Bones that maintain
themselves
 We
have explained that there are joints where bones are
connected to each other. For example, we can bend and
straighten out our arms and legs thanks to the joints
located at our elbows and knees. Although they move
throughout our lives, these joints never need to be
lubricated. Machines, however, need regular maintenance.
For example, you have to lubricate the pedals or the
chain of your bicycle from time to time because the
amount of oil is reduced as they are used, which consequently
restricts motion. Likewise, the joints between your
bones are used all the time, yet you never have to lubricate
them. Why is that?
The answer to this question has been sought
by scientists, who eventually discovered the following
fact: in a joint, a tough, rubbery tissue called cartilage
cushions the ends of the bones at contact points. There
is a thin membrane lining the entire joint cavity which
secretes a special fluid. As the bone exerts pressure
on the joint, this fluid is forced out of the membrane
and the joint becomes "lubricated".
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Acting as skillfully as a sculptor,
our cells never go too far and cause harmful effects.
They do not mistake the shapes and lengths of
our bones. Furthermore, they flawlessly calculate
when to multiply and when to stop. Think for a
moment-what if your finger bones kept growing
or your legs got longer and longer? That would
be very terrifying, wouldn't it? But this never
happens, and all of your bones lengthen exactly
as they should. This is one of the clear proofs
of the fact that your bone cells act by the inspiration
of Allah.
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All these facts reveal to us that the human
body is the result of an excellent design and superior
creation. It is thanks to this excellent design that
we can make many different movements easily and quickly.
These features of the bones have been created by our
Lord. Allah invites people to reflect on the creation
of bones:
... Look at the bones-how We raise
them up and clothe them in flesh... (Surat al-Baqara:
259)
HOW DOES A BROKEN BONE HEAL?
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A
bone in your foot is different from a finger bone.
The lengths, shapes and thicknesses of bones differ
from those of another. Still, as you may remember,
all are produced by the same bone cells.
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 We
have mentioned that bones are very rigid and strong.
They may, however, be broken when they are exposed to
severe blows. What happens then? The bone repairs itself.
Doctors set the broken bone and make a plaster cast
so that the bone knits correctly. There is nothing left
for the doctors to do because the bone has its own repairing
mechanism. It is miraculous that a broken bone heals
itself and becomes even stronger than before. This miracle
is worked as follows:
The blood surrounding the broken bone
coagulates and forms a "haematoma", which is a large
mass of clotted blood. This clot is a coating similar
to the scab on your skin that occur following a cut.
Minerals secreted by bone-building cells transform this
clot into a rigid bone. Once this phase is completed,
bone-dissolving cells come into play. Acting like a
professional sculptor, these cells reduce the new bone
with hydrochloric acid, which is a quite strong acid,
and give a particular form to the bone. This process
continues until the bone regains its original form.
Even a year later, these bone-dissolving cells keep
reducing the bone like diligent sculptors in order to
shape it.
 As
you have realised, all these tasks that are performed
by bone cells, which are too small to be perceived by
the naked eye, are signs of a superior intelligence.
That is because cells do not have eyes to see with,
yet they can build bones. Besides, they can understand
when the space between the two broken pieces is filled
and thus can decide when to stop. Then bone-dissolving
cells notice that the newly built bone needs to be fashioned,
and start reducing it. In order to do this, they use
a strong acid to break down the bone, and give it the
most appropriate form by applying this acid in smaller
or greater quantities as necessary.
As you can see, all bone cells know very
well what to do as well as how and where to do it. The
system built for healing our bones works perfectly and
enables bones to repair themselves. Scientists have
admired this astonishing ability of bones for years.
  How
did bone cells acquire such an amazing ability, which
works totally without the awareness of the person concerned?
How do cells know what they need to repair a broken
bone and what actions to perform in order to heal it?
While some of the cells have acquired the ability to
build bones, others have taken on the duty of shaping
them. Who assigned them their tasks? How come there
is no disorder and how is it that each of them carries
out its tasks at the exact moment it is required? Did
bone cells learn all these things by themselves?
Surely all these extraordinary tasks cannot
be performed by some almost invisible cells' own volition.
They could not possibly have learnt them by chance either.
Acting by the inspiration of the All-Wise Allah, Who
created them, our bone cells can give shape to bones
like a skillful sculptor.
Have you ever wondered how body cells
form bones?
The shapes of most of the 206 bones in
your body are different from each other. This differentiation
started when they first emerged, that is, when you were
in your mother's womb. Cells, which were gradually increasing
in number, took different forms as if each of them had
been taught which part of the body it was supposed to
constitute.
Some cells branch off to form your bones,
some to form your liver, some to form your kidneys and
so yet others to form your eyes. But cells that will
form the liver, bones or eyes do not merely gather together.
They need to branch off even further. For example, bone
cells should be aware of the location of the bone that
they will form within the body. Then they should go
to the correct place accordingly and take the correct
form.
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The gaps in the skull bones of a baby disappear
in time as the bones grow.
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The bone cells in your feet act like a
professional sculptor and form perfectly curved foot
bones with the indentations and projections for the
toes. As if they knew the size of the brain, the bone
cells forming your skull build a smooth bony skeleton
that perfectly encloses the brain. It is neither too
small nor too big, so it neither squeezes the brain
nor makes it difficult for you to hold your head high.
What is the source of the consciousness
of cells, which gives perfect shapes to bones, knowing
which form they should take and which tissue they should
constitute?
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As in all other bones in our
bodies, hand bones too, develop as one grows older.
What is worthy of note, however, is that each
of the fingers grow proportionally to one another.
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Our Lord inspires this delicate plan in
them. Allah's supreme knowledge is pointed out in the
following verses:
Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs
to Him. All are submissive to Him. It is He Who originated
creation and then regenerates it. That is very easy
for Him. His is the most exalted designation in the
heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
(Surat ar-Rum: 26-27)
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