me at the house. But with my child, it was different. I alone was in charge of her safety. The responsibility weighed heavily on my heart as we drove from our home to Baton Rouge. My husband would understand the cost of a hotel for a couple of nights.

I stopped at a gas station halfway to our destination. Again, I held my whimpering baby in one arm. With the other, I filled a paper cup with hot water from a coffee machine to warm Katie’s formula. I was so distracted that the scalding water overflowed onto my hand. I angrily dropped the cup and gritted my teeth, blowing on my burned skin to cool it down.

My startled baby had stopped crying and was staring at me in confusion. Oh, my precious girl. She has no idea why we’re here in a gas station, why I’m getting hot water, why we’re leaving our home. Looking into Katie’s concerned blue eyes, the burning sensation slowly lessened and I suddenly felt grateful. To spare her from worry or fear, I had taken the leap to evacuate. That thought filled me with peace. Sometimes the best antidote for fear is to simply make a decision and follow through, and I was proud that I had done that, even in my frazzled state.

The strength to make my decision came out of necessity. I couldn’t talk to my husband about our options. I had to weigh them myself and decide on a course of action in a short amount of time. The pressure helped streamline my thoughts and clear my vision. I didn’t realize my own ability until I was forced to look it square in the face and ask myself what I was willing to do to protect my child. So there I stood in a middle-of-nowhere gas station with a burned hand, a tear-stained baby on my hip, and a calmness in my heart. I felt as if I had grown three inches in the last few hours. While the process was nerve-wracking and soul-stretching, I could stand a little taller.

I refilled the cup—more carefully, this time—and warmed Katie’s bottle. We got back on the road fifteen minutes later and arrived safely in Baton Rouge. Our home ended up being safe, and my husband and I were able to talk about the situation a couple of days later. Things were good, and I was a more developed person because of the setbacks I had faced.

Now, my daughter is freshly two years old. A few days ago, she ran around our living room in delight, herding purple balloons into a huddled mass. “It’s been two whole years since the morning we held our newborn in that hospital room,” I stated, looking over at my husband. Katie squealed and tossed a balloon in the air between us.

My husband shook his head and tented his hands over his nose, the same way he had in the hospital. “Ugh,” he muttered. Then he lifted his head. “It’s so much better now. So much better.” After a small pause, he added, “I do love her. I do love my little girl.”

I smiled in agreement. “I love her, too.” I got on my hands and knees and chased Katie through the balloons, and her joyous giggles filled the room.

There was that sparkling honey again. That same love that I had felt many times in the last two years flooded my chest, warm and soothing and sweet. I gazed adoringly at my beautiful daughter in a way that I used to think wasn’t possible. I had changed. I had been refined. I had grown into motherhood. And in that agonizing, hand-reaching, soul-rending, prayer-filled growth, I had found the most beautiful love for my Katie.

I have experienced many external and internal challenges in my life. But none of them amount to the transformation I’ve had in learning how to love and serve a little being that is my very own. To love is to serve, and to serve is to sacrifice. To sacrifice pride, comfort, ease, sleep, time, peace, and your very body is a sacrifice that all mothers make, and I’m now bearing that staggering and magnificent weight myself. The weight strengthens me each day, and I am able to press on stronger and more capable the next day—because I am a mother, and I love my child as only a mother can.

When I visited Thailand years ago, I had the pleasure of tasting about 20 different types of exotic, tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, some of which were first in my life. Each had a unique color, shape, smell, and taste. It occurred to me then that there were plants and fruits in places that we would never visit in our lifetimes and we would never have the chance to taste or smell them, but our tongue was still capable of tasting, smelling, and getting pleasure out of every one of them.

Take the orange for instance. Since it is more easily available and not as exotic as other fruits, we may incline to underestimate it; but in fact it is one of the countless bounties we are blessed with. There are currently over 600 known different types of oranges and they serve as a rich source of vitamin C that helps enhance our body’s resistance against illnesses such as the common cold. Therefore, our need for this vitamin increases particularly in the winter. With a beautiful color and smell, oranges contain a plethora of beneficial minerals such as thiamine, and vitamins such as vitamin A [1]. Vitamin C, another vitamin richly found in oranges, is an excellent antioxidant substance that fights carcinogenic free radicals. It is also essential for the protection of skin health. Oranges are also good sources of fibers and potassium that are crucial for heart health. Potassium lowers the risk of high blood pressure. Fibrous content of oranges helps to prevent diabetes development [2].

This fruit is only one of so many blessings that we are unable to count. For us to be able to appreciate these blessings we need to see, taste, feel, smell, and digest them, each of which is another reason to be grateful.

Seeing

We have to see and like the appearance of a food first before deciding to eat it, don’t we? We do not want to eat it if we feel disgusted from the way it looks. Our eyes are windows unto life so that we can see and observe the great book of the universe which is filled with miraculous works of art and get to know the divine names and attributes that manifest on them.

“Indeed, the Compassionate Provider, in order to give to them provision in more generous measure has created each of man’s subtle capacities – eye and ear, heart, imagination, and intellect – in the form of a key to His treasury of mercy. For example, the eye is a key to the treasury containing such precious jewels as the fairness and beauty to be seen on the face of the universe, and the same holds true of all the others mentioned; they all benefit through faith.” [3]

Everything – from fruits and vegetables to the eggs served by the chicken and the honey put together by bees – is created subtly and packaged in a way to appeal to our eyes in unique and protective enclosures.

