Introduction - A Colourful World

Have you ever thought what it would be like to live in a world without colour? Free yourself for a moment from your experience, forget all that you've learned and start using your imagination. Try to visualise your body, the people around you, the seas, the sky, trees, flowers, in short everything in black. Imagine that there is no colour around you. Try to think how you would feel if people, cats, dogs, birds, butterflies, and fruits had no colour at all. You would never want to live in such a world, would you?

Most people may never have thought about what a colourful world they are living in or wondered how such a diversity of colour has come to exist on earth. They may never have given a thought to how a world without colour would be. This is because everyone who sees was born into a world full of colour. However, a model of a black and white, colourless world is not impossible. On the contrary, the really amazing thing is our living in a bright, colourful world. (In the following chapters, we will discuss in detail why the existence of a colourful world is so amazing)

A colourless world would normally be thought of as having only black, white and shades of grey. However, black, white and shades of grey are also colours. In this respect, it is difficult to imagine colourlessness. To describe colourlessness, one always feels the need to mention a colour. With statements such as "it was colourless, completely dark", "there was no colour in her face; it was completely white" people try to describe colourlessness. In fact, these are not the descriptions of colourlessness, but of a world of black and white.

Try, just for a second, to imagine that all of a sudden, everything loses its colour. In such a situation, everything would mix with everything else and it would become impossible to distinguish one object from another. It would become impossible to see, for example, an orange, red strawberries or colourful flowers on a brown wooden table, for neither would the colour of the orange be orange, nor that of the table brown, nor that of the strawberries red. For a person, it would be quite annoying to live, even for a short time, in such a colourless world, which is even difficult to describe.

Colour has a crucial role in man's communication with the outside world, in the proper functioning of his memory, and in his brain's fulfilment of its learning functions. This is because humans can develop appropriate connections between events and places, people and objects only through their external appearances and colours. Neither hearing nor touch alone suffice to define objects. For humans, the external world only means something when it is seen as a whole with its colours.

We always see a world full of color
When the pictures above and on the right are compared, it will be better understood how nice it is to see a world full color. Colors are one of the greatest blessings that Allah has bestowed upon people in the world.

Identifying objects and our surroundings are not the only benefits from the diversity of colours. The perfect harmony of colour in nature gives the human soul great pleasure. In order to see this harmony and derive pleasure from every detail of it, man has been equipped with a pair of eyes, which have a very special design. In the world of animate beings, human eyes are the most functional and can perceive colours in their smallest details, so much so that the human eye is sensitive to millions of colours.1 Evidently, the visual apparatus in humans that works so perfectly has been specially designed to see a world full of colour.

The only being on earth that can understand the existence of such an order in the universe is man because he has the power to reflect and reason. Hence, in the light of all the foregoing, we conclude the following:

Every detail, pattern and colour in the heavens and the earth have been created for humans to acknowledge and so to appreciate this order and reflect on it. The colours in nature have been arranged in such a manner as to appeal to the human soul. Perfect symmetry and harmony prevail within colour, both in the worlds of animate and inanimate beings. This situation will certainly evoke some questions in the mind of someone who reflects, such as:

What makes the earth colourful? How do the colours, which make our world so extraordinarily beautiful, come into being? To whom belong the design of the diverse colours and the harmony between them?

Is it possible to say that whatever exists might have come into existence by purposeless changes brought about by a chain of coincidence?

Certainly, no one would claim such an absurdity. Uncontrolled coincidences cannot create anything, let alone billions of colours. Just observe the wings of a butterfly or colourful flowers of any kind, each of which looks like a wonder of art. It is surely impossible for sound reason to attribute all these to unconscious processes.

We can have a better understanding of this fact if we take an example. When one sees a painting depicting trees and flowers in nature, one would not claim nor even think that the harmony of colour, the organised patterns and the conscious design in this painting could have come into existence by coincidence. If someone came along and said, "the paint boxes were overturned by the wind, mixed, and with the effect of rain etc., and after a long period of time this beautiful painting was formed", it is certain that nobody would take him seriously. There is a very interesting situation here. Although nobody would attempt to put forward such an unreasonable claim, some people can nevertheless claim that the perfect colouring and symmetry of nature came about by such an unconscious process. Nevertheless, evolutionists produce theses that it is the workings of coincidence to explain this subject and they produce various researches. They do not hesitate to put forward baseless claims on the issue.

This is obvious blindness, with which it is difficult to come to terms. Still, someone who escapes from this blindness through exercising his faculty of thought will understand that he actually lives in an extremely miraculous environment on the earth. He would also fully acknowledge that such an environment furnished with the most appropriate conditions for the survival of humankind could not have come into existence by chance.

Just as a man who reflects, acknowledges the moment he looks at a painting that it has a painter, so will he understand that the multi-coloured, harmonious and extremely picturesque environment around him also has a Creator.

This Creator is Allah, Who has no partner in creation, Who creates everything in full harmony, and Who placed us in this world overflowing with numerous beautiful things embellished with millions of colours. All the things Allah creates are in perfect harmony with each other. Allah describes the uniqueness of His artistry in creation in the Qur'an as follows:

He Who created the seven heavens in layers. You will not find any flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look again-do you see any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight will return to you dazzled and exhausted! (Surat al-Mulk: 3-4)

Chapter 1 - What Is Colour? How Is It Made?

