ISLAM

LOCATION : Mecca

HISTORY : 613

NAME : Qur’an, Surat al-Qiyamah, verses 3-4

NEWS : Does man think that We will not surely bring his bones together? Yes, We are the ones who are able to gather even his fingertips and put them in order.

SCIENCE

NAME : Francis Galton

LOCATION : England

DATE : 1890

NEWS : Differences in fingertip prints

Fingerprints are shapes formed by protrusions on the skin of the fingertip that can be seen with the eye. These projections of the outer skin are also called papillae. If we examine our fingers carefully, we can see that fingerprints are made by combining many lines in different ways. The invention of the fingerprint system dates back to ancient times. Although there are some records about fingerprints in old sources, there is no information about the use of fingerprints in these records. The chronology of the discovery is also quite complicated. As a result of my humble studies, I obtained the following information: It is said that Marcello Malpigh, the famous Italian biology and anatomy scholar, was the first to scientifically analyse the lines on the fingertips. In his 1665 book, Observations on the Anatomy of the External Organ of Touch, published in Naples, he described some of the features of the indented and protruding shapes of the fingertip skin. Nehemiah Grew in 1684 and Marcello Malpighi in 1686 drew attention to the fact that people’s finger folds may have some features, but they did not fully specify the methods of utilising these traces. In 1824, Thomas Bewick printed his fingerprints in his book, along with his signature, in order to distinguish them from copies. In 1890, the British scientist Francis Galton, who conducted research on “biological heredity”, methodically stated for the first time that the lines on the fingertips are different in each person.

Al-Malmalili Hamdi Yazir, in his commentary on the verse, states: “The fact that the subtlety is pointed out in the creation of the fingertips in this way is not something superficial and simple, but shows that there are deep and important subtleties in their creation. First of all, man does his most important work with his hands, so the hand is considered a symbol of power and might. It can be said that expressions related to the meaning of power such as “this work is in his hand”, “it comes from his hand”, “his hand is narrow”, “his hand is wide”, “his hand is long”, “his hand is short”, “his hand is short”, “his hand is open” and “his hand is tight” are not attributed to any limb as much as they are attributed to the hand. Then all the value of the hand is in the fingers. All the work done with the hand is related to the fingers. Therefore, the diet of ten fingers is equal to the diet of two hands. The saying, “He has a finger in so-and-so’s work” means that the finger is a sign of influence and power. All the subtleties of the fingers are at their tips. There is such an interesting art and such a fine sensitivity in the fingers and fingertips that even the subtleties of anatomy and tissue science are not enough to grasp it. Almost all the subtleties of the sense of touch are gathered in them. As a rough example, on a dark night, for example, when you are strolling in a cellar or a shop, as you poke here and there with a cane in your hand, you can distinguish many things such as this stone, this earth, this wood, this sack of flour, this sack of rice or bulgur, this sack of coffee or beans, this sack of sugar, this sack of coal; all these are the subtleties of the sensory network in which your fingers receive the types of various vibrations that can come from the cane with the nerve endings. On the one hand, the hardness of the nails, which resist and withstand many things like weapons, and on the other hand, the fingers and their tips, which encompass such different exquisitenesses and subtleties within the durable organisation of the appropriate muscles, and which are the tools for making and managing fine and elegant pens, brushes, needles, which draw the finest lines such as writing, embroidery, painting, ornamentation and scrawling with large and large hammer and cinder strokes, are almost the nodes of creation from which the most important part of the works of human beings arise. If one knew how to read them precisely, one would realise that they express many, if not all, of the essential qualities of a human being. Therefore, there is a deep meaning in the expression “able to straighten even his fingers”, as if to say “we can straighten all the works and artefacts, good and bad, that come out of the hands of that person”. Of course, the Creator of these things can also collect them. Yes, Allah Almighty can collect all the characteristics of a human being in a small cell and show them as an example. As a matter of fact, He collects all the characteristics of a human being in a mote from the coccyx.”[239]

The fingerprints of human beings begin to appear in the womb when they are three months old. Since everyone’s fingerprints, including identical twins, are different from each other, the fingerprint also serves as an identity. This identity, which is hidden in the tips of the fingers, constitutes the most sensitive and most sensitive part of the body at the same time. The coexistence of sensitivity and identity, in this sense, associates being human with having an identity and feeling. Feeling, that is, being emotional, points to the peace of mind to be achieved as a result of the action. The character structure of a person without identity and the view of events of a person without feelings are distorted. Such a person cannot even be said to be just. If you look at it from this point of view, you will see that all non-Islamic organisations have these ideas in common. Therefore, the personality of a Muslim depends on his identity and sensitivity. Identity is formed as a result of a life lived in accordance with one’s faith, not in relation to one’s position. Where there is no sensitivity, there is only a person without identity.