Appetite

We have to have appetite so that we develop a desire to eat food. This desire is a capacity encoded into our being so we can enjoy good food and feel aversion for certain things.

“Appetite and desire for sustenance are a sort of innate or instinctive thanks.” [4]

Consuming sustenance with appetite is a way of expressing our thankfulness to the One who provides them for us, for we have appetite for the things we are appreciative of. If we do not have any appetite then we would have no desire to eat even the most delicious food. This is sometimes the case when we are ill and refuse to eat even our most favorite dishes. But think of our commonplace orange again. Like other fruits and vegetables, the orange is created with a shape or allure that will whet our appetite. God has placed sustenance at the very center of His workings in the world of living beings and guides us to this sustenance through the urges of appetite. His servants, on the other hand, are supposed to respond to these blessings with remembrance, reflection, and thankfulness.

Touching

For us to be able to taste and eat an orange, we first have to hold it in our hands. For an action as apparently simple as touching or holding anything, what “we” have to do is only to exhibit willingness to do so. Most of the processes in our bodies occur beyond our control. The joints in our fingers, the size of our hands, and the design of our arms meet our needs in the best way.

It may be an ordinary act for us to move our hands and finger joints with the help of the muscles wrapped around our bonds and triggered into action with electric signals coming through nerve cells. However, when we contemplate on all of these processes we come to the conclusion that they are not casual at all:

“Yes, we see for instance that the members and bodily systems of a fly or human being, and even the cells of the body and red and white corpuscles in the blood, are placed with so sensitive a balance and fine a measure, and they are so fitting and suitable for each other, and their mutual proportion with the other members of the body is so orderly, and they are in such harmony with them, that it is in no way possible that one lacking infinite knowledge could have given them those situations.” [5]

Smelling

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) likens believers who read the divine revelation to an orange “whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet” and those believers who don’t recite are like a date fruit, which tastes sweet, but with no fragrance [6].

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi draws attention to the manner of benefiting from the bounties of God as follows:

“Know, O Friend, that the gifts God has ordained that humanity attain or make use of come with conditions. Some of these conditions are established by God, while others pertain to human beings themselves. For example, light, air, food, and speech are God’s gifts, and how much we benefit from them depends upon our respective organs’ soundness and health. All senses and organs have been created by God Almighty; our role is to keep them sound and healthy.” [7]

The role of our willpower is limited to the functioning of these organs which are required for obtaining and consuming the sustenance needed for our survival.

When we look at an orange closely its shiny skin with thousands of tiny holes catches our attention. After the fruit is picked from a tree it remains fresh for a long time thanks to air coming through the holes in its peel.

It sends out a fragrant smell as it is sliced down. The inner parts of the peel are covered with a white, thick, and soft layer as if it is plastered. There are round, tiny buds with voids between them immediately beneath the outer peel. Like cushions, they add flexibility and strength to the peel. Inside we find segments that look like each other and are placed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The segments are covered with a strong membrane and protected with white, fibrous walls. The segments contain hundreds of shiny and swollen tiny sacs, each of which are arranged regularly like miniaturized grapes and are also covered with membranes. These juice sacs are protected in this manner because the juice in these sacs contains vitamin C which quickly degrades upon contact with air.

“Let us imagine an army which consists of four hundred thousand nations, and each nation requires different provisions, uses different weapons, wears different uniforms, undergoes different drill, and is discharged from its duties differently. If this army and camp has a miracle-working commander who on his own provides all those different nations with all their different provisions, weapons, uniforms, and equipment without forgetting or confusing any of them, then surely the army and camp point to the commander and make him loved appreciatively.” [8]

Digesting

“Especially the members, faculties, and senses of a single of the innumerable members of those species; they are related to each other with so fine a balance and equilibrium that their balance and mutual proportion point to an All-Wise and Just Maker so clearly as to be self-evident.” [9]

The arrangement of teeth, the shape of the tongue, and the structure of the mouth function in perfect harmony with the alimentary canal, the stomach, and other digestive organs. Teeth are responsible for biting and grinding food, but if the structure and arrangement order of our teeth had differed, i.e., if our grinders had been replaced with incisors, the acts of biting and chewing would be much harder.

If our tongue did not assist us in the acts of turning and grinding food in our mouth, or if it had been larger or smaller, this would have complicated food consumption for us. This also applies to many other wise purposes related to the mobility of our chin or functions of saliva.

Oranges, or whichever blessing you may take as an example, are a sign for us to contemplate and be grateful to the One who generously provides them for us.

“He it is Who sends down water from the sky, and therewith We bring forth vegetation of every kind (from their seeds under the soil), and then from it We bring forth a lively shoot, from which We bring forth close-packed and compounded ears of grain, and from the palm-tree – from the spathe of it – dates thick-clustered hanging (ready to the hand), and gardens of vines, and the olive tree, and the pomegranate: alike (in the fundamentals of life and growth) and diverse (in structure, look, taste, and smell). Look at their fruit, when they begin to fruit and as they ripen. Surely in that there are signs for people who will believe and who will deepen in faith (as they see new signs)” (An-An’am, 6/99).

References

1. “What to know about oranges”, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272782.
2. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Şualar (Rays), Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 162.
3. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektubat (Letters), Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 412.
4. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Şualar (Rays), Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 635.
5. Bukhari, At’imah, 30.
6. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Mesnevî-i Nȗriye (Epitomes of Light: Mathnawi al-Nuriya), Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 84.
7. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Asâ-yı Musa (Staff of Moses), Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 20.
8. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Şualar (Flashes), Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 384.