Some details have an important place in the minds of humans and they never change. Let us begin with trees, which are very familiar to us. The colour of trees is most often either green or shades of green. It is well known that during autumn, leaves change colour. Similarly, the colour of sky is either blue, shades of grey when cloudy or yellows and reds at sunrise and sunset. The colours of fruit never alter; the rich and varied colours of the apricot and of the cherry are set, and are always familiar to us. Every living being and every object held under light has a colour. Have a careful look at the things around you. What do you see? The table, the chairs, the trees you see through your window, the sky, the walls of your house, the faces of the people around you, the fruit you eat, the book you are reading at this minute… Each one of them have distinct colours. Have you ever thought how it is that all these colours have been formed and arranged?

Let us examine in general what is required for the formation of colours that play significant roles for life. (These points will be discussed later on in detail). For the formation of a single colour, for example, red or green, each of the following processes has to take place and, importantly, in the following sequence.

The importance of colours in man's life is indisputable as every object acquires a meaning with its colours. Imagine that none of the colours you see in this photograph at the top (including black and white) exist at all. Certainly, you would not be able see any of the objects in the photograph. For the formation of even a single one of these numerous colours present on these objects, quite a few factors must be fulfilled, all at the same time. Allah has made the formation of colours dependent on the existence of a very detailed system.

1. The first condition required for the formation of colour is the existence of light. In this respect, it will be useful to start with examining the properties of the light coming from the sun. For the formation of colours, the light coming from the sun to the earth must have a certain wavelength to produce colours. The proportions of this light, called "visible light", to all other light rays emitted by the sun is one in 10²⁵. This hardly believable, tiny proportion of the light rays that are necessary for the formation of colour reach the earth from the sun.

2. In fact, most of the sunrays diffused by the sun across space bear some characteristics harmful to the eye. For this reason, the light arriving on earth must take such a form that it can be easily perceived by the eye and not harm it. For this, the rays must pass through a filter. This giant filter is the "atmosphere" which surrounds the earth.

3. The light passing through the atmosphere is spread over the earth, and on hitting the objects it encounters, it is reflected. The objects on which light falls must not be of a type that do not absorb light but reflect it. In other words, the structural quality of the objects must also be in harmony with the light reaching the earth so that colour can form. This condition is also fulfilled and a new light wave is reflected from the objects on which the light coming from the sun strikes.

4. Another essential step in the process of colour formation is the need for a perceiver to perceive the light waves, which is the eye. It is essential that the light waves be in harmony also with the organs of sight.

5. The rays coming from the sun must pass through the lens and the layers of the eye and be converted into nerve impulses in the retina. Then these signals must be conveyed to the vision centre of the brain, which is responsible for making sense of sight.

6. There is a last step that has to be fulfilled for us to "see" any colour. The last stage in the formation of colours is the interpretation of the electric signals, which arrive at the vision centre of brain, as "colour" by very special nerve cells located there.

As seen, for the formation of a single colour, a very detailed and interdependent sequence of processes is required.

All the information we have about colour indicates that every process that takes place during the formation of colour is set on very delicate balances. Without these balances, we would inevitably be left in a fuzzy dark world instead of a clear colourful one, and would even lose our ability to see. Let us suppose that of the above-mentioned items, only one - the nerve cells that perceive the electric signals generated by the retina - does not exist. Neither the sunlight being within the visible spectrum, nor the other parts of the eye being completely functional, nor the existence of the atmosphere would be adequate and compensate for this lack.

The Role of RetIna In SeeIng

Let us examine the retina closer and in more detail. Let us suppose that the pigmentary substance called "rhodopsin", operating in the retina, is absent. Rhodopsin is a substance that ceases functioning under heavy light but is regenerated in darkness. The eye cannot see clearly in dim light unless sufficient rhodopsin is produced in the eye. The function of rhodopsin is to increase the efficiency with which the eye generates a nerve impulse from dim light. This substance is produced as much as required exactly when it is needed. When the rhodopsin balance is maintained, images become clear. What would happen if rhodopsin, which is very significant for the process of sight, did not exist? In that case, man would be capable of seeing only in bright light.2 It is therefore evident that there is a perfect system within the eye, which has been designed down to the smallest detail. Then, whose work of art is this system, which saves us from darkness and presents us a world full of colour?

Every stage mentioned thus far includes a series of processes, which require the existence of wisdom, will and power in their being brought into being. It is plain that there is no chance of such a chain of processes existing in such harmony having been formed by chance. It is also impossible for such a system to have been formed over time. The result would not change at all even if millions and even billions of years were allowed to pass. The systems to comprising a colourful world would never emerge by coincidence. Such perfect systems can come into being only as a result of special design, which is to mean that they are created. Allah possesses eternal power and wisdom that cover the whole universe. Examples of Allah's matchless artistry in creation stretch across the entire order of the universe. The unique design evident in the formation of colour is also an outcome of the peerless creation of Allah. Allah has power over all things.

(He is) the Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surat al-Baqara: 117)

Chapter 2 - Design In Colours

Colour is a concept that helps us to identify the properties of objects and define them more precisely. Thinking about the colours of the objects around us, we simply come to notice what a variety of detailed colours we are surrounded by. Everything, animate or inanimate, has a colour. Living creatures of the same species have the same particular colours everywhere in the world. No matter where you go, the colour of the flesh of the water-melon is always red, kiwis are always green, seas are always shades of blue and green, snow is white, lemons are yellow, the colour of elephants is the same in any part of the world as also the colours of trees. They never change. This goes for artificially produced colours as well. Wherever you go on the earth, if you mix red with yellow, you will get orange or if you mix black and white you will get grey. The result is always the same.

