Page 22 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXV No. 29 have perished. In the case of the mosquito, development over time was not an option. “Our Lord is He who gave each thing its form and then guided [it]” (Qur’an 20:50) The anatomy of the mosquito includes heat, humidity, gas, and chemical-substance receptors. In addition to these receptors, the mosquito has feelers which perceive the vibrations of their opposite sex. The fact that a mosquito is equipped with such an extensive and effective system of receptors indicates that its nature, i.e., its way of meeting its needs, had to be in place from the beginning for it to be a mosquito, for it to exist and perpetuate itself. The Creator of this marvelous and perfect system, the one who brought the mosquito into existence, made His identity known in the following verse of the Qur’an: “There is no creature on the Earth that is not dependent upon God for its provision. He knows where it lives and where it dies, and all of it is recorded in a Glorious Book” (Qur’an, 11:6). Biting the Prey The first incision is made with the upper and lower jaw. The four cutters in the sucking tube cut deep into the skin. Sensory organs which detect heat, smell, taste, and touch play an important role in establishing where the capillaries are located under skin. After a few attempts, the mosquito finds a vein. It sucks the blood by sticking a tube into the hole it has opened in the skin. With the tube, it penetrates a small vein and sucks blood directly out if the vein. It can also suck the blood which has accumulated in the surrounding tissue, a thing which happened when skin the mosquito severed the skin. At this juncture, a potentially unsurmountable problem presents itself to the mosquito. The bite of a mosquito activates the human body’s defense system. The human body excretes in the region of the wound an enzyme which prevents microbes from entering the body. By causing the blood to clot, the human enzyme also stops the body from bleeding. A mosquito cannot drink clotting blood. To resolve this problem, through one of its sharp knives, the mosquito injects into the wound an anti-coagulant which renders the enzyme completely ineffective; the clotting stops, and with the mosquito’s instruments of invasion no longer obstructed, the mosquito can slurp up as much free flowing blood as he needs. This counter-defense secretion of the mosquito also provides the local anesthetic which numbs the area of the incision in the victim. This makes the victim unaware that his/her skin has been cut and its blood sucked. Only after the fact, does the secretion causes an allergic reaction and the skin starts to itch. A female sucks about 2.8 mg (0.0001 ounce) of blood at a time, for about 2.5 minutes. The blood is sent to the midgut by suction pumps in the fore-section of the digestive system. The abdomen fills with blood as far as the digestive system. Digesting the blood takes 3-4 days, and then sucking is repeated. In a mosquito’s sucking tube, there are 6 knives. 4 of these cut the skin. The other 2 join to form a hollow tube which the mosquito uses to stick into the tissue it has cut and suck out the blood. “O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued. They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” (Qur’an 22:73-74). Superior Flying Technique Wings of a mosquito beat approximately 500 times a second. This produces the buzzing perceived by the human ear. This astonishing rate results from a very sensitive measurement. If someone’s arms were tied to a machine and forced to flap 500 times a second, the shoulder joint would rupture. Connections would burn. Ligaments holding the arm together would snap. The arm would become completely disabled. If the movement lasted for more than a second, the shoulder would dislocate and the arm would break off. This movement which is impossible for humans, is the daily life of a mosquito. “And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered” (Qur’an 6:38). This miraculous ability to flap its wings is utilized with the help of a support systems innate to the mosquito. First and foremost, the muscles and connectors that make the wings flap are extremely strong and resilient. Second, these muscles require energy. As we know, cells use oxygen to synthesize energy. Resilience increases in direct proportion to an increased capacity for utilizing oxygen. In the human body, oxygen from the lungs is taken into the blood. Thereby, it is carried to the cells. The reason a person gets tired when running is because necessary oxygen is not carried to the cells in time. Another reason is the appearance of lactic acid in the cells of the muscles. If the cells cannot get rid of the acid, fatigue follows. This situation is different for mosquitos. In order to beat their wings—which are nearly the size of their bodies—500 times a second, the mosquito needs a great deal of oxygen. The mosquito’s respiratory system is created to meet this need. Its respiratory system consists of a tube that reaches every cell. As the tube makes direct contact with the outside air, the cells obtain oxygen without an intermediary substance. Waste substances are also passed from cells into the atmosphere by
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