With the fire of grief, ever burning inside,
This humble heart of mine cherishes you day and night.

***

With its grief and worries plunging into sweet dreams,
My heart aches, O please, look at this servant once

***

Seeing you—be it a dream—is the sweetest purpose
Your very state and attitude, more beautiful than angels

***

Set your throne upon my heart, this time please let it happen
Those who subject us to eclipse, may God give their retribution

***

No more trace in hearts, of the initial meaning and excitement
Time passing without you, no different than the longest night

***

So many years have passed, since the sun’s setting
With gloom and hope, my heart has been palpitating

***

Here I remained sitting… hoping “the beloved will reach!”
To wipe away the tears I shed, with a soft touch.

***

Waiting all along, for this heart-grief to end,
The moment of awaited reunion, should not be wasted,

***

“Keep hopeful, be expectant!” the voice inside me says,
May God protect what is in hand, from devilish eyes.

***

Surely, one day the truth will take wing
Hang on tight to your hope, stop worrying.

***

The final breath of time bears an air of spring,
As nightingales sing, songs of glad tidings!…

The famous Greek physician Galen of Pergamon (129-200 CE) used to organize picnics and camps for himself and his patients on what is now called Kozak Plateau near Bergama in present-day Turkey, famous for its pine trees and nut pines. It is told that Galen named the pineal gland “conarium” because he likened its shape to the pine cone in the area.

Modern anatomy and imaging methods prove that Galen was right: the pineal gland has a conical shape (like a pine cone), weighs roughly 100-180 mg, has a size of 5-9 mm in length, 3-6 mm in width, and 4-5 mm in depth. The pineal gland is the second organ after the kidney that receives the most amount of blood supply in the human body. This strong flow of blood (4 ml of blood per minute) to the gland despite its tiny size is indicative of the importance of its duty. Descartes described the pineal gland as “the principal seat of the soul and the place in which all our thoughts are formed” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). What makes this gland biologically so important is that it secretes a hormone called melatonin, which was discovered in 1958.

The synthesis and secretion of the melatonin hormone take place in the pinealocytes, the main cells contained in the pineal gland. Melatonin molecules start to be produced in these cells at dusk on a daily basis. As we move into the night, production increases even more as darkness settles, and the melatonin is released into the bloodstream without being stored. Its secretion peaks by 2-5 a.m. as melatonin responds to darkness, thus it is known as “the hormone of darkness” (melatonin is derived from the Greek word “melas,” which means “black”).

Darkness is perceived by photosensitive receptors in the retinal layers of our eyes and is transmitted to the hypothalamus in the brain. The information related to darkness or light passes through a series of processors in our brain before reaching the pineal gland. Upon receiving the information that it is dark, pineal gland cells begin to rapidly produce melatonin. The biochemical that is used as a precursor in melatonin production is a type of amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is essential for humans and it must be obtained through one’s diet since it cannot be produced by the body.

At night melatonin production peaks and serotonin levels decrease while it is the opposite during the day. N-acetyltransferase (NAT), the enzyme responsible in this activity, functions at its maximum in darkness. Eighty percent of the melatonin in our blood is produced in the pineal gland. Melatonin is also produced in the retinal layer of the eye, which is responsible for protecting the retinal layer during day-night cycles, whereas the melatonin produced in the gallbladder protects the epithelial cells lining the bile duct against harmful (oxidized) cholesterol derivatives and bile acids.

Seventy percent of the melatonin in our blood is bound to albumin proteins in order to be transported to its target organ. Since it is fat-soluble, melatonin can reach cells easily. The melatonin molecules that rapidly perform their duties are excreted in urine after passing through some processes in the liver and lastly the unnecessary waste materials are cleared from the blood. As its half-life in our blood is as short as 35-45 minutes, melatonin needs to be continuously produced.

Melatonin helps regulate our body’s circadian rhythm. In many studies, it has been revealed that melatonin acts as a protective shield against cancer, activates the immune system, and protects it from being harmed in the face of stress, viral diseases, trauma, and aging. 

To ensure that melatonin is sufficiently produced in our body, our diets should contain foods rich in tryptophan such as nuts, milk, beans, fish, chicken, turkey, red meat, and eggs. Additionally, we should also pay the utmost attention to the light and dark cycles and should avoid going to bed no later than 11:00 pm. We should ensure darkness and avoid using a computer before going to bed or falling asleep in front of the TV since these factors adversely affect melatonin production.

Light has many implications for human behavior and physiology. Through exposure to sunlight, the cholesterol under the skin is induced and is converted into Vitamin D after certain processes in the liver and kidneys. Vitamin D plays an important role in the calcium metabolism of the body as well as in the maintenance of our psychological balance.

After induced as darkness falls in the evening, melatonin level start to decline upon exposure to sunlight in the early morning when the production of serotonin and cortisol starts to rise. While the body rests during the night through a regular and sufficient sleep, melatonin molecules, which are strong antioxidants, repair damaged tissues. It has been found that people with low levels of melatonin due to failure to get sufficient nightly sleep might develop some cancers more frequently as well as depression and anxiety. For instance, it has been reported that women and men who work at night run an increased risk of breast and colon cancers, respectively.