At this point, it may be useful to think somewhat differently. First, let us think by asking the question of how the colours of objects are made. We can explain this by an example. Imagine that you walk into a store and see fabric of different designs and models, the colours of which are extremely harmonious with each other. Surely, those fabrics did not come there by chance; conscious people drafted their designs, determined their colours, subjected them to a number of dying processes, and after putting them through many other intermediate stages, they displayed them in that store. In short, the existence of these fabrics depends on the people who designed and manufactured them. When you see them, you do not say that they came there by chance, or that their designs were formed by coincidence as a result of paints spilt over the fabrics. In fact, no man of reason would make such a claim. Indeed, there is a conscious Will that presents us the views we see in nature all the time, the butterflies, flowers, multi-coloured places under the sea, trees, and clouds etc., just in the way these fabrics are presented to us. The diversity in the universe is the consequence of a special design. This design is manifested in every stage from the formation of light to its becoming a colourful image in our brain. This is one of the greatest evidences of the existence of an Owner, that is, a Designer of the design in colours. Surely, Allah, Who possesses an infinitely superior wisdom and power of creation, creates all the colours and designs in the universe that man admires.

The stages of colour formation were briefly listed earlier. In this chapter, the superior design evident in colour will be examined under separate headings in accordance with the progression from light to eye and brain.

No one would claim that the fabric seen in the picture came there by coincidence, and has no designer. Similarly, it cannot be claimed that rainbows, butterflies, flowers, sea creatures, and clouds, in short, everything on earth has no designer. The designs of the colours and forms of all these things belong to Allah, Who creates without any preceding example.

1. LIght, LIfe and Colour

The sun is only one of the billions of medium size stars in the universe. What makes the sun the most important star of the universe for us is its size, its relationship to the planets moving around it and the particular rays it emits. If just one of these characteristics of the sun were different from current values, there would be no life on earth. Indeed, the sun has the ideal values for life to originate and be maintained on earth.1This is why scientists describe the sun as the "source of life" on earth.3

Sunlight is the only source of heat, heating the earth in the most appropriate way, and light, helping plants with their photosynthesis. It is well known that heat and photosynthesis are essential for life. In addition, the existence of daylight and a colourful world depend on the rays emitted from the sun. In this case, the question of how these rays, the ultimate energy source for the earth, come into existence comes to mind. Surely, that these rays, which are the key to life on earth, serve such important purposes and, at the same time, have all the necessary characteristics for this, cannot be attributed to coincidence. The reason for this will be better understood when the structure of light is examined.

The wavelengths of the rays coming from space may be of very different types, ranging from radio waves, which have the longest wavelengths, to gamma rays, which have extremely short wavelengths.

All the conditions essential for the existence of life on earth, directly or indirectly, depend on light coming from the sun. In the structure of sunrays, on the other hand, there is a design dependent on very delicate balances.

The energy emitted by the stars moves in waves through the void of space. Similarly, both light and heat are emitted by the sun, which is a star, as energy in the form of waves. The movement of this energy the stars emit can be compared to that of the waves caused by a stone thrown into a lake. Just as the waves in the lake have different lengths, so do heat and light have different wavelengths as they diffuse.

At this point, it would be useful to give some information about the different wavelengths of light in the universe. The stars and other light sources in the universe do not emit the same kinds of light. These different rays are classified according to their wavelengths and frequencies. These different wavelengths are spread over vast areas. For example, the shortest wavelength is 10²⁵ times smaller than the longest wavelength (10²⁵ is a very big number consisting of number 1 followed by 25 zeros)4

In the whole spectrum, the total rays emitted by the sun are squeezed into a very short interval. 70% of the different wavelengths the sun emits lie within a narrow interval ranging from 0.3 micron to 1.50 micron. (A micron is 10-6 m) Examining why sunrays are restricted to such a narrow interval, we come to an interesting conclusion: the rays that make life, and colour, possible on earth are only those present in this interval.

The arrangement within light astonishes scientists. Although too many rays come from space, sunrays, as seen in the schema above, are restricted to a very narrow interval. This is precisely the interval that is needed for life.

British physicist Ian Campbell, who defines this superior design as "incredibly astonishing" in his book "The Energy and the Atmosphere", draws attention to this point:

That the radiation from the sun (and from many sequence stars) should be concentrated into a minuscule band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which provides precisely the radiation required to maintain life on earth, is very coincidence.5

The greater part of this small range of radiation emitted by the sun from the electromagnetic spectrum, a spectrum having a width where the longest wavelength is 10²⁵ times large than the shortest, is named "visible light". The rays that lie below and above this interval, on the other hand, reach the earth as infrared and ultraviolet rays. Let us now briefly examine the properties of these two kinds of rays.

Infrared rays reach the earth in the form of heat waves. Ultraviolet rays that contain higher energy, on the other hand, may have a damaging effect on living beings. Infrared rays pass through the atmosphere, and provide heat, which makes the earth a place suitable for life. Ultraviolet rays, on the other hand, can reach the earth only at a certain rate. If this rate were a little higher than its current level, it would harm the tissues of living beings and cause mass deaths, while if it were a little lower, then the energy needed for living beings would not be provided.

These points are details crucial for life. As understood from the functions and uses of the rays emitted by the sun, there is order and control in every existing system in the world. Surely, it is impossible for such a system, the delicate balances of which we briefly dwelled upon, to have been formed by coincidence.

Examining another element of this flawless system, we once again see the impossibility of its coming into existence as a consequence of coincidence.

The atmosphere lets only necessary rays reach the earth while reflecting other harmful rays back into space.

