The Mosquito and its Guest

19/03/2023

Allah is not ashamed to give the example of a mosquito or even one above it (a weaker being than it). Those who believe know that it is a truth from their Lord. And those who disbelieve say: "What does Allah mean by this example?" (Allah) leads many astray by it and guides many by it. He leads astray with it only the transgressors.
(Al-Baqarah 26. Verse)

When the disbelievers said, "Allah does not give examples of such things," citing examples such as rain, clouds, and spiders, this idea was rejected by saying, "He gives the example of the mosquito when necessary, and even of smaller and more insignificant things."

The scientific perspective of this verse points to two scientific issues that, hundreds of years after the Qur'an was revealed, proved the authenticity and miracle of this sublime book:

1- The word used in the verse "ba'udah" in Arabic "بعوضة" is the female mosquito; it has been discovered by modern science that only female mosquitoes need blood to meet the demands of the eggs for nutrients. Males are not capable of biting as they lack the specific mouthparts necessary to pierce the skin.

2- It is very interesting to learn that mosquitoes have their own parasites, since the Qur'an uses the phrase "...and smaller than it (on)". Modern science proved last century that there are other flying parasites that suck the blood of mosquitoes.

In 1922, a scientist named F.W. Edwards published a paper describing something remarkable: A flying, biting midge he had collected from the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia and named Culicoides anophelis. What made the midge remarkable was what it bit: mosquitoes.

Since then, however, relatively little work has been done on these potentially important blood-sucking midges, despite their geographical range spanning the mosquito hotbeds of India, China and Southeast Asia. Recently, however, a team of scientists in China managed to capture one of them on film.

We witness and see clear signs from our Creator every day and everywhere. Truth is manifested in the wonders of His creation, whether in the vast universe or here on earth. It may even be in the smallest of His creations, or in a smaller creature sitting on the top of a mosquito, as mentioned in the verse above.

God knows best of all.