Under the influence of melatonin released during sleep our veins dilate and our body temperate falls to form a nice feeling of sleepiness. As we get older, especially after the age of 45, decline in the production and release of melatonin, and the resulting damage in the body, a distraction of habitual sleep, and compromised nerves can cause serious illnesses such as migraine, cancer, and diabetes. A rise in the level of melatonin has a direct influence upon our bones through increasing the level of calcium in our blood.

Melatonin deficiency should certainly be considered as a risk factor in case of sleep disorders, fatigue, malaise, palpitations, sexual anorexia and impotency, distress, and depression. Depending on whether you sleep habitually between 23:00 p.m. and 05:00 a.m. at night, melatonin could be taken in the form of a tablet 30-45 minutes before sleep upon consulting with a physician. It is important to ensure that the sleeping place is dark, or at least, the night lamp used is a dim, red one. Smoking, alcohol, and excessive amounts of caffeine inhibit the release of melatonin. If you are older than 45 it is useful to consume fruits and vegetables that are rich in tryptophan. The fruit with the highest content of tryptophan is the cherry while hazelnuts, walnuts, meat, broccoli, banana, sesame, eggplant, spinach, potato, dried beans, chickpeas, and fish are good sources of tryptophan. However, no matter how much a person attends to his or her diet the levels of melatonin might still not be sufficient. In such cases, intake of “melatonin tablets” upon consultation with a physician would prove useful.

References

• “Descartes and the Pineal Gland” in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pineal-gland)
• Liebmann, P.M., A. Wölfler, P. Felsner, D. Hofer, K. Schauenstein. “Melatonin and the immune system.” Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 1997 Mar;112(3):203-11.

The terms translated in English as “worship,” “servanthood,” and “devotion” are taken from Arabic and possess a long history in the Islamic tradition. In particular, they have been commented upon by Sufi teachers and theoreticians down through the ages. Fethullah Gülen has appropriated this traditional language and applied it to the practice of Islam in modern situations. A study of these concepts provides a key to understanding both the Hizmet movement’s spiritual motivation as well as the success of its undertakings.

The term ‘ibada is derived from the Arabic root meaning slave or servant and carries the idea of enslaving oneself to God or of acting as God’s servant, with the consequent connotations of obedience, submission, devotion, faithfulness, service etc. The concept is not an innovation within the Abrahamic tradition, and is well known in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian New Testament. Moses was referred to as God’s servant and the idea of Israel as God’s faithful Servant was later developed by the prophets, especially Isaiah. Christian authors of the New Testament identified Jesus with the Suffering Servant of God spoken of by Isaiah. In the Qur’anic account of the Night Journey (Qr 17:1), Muhammad is referred to simply as “His servant” (“Glory to God Who did take His servant for a journey by night…”

In many treatments of Islamic belief and practice, and in the minds of many Muslim believers, ‘ibada is simply equated with ritual acts, specifically the ritual practices such as the daily salat prayers, the Ramadan fast, the pilgrimage to Mecca etc., that are obligatory for all Muslims. Particularly in works of fiqh (jurisprudence), ‘ibada as ritual activity is treated as a separate chapter distinct from mu’amalat (business affairs and contracts), munakahat (marriage regulations), jinaya (expiation), hudud (punishment), faraid (inheritance) etc.

Worship as fulfilling God’s commands in daily life

Gülen expands upon this traditional view of ‘ibada to define it very broadly as “fulfilling God’s commands in one’s daily life, and fulfilling the obligations of being God’s servant” [1]. It is interesting to note that there is no specific reference to ritual performance in this definition. In Gülen’s view, ritual obligations are included in the concept of ‘ibada, but the notion goes far beyond ritual performance to include everything that one does to live and act according to God’s will. When Oğuz teaches physics in Kyrgyzstan, he is performing ‘ibada; he is worshiping God. When Erol donates funds so that schools, dialogue centers, well-digging projects, and publishing houses can be founded and maintained, he is doing ‘ibada. His donations are a form of divine worship.

Worship in this broad sense is the primary task of man and woman as God’s khalifa, or vice-regent on earth. Gülen holds that “Humanity’s vice-regency for the Creator takes place in an unusually broad sphere that encompasses acts ranging from believing in Him and worshiping Him to understanding the mysteries within things and the cause of natural phenomena” [2]. This insight has concrete application in the strong emphasis given to the natural sciences in the schools established and operated by the Gülen movement. The teachers and students are worshiping God when they undertake a scientific study of the earth.

Gülen’s comprehensive understanding of worship has resulted almost in a kind of sacralization of education and helps to account for the emphasis the movement has given to opening and operating schools. As an example, I offer this passage from one of Gülen’s writings on education. “A school is a place of learning, where everything related to this life and the next is taught. It can shed light on vital ideas and events, and enable students to understand their natural and human environment. A school can also open the way to unveiling the meaning of things and events, thereby leading a student to wholeness of thought and contemplation. In essence, a school is a kind of place of worship; the ‘holy leaders’ are the teachers” [3].

Worship as integrative and liberative

The broad compass that Gülen gives to ‘ibada is meant to have an integrating effect in the lives of his followers. “They first arrange their feelings and thoughts, regulating their individual and social life through various forms of worship, balancing familial and social relationships by their actions … doing what is necessary to be a genuine successor (khalifa).” The far-reaching notion of worship enables the members of the movement to bring together and maintain in equilibrium their devotional life, vocational commitment, and communitarian responsibilities.

To play this integrative role in the life of a believer, “worship” must embrace the totality of attitudes and actions of service. As Gülen notes: “Worship is not simply the performance of a set of particular movements, as some believe. It is what we call complete submission and the acceptance of a broad responsibility. Along with the title of vice-regent, it is the clearest expression of the relationship amongst humans, the universe, and God.”