2. The shIeld protectIng the earth: The Atmosphere

In previous pages, we mentioned that some of the sunrays are harmful for life on earth. In order to avert this harmful effect, a solution is needed.

Let us put our heads together and find a solution to this problem by developing an efficient system to filter sunrays. We should also take cognisance of the fact that this system should be a multifunctional one, which will protect the world from the harmful effects of the sun, ensuring that this is maintained permanently, not requiring maintenance, and also capable of preventing some other possible threats to the earth. Certainly, in such a situation, several alternative solutions will surface. Yet, nothing put forward will be as efficient and versatile as the present filter that now covers the earth: the atmosphere. The atmosphere of the earth is one hundred percent successful at filtering harmful rays and Allah specially designed it in order to protect the world.

By means of specific layers of the atmosphere, sunrays reach earth only in required amounts because the atmosphere processes the sunrays specifically according to their wavelengths. Our atmosphere is like a giant refining plant designed for filtering these rays. This gigantic refining system that has no equal on the earth has been carrying out these processes because of its special design. Allah draws attention to the creation of the skies as follows, (the Arabic word for 'heaven - sama' is also the word for 'sky'):

The creation of the heavens and earth is far greater than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind do not know it. (Surah Ghafir: 57)

The rays coming from the sun are quite specific. It is necessary for them to possess properties enabling them to pass through the atmosphere and reach the earth. Similarly, the atmosphere, too, has to have a special structure to allow these rays to pass through. Otherwise, neither the existence of the atmosphere nor the structural appropriateness of the rays will be of any use. Because of the ray-permeable nature of the atmosphere, the rays coming from the sun easily reach the earth. There is another important point that needs mention. Whilst letting only visible light and the near infrared rays required for life pass through, the atmosphere prevents all other destructive rays from reaching earth. The atmosphere of the earth serves as a very important "filter" for the destructive rays coming from the sun or from non-sun sources, that is, from other zones in space.6

Michael Denton, a renowned astronomer, states this as follows:

Even the atmospheric gases themselves absorb electromagnetic radiation very strongly in those regions of the spectrum immediately on either side of the visible and near infrared. Note that the only region of the spectrum allowed to pass through the atmosphere over the entire range of electromagnetic radiation from radio to gamma rays is the exceedingly narrow band including the visible and near infrared. Virtually no gamma, X, ultraviolet, far-infrared, and microwave radiation reaches the surface of the earth.7

The material densities, that is, the densities of atoms in space and of the atmosphere are different from each other. For this reason, when light enters the atmosphere, it spreads out more and becomes diffuse because it hits more atoms. The eyes of living beings can see a colourful world only by perceiving these rays that come after being diffused, or in other words, weakened by the atmosphere. In outer space environment where there is no atmosphere, light is so strong as would harm the eyes. Apart from this, near infrared rays also spread out in the atmosphere and warm the earth.

It is apparent that there is a highly developed design in the structure of the atmosphere. Out of a spectrum whose width is hinted at by this figure of 10²⁵, the sun emits only those rays that are useful to us and necessary for a colourful world, and the atmosphere mainly allows harmless and indeed useful rays to reach the earth. In addition, due to the properties of the gases present in the atmosphere, the eyes of living beings, which are directly exposed to sunlight, are protected against any harmful effects. All these are evidence that Allah has created everything in due proportion.

He to Whom the kingdom of the heavens and the earth belongs. He does not have a son and He has no partner in the Kingdom. He created everything and determined it most exactly. (Surat al-Furqan: 2)

Chapter 3 - Molecules That Produce Colour: Pigments

The reason for colour diversity in the leaves of flowers is the reaction to light of pigment molecules present in their structure.

In previous chapters, we mentioned that because of the different atomic properties of the pigmentary molecules, objects reflect light rays differently; hence, different shades of colour are produced. Have another look around you. The different colours in your range of vision indicate the existence of a similar number of pigments, because the colour of everything we see in our surroundings depends on the pigments present in the composition of that matter. The green colour of plants, the colour of skin, the colours of animals, in short all colours stem from the structural characteristics of the pigments contained in those objects or living things.

What Is PIgment?

Pigments, existing both in our eyes and in the outer surface of objects, are special molecules that bring about colour. A certain energy is needed for pigment molecules to be activated. Certainly, just as in all other stages in the formation of colour, there is again perfect harmony between pigments and light. "The invisible light" reaching the earth has been specially designed for the "pigment" molecules, which are known as colour molecules, in living things.

Moreover, human eyes also have a structure compatible to this purpose. The reason why the cone cells that lie in the retina of our eye perceive three main colours - red, green, and blue - is because of the special pigment molecules they contain. The most crucial task these pigments perform so that we see a coloured world is convert the energy of "colour" in light into nerve impulses. This means that everything we know as colour is an end-result of these pigments transmitting the wavelength of light reaching to them to the brain as nerve impulses.11

The energy levels of visible light correspond to some of the energy levels needed for activating pigment molecules that are found in the skins of living beings, or in the scales, feathers, or furs covering their skins, and thus their colours are formed.

As seen, pigments, which are present both in the vision centres and in the bodies of living beings, are in perfect harmony with other bodily systems. Absence of a particular kind of pigment molecule or its presence in an amount less than required in the vision centre of a living being causes it to be unable to distinguish colours in its environment.