When viewed from the perspective of wisdom, the fact that emotion and identity are encoded together in the fingerprint reveals the most basic formula for ensuring that worship also creates peace. Because the verses of servitude[240] of Islam, which are the cogs of the gears of justice within the mechanism of returning to its essence, work in the same way.

For a non-emotional person, prayer is only a procedure[241] that ensures good relations. For a sensitive person, on the other hand, prayer is a duty of servitude that one performs for the purpose of self-regulation[242]. For this reason, prayer represents the pillar of religion under the sky raised without a pillar. Because without it, there is no possibility of organising servitude.

Jihad is the reflection of emotion on the sword. The emotionless think that jihad is for the purpose of occupation. The fact that paradise is under the shadow of swords is not a blessing for more bloodshed, but a sign of the hierarchy of being[243] to make servitude exclusive to Allah.

Zakat is a drudgery for the insensitive and a cause of gratitude for the sensitive. It is the action of the servant that proves that the earning that has been allocated to him has been allocated for him. Those who do not pay zakat on their wealth without an excuse are also claiming that their earnings are the result of their own efforts alone. Zakat prevents hardening of the heart, becoming callous, excessive desire for worldly goods, being stingy, living a life devoid of compassion and hoarding wealth. In this sense, it constitutes the economic aspect of the test.

For the insensitive person, Hajj is only a chain of actions carried out for the purpose of reminiscing about the past, a right granted to those who have the financial means. For the sensitive person, on the other hand, Hajj is known as a chain of actions that lead to reform and an opportunity offered for the purpose of purification from bad habits. The difference between those who go to the holy lands and come back empty-handed and those who do not go there but achieve the reward is that the human being is sensitive…

Fasting is the bane of the callous person. Because fasting is a reminder of mercy. For the callous, this word means to lose. Although fasting is one of the actions done to be patient, for the insensitive person it is usually one of the actions that must be done in order not to be under reproach[244]. For the sensitive person, fasting is a lesson in self-discipline. It is a balancing adjustment to his life during the year. It teaches the inflated ego to be patient with its desires. It makes people taste the life of a poor person by informing them the value of the blessings in their hands. It advises him to stay away from riya and ostentation and to avoid evils. Those who are insensitive are exempt from understanding these.

For the callous, sacrifice is either a roasting party or a ruthless slaughter; for the sensitive, it is an act done in order not to be a servant to others or to hand over what has been rendered in service to the giver. He is not reached by the blood and flesh of the sacrifices, but only by the taqwa of the individuals. Those who do not sacrifice because they are insensitive perform the act of bloodshed under the name of social activity. Those who are sentimental and sacrifice, complete the task of handing over the soul to the beloved by sharing…

Does a person who is insensitive believe in the Hereafter in the absolute sense?

Just like these acts of worship, living by feeling is the factor that forms identity. The one who cannot feel with his fingers cannot create identity with his brain. Just as the heart sensitises the believer’s soul, which is the identity of the believer, with faith; the finger forms the identity by constituting the most sensitive part of the body.

There is one more thing I would like to mention briefly at the end of our chapter. Even if those with a materialist mentality accuse Islam of being reactionary, every good science will only serve Islam. In order for science to serve only good in itself, it must derive its values from Islam. As a matter of fact, although it serves people, there are still discoveries that are not for the good of humanity.

Since not being nourished with Islamic values materialises the minds, today’s science, although it “serves humanity”, cannot make them happy. Because science uses its technological power not to make life happy, but to serve the materialists’ recipe for happiness, which is to turn it into technique. In other words, science does not work for the transformation of life into bliss, but for the transformation of life into technique. For this reason, none of the branches of science that do not have Islamic values have yet been able to form even the theory of achieving happiness. The fact that the bliss foretold by Islam 1400 years ago and adapted to life by believers does not even have a theory in today’s science proves that science is in an endeavour far from bliss. I have found it appropriate to write the formula of bliss as a conclusion in the hope that perhaps one day the value of this verse will be recognised by the scientific community, like the verses that find themselves in the course of time.

[239] Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Qur’an Dili, vol. 8, p. 439.

[240] System, system

[241] The path and method followed to achieve a goal

[242] To put in order, to put in order, to sort, to arrange

[243] Inferiority-superiority relationship

[244] Accusation, misdemeanour