Worship is seen to have not only an integrative but also a liberative role in the believer’s life. An attitude of worship enables the believer to arrive at true freedom by becoming free from the obstacles to freedom, escape from the self-imposed dungeon people have created for themselves [4] and the multifarious forms of slavery to which humans subject themselves. Gülen puts it as follows: “If worship is the placing of a consciousness of being bound to God into one’s heart, if it is the liberation of one’s self from all types of slavery, if it is the title of seeing, hearing, and feeling the beauty, order, and harmony that belong to Him in every molecule of existence – and there is no doubt that it is this and nothing else – then worship is the most immediate way to turn our face to God” [5].

Servanthood

Gülen distinguishes between ‘ibada and ‘ubudiyya, which can be translated as “servanthood.” For Gülen, the concept of ‘ubudiyya bears the connotation of “living in the consciousness of being God’s servant,” whereas ‘ibada means “fulfilling God’s commands in one’s daily life” [6]. In other words, ‘ibada refers to what the devout believer must do to serve and obey God in daily life, and ‘ubudiyya indicates the attitude which the believer must take towards God, the object of worship.

However, there is also a more subtle difference between the two concepts. Acts of worship (‘ibada) consist of all physical and economic duties, which may include teaching school, financing dialogue projects, or delivering meat to the poor at the Feast of the Sacrifice, as well as such ritual obligations as the daily salat prayers or Ramadan fast. Servanthood (‘ubudiyyat) recognizes that there is a deeper, inner dimension to all these activities that requires a degree of reflective awareness on the part of the believer. What is the reason for such deeds of worship, how do they fit into one’s response in faith to God’s commands, and why is it in accord with God’s plan for humankind that they act in this way? The consciousness of the role that acts of obedience and service play in responding faithfully to God is what Gülen terms “servanthood”; it indicates an attitude that one is constantly standing before God in readiness to seek the Divine Master’s pleasure by carrying out active service in accord with His will.

Devotion

Gülen reaches back into the Sufi tradition to note a still deeper stage of worshipful involvement, that of “devotion,” or ‘ubuda. While being neither the member of a Sufi Order or the founder of a new tarekat, Gülen acknowledges his indebtedness to the Sufi tradition for its promoting a comprehensive understanding of worship as service of God, as well as its constant encouragement to those on the Path to worship God always and in every way. Thus, although not a Sufi himself, Gülen affirms his appreciation for the insights of the Sufis to the Islamic view of worship. He states: “Sufism enables individuals, through the constant worship of God, to deepen their awareness of themselves as devotees of God… Sufism allows individuals to develop the moral dimension of their existence, and enables the acquisition of a strong, heartfelt, and personally experienced conviction of the articles of faith that before they had only accepted superficially” [7].

Like the Sufis, going back to Al-Ghazali, Gülen views worship as a way to obtain experiential knowledge of the truths of faith that otherwise would remain only theoretical postulates. As the believer moves to deeper stages or levels of worship, new perceptions of the realities of faith present themselves. Gülen offers the following advice to his disciples: “Worship is the safest way to reach the most unshakable certainty in one’s conscience about the greatest truth, which is known only theoretically at the outset. In each station on this way, along which consciousness seeks certainty on the wings of reverence and respect, a person experiences a different taste of glimpsing the Beloved” [8].

The Sufi theoreticians spoke of ‘ibada as the service performed by ordinary believers striving to advance on the path to God, while ‘ubudiyya is the servanthood of those advanced souls whose mental and spiritual attitudes permit them to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and ‘ubuda is the deep devotion of “those whose mental and spiritual states cause them to turn to God wholeheartedly with a profound feeling of being in His company” [9].

What characterizes the level of true devotion is an enthusiastic eagerness to serve God. It occurs when the worshiper moves beyond reluctance, objections, and grumbling and performs one’s duties with joyful spontaneity. Gülen cites Ibn al-Farid to affirm the superiority of this final stage of devotion: “The acts of worship and duties of servanthood required by every station or rank that I have reached during my spiritual journey have been fulfilled by my devotion.”

For the Sufis, ‘ubuda (devotion) was a rare state of soul (hal) achieved by advanced practitioners on the Sufi path. Gülen characteristically orients even the stage of ‘ubuda toward those members of his community engaged in what he sees to be the mission of Islam in the world, that is, service of God by serving others. He affirms: “This vital mission can only be realized by the devout and godly, who never think of themselves, except insofar as they see their own salvation through the salvation of others” [10].

The stage of devotion is, in the view of Gülen, not so much a spiritual achievement of the select few who have devoted their lives to the mystical path, but an attitude that can be achieved by any pious Muslim who strives to overcome their selfish passions to serve God and others. This ideal of being one of the devout is one that Gülen has held up to countless young Muslims and has inspired many of them, like Oğuz with whom I began this paper, to devote their lives to the “The Service (Hizmet),” as those in the community refer to their activities and projects.

Gülen himself puts much hope in this “new generation” of idealistic young Muslims. “The future will be the work of these devout people who can represent such a significant mission, showing their responsibility and exhibiting their accomplishments. The existence and continuance of our nation and the nations related to us will be permeated with the thoughts, inspirations and outcomes of a new civilization and with the vast, reviving dynamism of a rich culture, carried aloft into the future on the shoulders of these devout people. They are the trustees of the sublime truths and the heirs of our historical riches” [11]. As an outside observer of the movement, I might suggest that if one wants to find in a nutshell the kind of Muslim that Gülen is trying to form, one could not do better than to read this article on the pious, altruistic Muslim who has attained and manifests the final stage of worship [12].