The question is: how do these special molecules develop in the skins of living beings? We can give an answer to this question by asking some further questions. Have living beings come to possess these colours by acknowledging the properties of a special light spectrum reaching the earth and choosing special pigment molecules accordingly? Certainly the possibility of the occurrence of such a coincidence is zero. These specific molecules have been placed in the skin of living beings by conscious design. It is obvious that neither could living beings carry out such a process, nor could random coincidence bring about such a formation. The harmony in question is one, which could only come about because of One Who Wills creating it, One Who keeps everything under control. Allah has created each living being with very sophisticated characteristics peculiar to it. Everything, animate or inanimate, has pigments suitable to it. Pigments absorb light selectively according to their molecular structure. Every pigment does not react to light in the same way. For this reason, it cannot set off the same chemical reaction and form the same colour.

We can give chlorophyll, the pigment molecule that causes plants to look green, as an example. These pigments absorb certain wavelengths coming from the sun and reflect light having the wavelength that corresponds to green colour. Chlorophylls, the pigment molecules in plants, reflect the photons that look green due to their wavelengths. At the same time, the energy they receive from sunlight enables the plants to produce carbohydrates, one of the prime food sources of all living beings.12 Different pigment molecules reflect particular colours at certain wavelengths according to their own molecular properties and hence cause different chemical reactions.

There are many kinds of pigments in nature. A few examples are sufficient to show that pigment molecules have been specially designed for life.

Examples of PIgment Types ProtectIve Colour Source: MelanIn

The pigment chlorophyll existing in plants is dominant over other pigments. Therefore, plants look green.

The eyes of living beings are quite sensitive to light and are easily affected adversely. Still, we can safely look towards the sun and see our surroundings, thanks to the support systems Allah specially created. One of these support systems is a group of pigment molecules present in the eye.
As is well known, the colours of living beings' eyes vary. What give an eye its colours are, again, pigments. Melanin is one of these pigmentary substances present in the eye that gives the eye its colour. The same pigment also gives your skin and hair their colours. However, melanin provides more than colour. Researchers believe that melanin, which exists in the eye, offers both protection against the deleterious effects of sunrays, and vision enhancement. The substance melanin, nature's solution to the problem of hazardous light rays, absorbs higher energy light more strongly than lower energy light. So, it absorbs ultraviolet more strongly than blue, and blue more strongly than green.13In this way, melanin provides protection to the lens of the eye against ultraviolet. It provides near optimum protection to the retina by filtering different colours in proportion to their ability to damage the tissue of the retina - thereby reducing the risks of macular degeneration. People with more eye-melanin have less occurrence of macular degeneration; people with less eye-melanin have greater occurrence of macular degeneration. About 15% of our original supply of melanin is lost from the eye by the age of forty and about 25% is lost by the age of fifty. The role melanin plays in eye protection is critical: ophthalmologists report that melanin in the eye reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration.14 As understood, each one of the functions of the substance melanin demonstrates to us the special design of this substance.

The answer to the question of how such a perfect substance has come about is that it is impossible for such a multifunctional substance with such a perfect structure to have come into being by coincidence. Allah has created the substance melanin, like all other things in the universe, in a special way as to serve a beneficial purpose for people.

Blood contains colourful pigments carrying oxygen in the body. These colours vary among living beings. For instance, while the colour of the blood of cuttlefish is light blue or colourless, the blood pigments of other animals and human beings are red. The redness of the hen's crest and the redness of most shrimps are caused by blood pigments.	The light rays coming from the sun activate the pigments in the objects and therefore colours form. We may compare pigment molecules to sieves whose selectivity depends on the size of their pores. Just as in a sieve, the wavelengths which pigments select according to their structures - that means colours - vary.

The big red eyes of the frog send warning signals to its predators. The reptile's eyes seen on the right have a colour that does not offset the camouflaging of the reptile. The eye of the owl seen above has a colour exclusive to its kind.

The Source of LIvely Colours

The sources of the lively colours present in the beaks of toucans are also pigmentary molecules.

Carotenoids (and lipochromes) are pigmentary molecules, which are synthesised by plants and which reflect the colours yellow, red and orange. Animals can obtain these pigments only by feeding on plants.

Poisonous sponges, crinoidea, toxic sea-cucumbers and some molluscs are either partly or completely yellow, red or orange in colour as a result of carotenoids, which are also present in the yellow parts of butterflies' wings and in the beaks of birds. In certain insects, these are emitted by special glands, which are yellow or red in colour. Curiously, these compounds are usually pale green or even colourless and only take on a bright yellow colour in the blood of poisonous insects. The carotenoids are not only useful as warning coloration; in some insects they are themselves transformed into poisonous compounds, in which case they serve a twofold purpose of being both a weapon and a signal.15 By means of this very special system that Allah has created, many living beings continue to thrive.

Thus far, we have briefly examined only a few types of pigment existing in nature. The conclusion we have reached in light of this review is the presence of the perfect design that reveals itself in pigments, in the atoms forming these pigments and in all the resulting colours. Allah, the ultimate Owner of this exceptional design, Lord of the worlds, introduces Himself to us by the unique artistry in the colours He creates in nature.

Have they not travelled about the earth and do they not have hearts to understand with or ears to hear with? It is not their eyes which are blind but the hearts in their breasts which are blind.
(Surat al-Hajj: 46)

Chapter 4 - The Language Of Colours

Just as colours are important for people in making sense of their surroundings, so are they indispensable for other living beings to survive.

Living beings have a "colour language" that works according to the light and the systems of perception they possess. Different colours bear different meanings for every living being. In order to survive, every living being has to know the language of colours used in its habitat, because vital functions can only be controlled by acknowledgement of this language.

So, how do living beings use this colour language?

