101- The Holy Qur’an on: “Reproduction in Kingdom of Plants”. (Series: Inviting Reflections).

The Holy Qur’an is not a book of Science or History. It is a book which aims at evolving a human society based on the concept of the unity of mankind, comprised of individuals who are morally struggling and spiritually minded under the leadership of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who is the last in chain of prophets started from Adam (AS). Nevertheless, since human beings are sent to this planet, the Holy Qur’an in its different contexts, while elaborating the Divine Design, speaks about the natural phenomena and the laws of nature under which our life and the celestial spheres are regulated. Out of 6236 verses of the Holy Qur’an, at least 750-800 verses or parts thereof pertain to the natural laws. In the following, we shall try to study only three verses, out of more than a dozen such verses, which deal with the ‘Reproduction in Plants’.

We should keep in mind that there are two methods of reproduction in plants: sexual and asexual. It is only the first, which in-fact deserves the term “reproduction”, because it is a process of natural selection for the survival of the fittest, through which it begets the “like”. Asexual reproduction/vegetative reproduction is quite simply a multiplication of true to type plants (100% identical to parent)—like a cutting---taken from a plant and placed in suitably watered soil for induction of new roots or multiplication by detachment of plantlets.

Sexual reproduction in plants is carried out by the coupling of the male and female parts of the generic formations united on a same plant or located on separate plants. A Qur’anic verse reads:

. "????????? ???? ?????????? ????? ????????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???????"

(Allah is the One Who) has sent down water from the sky and thereby We (Allah) produced diverse pairs of plants (azwaj) each separate from the other). Surah: 20, Verse: 53.

The Arabic word: “zauj” means: one of a pair, and its plural is: “azwaj”; and a zauj is: “that which, in the company of another, forms a pair”; and the word is used both for living and non-living things, like: a married couple and for a pair of shoes.

More than a dozen times the Holy Qur’an mentions the pair of plants. The fruits are the end-product of the reproduction process of superior plants and an outcome of a highly developed and complex organization. A verse of the Qur’an reads:

.   "????? ????? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????"

(Of all fruits (Allah) placed (on the earth) two of a pair). Surah: 13, Verse: 3.

The stage preceding fruit is the flower, which has male (stamen containing pollen grains) and female (carpel containing egg) organs. After pollination, once pollen has been carried to the egg, results in fruit formation after the process of fertilization which in turn matures and frees its seeds. All fruits, therefore, imply the existence of male and female organs as implied in the above verse.

An interesting incident has been mentioned in Sahih Muslim, as reported by Muhammad Ibn e Hibban RA and by Ibn Khudhaymah RA, on the authority of Anas RA that the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed by a group of people (in Madina) who were pollinating the dates [by dusting pollen on the carpel]. The Prophet, peace be upon him, out of his natural modesty and bashfulness ( ????????? ), said: “It would have been better if you don’t do it”. Resultantly, that year, the palm-trees bore dates which in Arabic are called: Sheis/"??????" ) . "?????? are the dates of which the stones do not become hard or bad dates caused only in case when the palm-tree has not been fecunndated by the flowers or pollen of the male tree). The matter was reported to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and, he, peace be upon him, withdrew his suggestion by saying:

. " ??????? ??????? ????????? ??????????? "

(You people know better about your (such) affairs).

The Arabs certainly knew about pollination of palm-trees before advent of Islam. The Qur’an in this regard further said:

. "????????? ??????? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ??????????? ???????? ??? ???????????"

(Glory be to Him (Allah) Who created the components of couples of every kind: of what the earth causes to grow, of themselves (human beings) and of what they do not know). Surah: 36, Verse: 36.

The above verse of the Qur’an induces us to carry out further researches to find out more structures or species which have not been unearthed so far in the living as well as in the non-living world. The scientific knowledge acquired up till now is absolutely in line with the Holy Qur’an. Certainly the wonders of the Qur’an will never come to an end as proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

It will not be out of place to mention here that who does not understand the phenomenon of pollination and fertilization could not understand these more than one dozen verses of the Holy Qur’an concerning “Reproduction in the Kingdom of Vegetables”. There are more than seven hundred and fifty such verses or parts thereof, which deal with the natural phenomena. It seems imperative that the syllabus and the courses of reading for the Qur’anic studies should be revised and up-dated in accordance with the latest scientific developments in all institutions.