Worship as fulfilling ritual obligations

By giving the priority to worship as a comprehensive life of service to God, Gülen does not imply that ritual performance is unimportant or optional. ‘Ibada in the sense of ritual arises from “a deeply embedded need to acknowledge the Divine” and to be in submissive contact with the “Mysterious power that controls everything” [13]. He stresses that our worship can add nothing to God’s glory, which is infinite, but ritual worship benefits the believer in this world and the next. “It is we who need to worship God; not God who needs to be worshiped. He is free of all need” [14].

The model for worship is, as is the case with regard to other aspects of Islamic life, the Prophet Muhammad. Gülen notes: “Prophet Muhammad was the foremost practitioner of all forms of Islamic worship, and the most God-conscious Muslim. He perfectly observed all details of worship, even when in danger… In his supplications and prayers, he describes his Lord with a such a degree of Divine knowledge that no Muslim has ever attained a similar degree of knowledge and description of God” [15].

For Muslims, worship in the ritual sense centers on humility and intention. The phrase “it is You whom we worship (na’budu)” in the Fatiha implies “the eternal impotence and poverty of humankind” before the Divine presence. Gülen comments as follows on the verse: “O Lord! I am determined that I will not sacrifice my freedom to anyone but You, and I will not bow in humiliation before anyone or anything. I turn to You fully intent on servanthood and worship; my eyes are fixed upon You and no other. I am filled with a desire for submission and prayer… My intention is my greatest worship; I hope that You will accept my intention as my worship. I plead for Your favor, not in proportion to the number of things that I have done, but to those I have intended to do” [16].

Conclusion

Gülen’s approach to the concept of worship and servanthood is rooted in the generations of Muslim scholars who preceded him, but he gives to the concept his characteristic emphasis. After the Prophet Muhammad himself, the figure most influential upon Gülen and most frequently cited in his writings is, not surprisingly, Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi. In speaking of servanthood, Gülen notes that Rumi’s greatest boast about himself is not that he was a great saint or person of great spiritual depth, but simply that he was God’s servant. He cites as a model of Islamic humility and joyful service the words of Mevlana, with their famous triple repetition for emphasis:

“I have become a servant, become a servant, become a servant;
I have bowed and doubled myself up with serving You.
Servants or slaves rejoice when they are emancipated,
Whereas I rejoice when I become Your servant.”

References

1. 1. Fethullah Gülen, Emerald Hills of the Heart: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, Somerset, New Jersey: Tughra, 2009, I: 53.
2. M. Fethullah Gülen, Love and Tolerance: Toward a Global Civilization of Love, Somerset, N.J., The Light, 2006, p. 208.
3. Ibid., p. 329.
4. Ibid., p. 322.
5. Ibid., pp. 208-209.
6. M.F. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, I: 53.
7. M.F. Gülen, Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance, pp. 267-268.
8. M. Fethullah Gülen, “Understanding and Respect,” 14 June 2006, http://www.fethullahgulen.biz/about-fethullah-gulen/161-gulens-thoughts/1241-worship.html
9. Ibid., I: 54.
10. M. Fethullah Gülen, “The Devout: the Architect of Our Souls,” in The Statue of Our Souls, Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2009, p. 91. In his biography of Muhammad, Gülen describes the prophet in similar terms: “A Prophet is totally dedicated to his mission, and thus is an altruist who lives for the happiness and good of others.” M. Fethullah Gülen, Muhammad the Messenger of God: an Analysis of the Prophet’s Life, Tughra Books, 2010, p. 77.
11. Ibid., pp. 95-96.
12. “The Devout: the Architect of Our Souls, The Statue of Our Souls, pp. 91-97.
13. M. Fethullah Gülen, Questions and Answers about Islam, Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2009, I: 33.
14. Ibid., I: 35.
15. M. Fethullah Gülen, The Essentials of the Islamic Faith, Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2009, p. 180.
16. M. Fethullah Gülen, “You Alone Do We Worship,” 25 March 2008, https://fgulen.com/en/fethullah-gulens-works/reflections-on-the-quran/suratul-fatihah-the-opening/al-fatihah-1-5 (link updated)

In the language of Sufism, farq (distinguishing) has been interpreted as making a clear distinction between unity and multiplicity. To give a longer and more explicit definition, distinguishing means the discernment of the created, despite having perfect knowledge of the Creator, and despite being among people at the same time as being in God’s company. Absorption is marked with knowledge and love of God the Almighty and spiritual pleasures, while it is a distinctive sign of distinguishing that an initiate who has it tries to lead others to the same horizon of knowledge and love of God and spiritual pleasures. For this reason, it has been said that one who does not have distinguishing is imperfect in servanthood to God, and one who does not feel absorption lacks in perfect knowledge of God. This is why one should have both distinguishing and absorption, each of which has a significance of its own. As mentioned before, in the account of absorption, You alone do we worship (1:5) is said to indicate distinguishing, and You alone do we ask for help (1:5) absorption.