First, the majority of living beings need the help of colours in order to find food. Second, the colours that exist on formations such as skin, scales and fur play an important role in the continuity of life due to their characteristics of absorbing or diffusing heat. In addition, living things use their colourings to protect themselves from their enemies. Owing to colours that harmonise with their habitat, they can camouflage themselves and hide from their enemies. Alternatively, their colourings and patterning may pose a discouraging image for their enemies.

Mother birds feed their chicks according to the colours of their gapes.

Colours also help animals to recognise their mates and chicks. A mother bird, for example, understands whether her chicks need food or not from the colours of their gapes. Similarly, the chick recognises its mother in this way and understands that the food has arrived.16 As seen in these examples in nature, living beings need to know the meaning of colours in order to survive. In order to attain this knowledge correctly they need to possess proper systems of perception.

If they did not have these systems, they would not be able to perceive their surroundings properly or carry out their vital activities. They would not be able to recognise their foods or discriminate their enemies. Therefore, in this latter case they would stand out from the outside world and be an easy prey doomed to death.

Surely, no one can claim that such sophisticated systems might have come into existence by coincidence. Every system, every harmony, every design, every program, every plan, every balance must be created by a designer. There is certainly a higher will and power that has perfectly placed this harmony in living beings and the habitats in which they live. The owner of this power encompasses both the surroundings and the living being itself and the systems it uses with a higher knowledge. The owner of this power is Allah, Lord of the worlds.

When we examine living beings, we see how skilfully they employ the language of colours. Here are some examples of the language of colours, which has such an important place in the life of living beings:

Allah creates every colour on earth. The sky, mountains, crops, butterflies, red apples, oranges, parrots, pheasants, violet grapes, trees, in short, everything you see in your surroundings, possess these colours because Allah wills so. Allah states this fact in a verse as follows:

Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky and by it We bring forth fruits of varying colours? And in the mountains there are streaks of white and red, of varying shades, and rocks of deep jet black. And mankind and beasts and livestock and likewise of varying colours. Only those of His slaves with knowledge have fear of Allah. Allah is Almighty, Ever-Forgiving. (Surah Fatir: 27-28)

Camouflage

In the picture is a grasshopper imitating the bark of a tree. The camouflage employed by the grasshopper is so perfect that even the designs of the lichens on the tree are present on it. This is a perfect creation of Allah.

Camouflage is one of the most effective defence tactics that animals use. Self-camouflaging animals are under some kind of protection because of their body structures, which are created in great harmony with

their habitats. The bodies of these animals are so harmonious with their environments that when you look at their pictures, it is almost impossible to tell if they are plants or animals, or to distinguish an animal and a plant present in the same environment from each other.

The living creatures that adapt their colourings according to the environments in which they live have always attracted the attention of scientists. Research focuses on finding an answer to the question of how a living creature can look exactly the same as a creature that is of a completely different structure.

Have you ever thought, for instance, how a frog, which, while walking in the garden, you took for a leaf, and then at the last moment skipped a step and avoided stepping on it, has it come to possess these patterns and colour? Camouflage is a very important defence mechanism for a frog. The frog that is unnoticed in its environment easily loses its enemies.

While a pink spider on a pink flower can successfully take on the flower's different shades of pinks of, another member of the same spider species can adapt to the colour of another flower, for instance, a yellow one, when it climbs on it.

While someone is looking at a branch, thinking there is nothing on it, a butterfly may fly away from it all of a sudden. This butterfly, which looked exactly like a leaf down to the dry, autumn-withered parts a second ago, is a perfect example of the miracle of camouflage.

As will be seen in the following pages, the similarity of living creatures to the objects on which they rest prevents their enemies from noticing them. It is obvious that these camouflaging creatures have not made themselves, on their own initiative, look like leaves, branches or flowers. What's more, they are not even aware that they are protected because of these similarities. Nevertheless, they employ camouflage very skilfully in all our examples without exception. An insect having the same colour as a flower, a snake standing still as a tree's branch, a frog adapting to the colour of wet ground, in short, all self-camouflaging creatures are evidence proving that camouflage is a specially created defence tactic.No living creature can perform such a task on its own or by coincidence. Certainly, He Who bestows upon living creatures the ability to camouflage themselves, and places the chemical processes in them by which they can carry out this colour change, is Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

The Misumena varia species of crab spiders seen on the left can assume different colours ranging from yellow to white, depending on the flower on which they land.17 The spider species seen above stops moving only when the colour and configuration of the plant are those best suited to hide it.18

In the photograph on the left are two myriapods that have developed almost identical coloration to the plants on which they live. In this way, they are protected from their enemies.20

Some insect species protect themselves from their enemies by means of group camouflage. For instance, Phiatids, a species of tropical Hemiptera found in Madagascar, has full and brilliantly coloured wings. When they are resting on a tree trunk, as in this photograph, they resemble an inflorescence.19 This misleads the hunters that look for insects.

The cheetah is no easier to distinguish in the tall grass; this is because hundreds of small spots break up the lines of the animal's body. The bright sunlight emphasises the black spots of the cheetah, increasing the mottled or "broken" effect of the body's outline.21	In the dry grass of the savannah, a hunting lioness is almost invisible, as the colours of the lioness tend to blend with the environment.

Camouflage does not only take place on the surface of the skin. The muscles of some species of frogs that live in the tropical forests of South America are coloured. The blood contains oxygen-conveying cells. Therefore, changes brought about by the need for camouflage not only take place on the surface of the skin but also within the body.22	In the picture above is a land frog that changes its colour according to weather conditions.
	Dead twigs and leaves become dark when wet. In the same manner, frogs and toads also change colour in wet weather, becoming darker. This change makes sure that they remain well camouflaged among the wet twigs and leaves.23 It is not possible for this amazing harmony to be coincidental.