Absorption is a subjective state of pleasure, while distinguishing is objective and occurs totally based on the Shari‘a. In absorption, one is under a greater influence from one’s spiritual state and inner depth than from one’s reason and logic, but in distinguishing, reasoning according to the Shari‘a is essential. One can pass into the state of absorption from the state of distinguishing. However, to turn back to the latter from the former means becoming distinguished. Those who remain in absorption are immersed in spiritual pleasures according to the capacity of their spirits and know nothing else. Isa Mahwi expresses this as follows:

One who exists in his non-existence
does not know non-existence while he exists;
Strangers to this state are unaware of the pleasure
in communion with the Beloved.

If one remains in the rank of absorption and is unable to turn back to distinguishing, this means that one has not been able to perceive well what Prophethood is. Ascending is progress, but descending among people after having completed ascension is perfection. An initiate has individual pleasure in absorption and can be an individual mirror to the Divine truths, but distinguishing after absorption denotes a determined attitude, pleasure shared with others and it denotes serving as a comprehensive mirror. Those who have attained such a station are with God and with people; and they discern Him in His manifestations in everything, feel unity in multiplicity, and look at multiplicity from and through unity.

Concerning the relation between distinguishing and absorption, we should also point out the “differentiation in absorption.” This means that heroes of spiritual state and pleasures can discern and observe the All-Holy One Who manifests Himself differently in different mirrors. As for the differences among the mirrors—things or beings and events that receive and reflect God’s manifestations—these are caused by the varying capacities of the mirrors to receive the manifestations.

Distinguishing after absorption is a more sound and perfect state than the former one—distinguishing before absorption. It is the state in which travelers to God cut their heart-felt relations with all else save the Single, Unique One and completely turn to Him to be annihilated in Him. Like annihilation in God and subsistence by God, those who have attained this rank do not discern the world and the things in it, although these exist before their eyes. They live in immersion, with observations made with their insight into the Divine Attributes and Essential Qualities in all things and events, and are lost in the manifestations of unity in the mirrors of multiplicity. Like the stars, which, although they are always there, become invisible when the sun rises—we should set forth for God the most sublime of examples—the heroes of this rank cannot see anything else other than Him from their observatory in the atmosphere of the manifestations of the Essential Qualities and Attributes of the Holy Existence Who is manifest enough to be recognized before all else.

From another perspective, an initiate in absorption is freed from corporeality and the animal dimension of his or her being, or dies with respect to his or her carnal ego, while in distinguishing he or she rises to the level of life that is lived at the level of spirit and heart and gains a new existence with an ego refined or restored by the All-Merciful. In this rank, he or she confesses, “I have lost my carnal ego and attained a new ego from the All-Merciful,” and always expresses the fact that “There is no agent save God,” without excluding the part of their free will in their acts. Being aware of the realities of the Existence and Knowledge that are contained in the degree of certainty based on experience, he or she is enraptured with the observation of the dominion of the All-Living, Self-Subsisting One over everything.

We should point out that, despite all considerations of annihilation and ecstasy, distinction is essential to distinguishing. Heroes of distinguishing are alert at every step of their journey to the fact that, though it is the Creator of causes alone Who creates both humanity and their deeds, they have free will, even though it consists of a relative inclination. They remain mindful that they have been given free will so that they are responsible and accountable for their sins and errors.

With respect to distinguishing, some people have gone to extremes and become mired in deviations. According to these people—may God protect us from believing in such a thing—every person is the creator of his or her own deeds, and human free will has an absolute effect on human actions. Some others hold exactly the opposite view and assert that human free will can play no part in human actions at all in the face of the absolute Divine Will. They suppose that human beings are like dried leaves blown around by winds in the face of an overwhelming, all-compelling will. Those who have adopted the Straight Way, and who have been favored with true perception of the mystery of the Divine Will in Its relation with human free will, have admitted that everything occurs by God’s Will and Power without human free will being excluded. God takes human inclinations or free choice into consideration when determining and creating the actions of humans. Such a belief supports with prayers their inclinations to do good, while also helping them to struggle against their inclinations to do evil by asking God for forgiveness.

The first of the three groups mentioned generally consist of naturalists, materialists and some rationalists who attribute every thing and every event to “natural” causes. They do not admit that anything else exists except what they can see with their eyes and hear with their ears.

Overpowered by the spiritual state in which they find themselves and the pleasures they feel, the second group negate free will and display fatalism, making out that people are like senseless objects.

As for the third group, in addition to seeing God’s Wisdom and authority, creativity and disposal in everything, in their consciousness that stems from their belief, and with their conscious perception, they admit that they have been endowed with a free will, which in reality consists in an inclination. So, without ever confusing the parts of the Divine Will and their own choices with each other in their acts, they are aware of what is meant when they say “I have done it.” In whatever kind or degree of pleasure and immersion they find themselves, they never lose their conviction of this fact.

Our Lord, do not let our hearts swerve after You have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Your Presence. Surely You, only You, are the (Munificent) Bestower. And bestow blessings and peace on our master Muhammad, the master of those who ever turn to God in contrition, and on his Family and Companions, the noble, honorable and godly ones.

In 1832, 100 km off the coast of Argentina, Charles Darwin observed numerous tiny crimson spiders, sized 2-3 mm, riding the breeze from the sea and then sticking onto the ropes and sails of the HMS Beagle, the ship on which he was touring around the world. He wondered how it would be possible for so many spiders to reach a vessel as a group that was very far from land. Darwin realized that these insects, which lived on land and did not have any apparent wings, were able to use tiny but extremely strong silk threads as sails or balloons to glide on wind.