A small, leaf-shaped frog blends in with the substratum of a forest in Malaysia. The frog is best camouflaged when viewed from above - that is, from the angle at which the predator is most likely to view it.24 In the picture to the right is a frog of another species, which appears like part of the tree. It is quite difficult to distinguish both living things from the environment.

In the daytime, or during the hours when predators are most active, the majority of mimetic animals remain immobile. Even the slightest movement could betray their whereabouts. The sensory apparatus of a predator is extremely sensitive to movement. For instance, this Brazilian grasshopper is indistinguishable from the blades of grass upon which it has landed.25	In the picture above, is a stick insect. Stick insects camouflage themselves in order to escape their predators. Mimetic ability, however, is not confined to adult insects in myriapods; the eggs are also camouflaged. On the ground, they look very much like vegetable seeds.26 It is impossible for a living creature to create colours in its body so as to be the same as its environment or to make its shape resemble that of another species. Allah, Who is their Creator, has given these features to all camouflaging creatures.
In the photographs grasshoppers are seen imitating leaves. A central vein and two symmetrical halves on two sides of this vein, which are present in the general structure of leaves, are also fully present in these grasshoppers as seen in the photographs.

In the photograph on the left is a mantis, which is almost invisible among the pink flowers. As opposed to the majority of other mantises, whose bodies have a long and narrow first segment or prothorax, in this Costa Rican species (in the picture to the right) this segment has a different design that makes it similar to the leaves on which the mantis lives.

The patterns on the grasshopper below are very similar to traces of a kind of parasitic fungus on leaves. In addition, since its long legs could betray a grasshopper's presence, the legs of some grasshoppers, as is the case with the grasshopper seen here, are almost transparent.27 Surely, the animals themselves do not consciously choose to do these imitations that are so perfect as not to leave out the dry parts and folds of a leaf. Allah, Who creates everything perfectly, created the grasshoppers.

Mantises are among the most common predators in the forests and in the savannahs of the hottest regions of the globe. The entire body structure of a mantis is designed for predation. The nymph mantis, seen below, of the tropical forests of South America is almost identical to the dry leaves of the fern. If it were to rest on a green leaf, it would be easy to spot. Most species take great care to find suitable environments in which to lie in wait for their prey.²⁸ It is certainly not possible for this creature to have devised such a system on its own. He Who inspires all the creatures with how they are supposed to act is Allah, the Lord of the entire universe.

Chapter 5 - A Topic Evolution Cannot Explain: Harmony And Symmetry

On the earth we inhabit and in the wider universe in which the earth is located great harmony prevails. Even by looking out of the window, we see many examples of this harmony. In the clouds, in the sky, trees, flowers, animals and in similar examples, perfect order and symmetry is apparent.

When we look at nature, we see that every plant and every animal have their own particular colours and patterns exclusive to their kind. Furthermore, each of these colours and patterns have different meanings for living things: an invitation to mate, expression of aggression, a warning against danger and many notions like these acquire a meaning among animals from the perception of colours and patterns.

The theory of evolution, which claims that everything has come into being by random coincidence, has reached a total impasse because of the artistry, diversity of colours and harmony exhibited in nature. Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory in the form in which we have it today, also had to confess the situation he faced because of the design evident in living beings. Darwin stated that he could not understand why the colours of living creatures have particular meanings:

My difficulty is, why are caterpillars sometimes so beautifully and artistically coloured? Seeing that many are coloured to escape danger, I can hardly attribute their bright colour in other cases to mere physical conditions. If any one objected to male butterflies having been made beautiful by sexual selection, and asked why should they not have been made beautiful as well as their caterpillars, what would you answer? I could not answer but should maintain my ground.55

Again Charles Darwin expresses the conflict he came into with his own theory as follows:

I value the cases of bright-coloured, incubating male fishes, and brilliant female butterflies, solely as showing that one sex may be made brilliant without any necessary transference of beauty to the other sex; for in these cases I cannot suppose that beauty in the other sex was checked by selection.56

Certainly, it is impossible for colours, order and symmetry in nature to have come into being by natural selection. At this point, it would be useful to have a closer look at the concept of "natural selection" put forward by the Darwinian theory of evolution. As is well known, natural selection is one of the imaginary mechanisms of the theory of evolution. It holds that those best fitted to their environment will survive, while those who are weak and unfit for environmental conditions will be eliminated. According to the claims of evolutionists, a beneficial change occurs in a member of a species through a random mutation in its genes. That creature is selected from among all others of that species by the mechanism of survival of the fittest, and thus what was a random mutation is transferred in larger amounts to the next generation.

It is definitely not possible for colours, patterns and the symmetry in the patterns of living beings to have been created through such a mechanism. This is a very obvious fact. Although he is the founder of the theory, Darwin himself had to confess that the imaginary mechanism of natural selection could not be the cause of such an order. Also, British archaeologist J. Hawkes questions the meaninglessness of natural selection in his article "Nine Tantalizing Mysteries of Nature", published in New York Times magazine:

I find it difficult to believe that the extravagant glories of birds, fish, flowers and other living forms were produced solely by natural selection; I find it incredible that human consciousness was such a product. How can man's brain, the instrument which created all the riches of civilization, which served Socrates, Shakespeare, Rembrandt, and Einstein, have been brought into being by a struggle for survival among hunters of wild game in the Pleistocene wilderness?57

As understood from those confessions of evolutionists, they know that their theory is in crisis. It is unreasonable to defend the idea that a cell, which supposedly came into existence coincidentally as a result of lightning and rains on the earth, turned into multicoloured living things over time. Suppose a scientist to take a single cell of a bacterium for instance, provide the most suitable laboratory conditions, use all the equipment required, spend effort on having this cell evolve over millions of years (though this is not possible, let us suppose it is); what would he acquire in the end? Would he ever transform a bacterium into a peacock with its dazzling colours, or into a leopard with perfect patterns on its skin, or into a rose with its red velvet-like leaves? Of course, intelligent people can neither imagine such a thing nor make such a claim. Yet, this is exactly the claim of the theory of evolution.