These tiny insects could fly up to an altitude of approximately 4,000 meters using this method. The chemical processes involved in the production of the silk threads that are hardly visible to the eye, but are stronger than steel, are a mystery. While we are still unable to manufacture such advanced threads with all our technology, 45,000-50,000 species of spiders known to humankind can easily produce such threads with different characteristics in conformity with their nutrition, movement, and reproduction styles since the day they are created. They use these threads to set their traps for hunting, to build their nests, or moving around by hanging in midair. These diverse silk threads are synthesized from the amino acids in the special silk “laboratories” in the abdomens of spiders.

In order to find new habitats, these tiny spiders climb upwards until they reach the uppermost tip of a branch or leaf and start to release a silky thread like a kite in the direction of the breeze before they take off. They cling to these threads and start to glide through the air as if they are water skiing or paragliding. In this manner they can travel for hundreds of kilometers and, depending on air currents, they may reach altitudes of 500 meters or even 4,000 kilometers. The widespread explanation is that the dragging or lifting force of the wind can help the spider attached to such threads rise in the air. However, existing aerodynamic models fail to fully explain the ballooning mechanisms [1]. Another model proposed uses electric charges in the atmosphere to explain ballooning [2].

The miraculous thread that collects electricity

Amazingly, it has been found that spiders are equipped with the ability to detect electric fields and produce a thread that is charged by electric fields and operates similar to that of a battery. According to the research, the spider produces the special threads that are suitable for the ballooning effect with its sensitive receptors. The spider can also determine the wind direction and force with its mechanosensory hairs and eventually, electric driving force that is sufficient for ballooning is created [3].

In this case, physicists disagree over the main driving force affecting the silk thread: aerodynamic drag caused by the wind; or atmospheric electrostatic force. Based on Darwin’s observations and estimates, the physical force required for ballooning used to be attributed to the aerodynamic drag at the wind speeds less than 3 meters per second since then, but the extent to which electrostatic forces contribute to the ballooning was never tested.

Several problems arise when only aerodynamic drag is used to explain the ballooning process. For instance, in some species, the spider spreads out several silk threads and glues them together to form a fan or web that functions like a balloon. Some other species of spiders are observed to hold on to silk threads separately in order to move around in light breezes. The effects of an electrostatic force repel these threads so that they do not stick to each other. There are also questions about how spiders can release silk threads for ballooning at high speeds despite low wind speeds.

When the mechanism of silk production is examined it is seen that an external force is needed in order to pull the thread out of the pores of the gland during their production. In this case, how is high acceleration, which is required for the initial take-off, achieved when wind speeds are low? Despite reports that thermal air currents and temperature gradations function as a driving force on hot days, ballooning has been observed also on cloudy and rainy days. Models that take into consideration all the conditions such as humidity, temperature, and wind speed have been made but there are still issues that need to be addressed.

Is the spider versed in physics?

The role of electrostatic forces in helping spiders take off has been suspected but has yet to be tested. Eventually, experiments conducted by scientists from the University of Bristol confirmed in a study that spiders both detected electric fields and used them to launch themselves into the air [4]. When they sense a suitable wind spiders climb to the tip of a leaf where the electric charge is highest. They then level their legs, raise their abdomens upward, and start to release the silk thread. As the thread reaches a sufficient length the electric charges of the atmosphere starts to pull. The counteracting force from the earth starts to push the non-conducting thread and thus causes the spiders to take off.

Electric field

The distribution of the electric field in the atmosphere is related to a number of biological systems. For instance, bumblebees can detect the electric fields between them and flowers. Honeybees can use electric charges to communicate within their hives. How widespread is the ability to detect and use electrostatic forces among the organisms living on land? The silk produced by spiders is known as a strong insulator; Michael Faraday used it for the first measurements of electrostatic charge, and it was found that this silk collected a net negative charge.

The next question is to ask how these electric fields are formed. The earth is loaded with negative electric charge and the upper parts of the atmosphere are loaded with positive charge due to thousands of storms that occur every day. This atmospheric potential (voltage) gradation between the earth and the sky exists also on sunny days, albeit at a lower degree compared to stormy days. This event can hardly be brushed over as a simple flight of spiders as it involves more wise purposes than meets the eye.

Scientists have discovered that a spider can sense electrostatic forces and determine whether there are suitable conditions for take-off, and even control its altitude during flight, thanks to the special receptor hairs on its legs (trichobothria). The mechanisms involved in adjusting the thickness and length of the thread through the opening and closing of the silk-secreting nozzles, preparing the amino acid mixture in the correct sequence, and releasing the mixture, which is initially in a liquid form but hardens upon contact with air, are so complex that they cannot be found even in modern nylon yarn production plants.

Tens of parameters, such as the ones listed above, have to be created thoroughly, at the perfect time, in the required quantities, in the required order, and without fail in order for spiders to travel through the air using a parachute- or sail-like system, which they perform as if they were specially trained for that. There are such knowledge, power, will, and wise purpose involved in all these activities that they cannot be attributed to mere chance.

References

1. Humphrey J.A.C. (1987). Fluid mechanic constraints on spider ballooning. Oecologia. 73: 469–477.
2. Gorham, P.W. (2013). Ballooning spiders: the case for electrostatic flight. Archiv, archiv:1309.4731v, arxiv.org/abs/1309.4731.
3. Morley, E.L. and Robert, D. (2018). Electric Fields Elicit Ballooning in Spiders. Curr Biol. 28(14): 2324–2330.e2
4. Ibid.