The "Colour" Impasse of Evolution

Chameleons are one of the creatures that change colour most rapidly according to their surroundings. It is certainly not possible for a chameleon to make a system so complex as changing the colour of its body cells in such a short time on its own. This system present in chameleons is a product of matchless design. And this design belongs to Allah, the most Wise.

Let us verify with an example that it is impossible for the colours of living beings and systems of transformation of colour to come about by natural selection. Let us take chameleons for an example. Chameleons are animals capable of adapting to the colours present in the environment and changing their colours according to the surroundings. While resting on a green leaf, they assume a green colour, while moving onto a brown branch, their skin changes to brown in a very short time. Let us think together over how this process of colour change takes place.

A living creature changes its colour as a consequence of highly complex processes taking place in its body. It is impossible for a man to change either his own colour or another living being's colour, because the human body is not equipped with the proper systems for such an operation. Nor is it possible for a human to develop such a system on his own because it is not like a piece of equipment to be developed and installed. In short, for a living creature to be able to change its colour, it is imperative for this creature to come into being with such a colour change mechanism.

Let us think about the first chameleon on the earth. What would happen if this creature did not have the ability to change colour? First, the chameleon would be easy prey since it could not hide. Besides, since it would be easily recognised, hunting would be very difficult for it. This would finally cause a chameleon devoid of any other defence mechanism to die or starve and, after a while, to become extinct. Yet, the existence of chameleons in the world today evidently proves that such an event has never taken place. So, chameleons possessed this perfect system from the first moment they appeared on earth.

Evolutionists claim that chameleons have developed this system over time. This would make some questions occur to our minds: why have chameleons chosen to develop such a complex system such as changing colour instead of an easier defence mechanism? Why has it chosen changing colour while there are so many kinds of defence mechanisms? How has such a mechanism, providing for all the chemical processes necessary for colour change, been formed in the chameleon? Is it possible for a reptile to think of such a mechanism and then develop the necessary systems in its body? More, is it possible for a reptile to encode the information necessary for colour change in the DNA present in its cells?

Unquestionably, this is impossible. The conclusion to be drawn from the answers given to such questions as above will be one and the same: it is impossible for a living creature to develop such a complex system that allows it to change its own colour.

Not only systems of colour change, but also the diversities of colour and pattern in living beings deserve focus. It is impossible for the bright colours in parrots, the diverse colours in fish, the symmetry in the wings of butterflies, the fascinating patterns in flowers and the colours of other living things to have been formed on their own. Such perfect patterns, colours and figures, which serve very important purposes in the lives of living things, are concrete evidence of creation. It is obvious that there is a superior design in the formation of the colours around us.

It is Allah Who determines the colours of all living beings in nature.

Let us make it clear with an example: let us suppose that we are designing a product consisting of squares. Even to draw one of them, we need to make a small calculation and make sure that all four sides are linear and equal and the square has 90-degree angles at the corners. We can draw the square only after making some calculations and adjustments. As seen, even drawing a single square requires some knowledge and skill.

Let us apply the same reasoning to living creatures around us and ponder on them. There is perfect harmony, order and plan in living beings. A person who appreciates the necessity of knowledge and skill in drawing a simple square, will understand right away that origination of the order, harmony, colours and design in the universe is also a product of infinite knowledge and skill. Therefore there is no reasonable or scientific ground for claiming that a system such as the universe has come into existence by chance. Allah, the Most Powerful, has created the entire universe. Allah is the One Who fashions everything He creates most beautifully.

The Symmetry in Nature Cannot Originate by Chance

There is perfect symmetry in nature, which could by no means have originated by chance.

One of the most striking points producing harmony in the universe is symmetry. Living things have symmetric structures. Anything we see in nature, a seed for instance, a fruit or a leaf we examine will show us symmetry in their structure. Let us take a leafy plant. Leaves wind around the body of the plant like a spiral. This is a certain type of symmetry. Similarly, an observable order rules in the arrangement of the grains of a seed and in the design of the veins of the leaf.

Butterfly wings are another example of the symmetry in nature. On both wings of a butterfly are the same shades of colour and patterns. A pattern on one wing is also present on the other in exactly the same place.

We can see many other examples of symmetry around us, a few of which we summarised above. The important thing however is that there is a common conclusion to be drawn from all the given examples. There is a matchless order, or to be more exact, a magnificent artistry displayed in living things. One of the greatest evidences of the fact that the universe could by no means have come into being by coincidence is this subtle order and artistry. In his book titled "The Theory of Evolution and Bigotry", Prof. Cemal Yýldýrým states this fact although he is an evolutionist himself:

"It is far from being convincing to attribute this order in living things, which seems to have a particular purpose, to chance or coincidence".58

Allah created everything in the universe within a larger order. Allah has control over all things.

Your God is One God. There is no god but Him, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people's benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky - by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind - and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara: 163-164)