As of this morning we began looking at another set of bounties of Allah which we need to be grateful for. This morning my colleagues took a look at the health which Allah gave us and which is certainly something we need to regularly be grateful for. Linked to health, we now take a look at the Body which Allah has blessed us all with.

Wealth, friends, property, and even a spouse if lost, can be acquired again, but the human body is not like that; once it goes, it can never be gotten back, no matter how hard one may try. Ask a person with an artificial limb, how much wouldn`t he be prepared to pay to get the original back. It is therefore the prime duty of every individual to take the greatest possible care of the body. The body is an indispensable vehicle for experiences. Without it nothing can be done, not even a simple task. The human body is, therefore, more precious than worldly wealth and such other material acquisitions. Life must be sanctified by making proper use of the body and engaging it in sacred actions. The body is the vehicle for the journey of life. If the vehicle is not properly maintained, then one must be prepared to face serious problems on the way.
Allah explains the creation of the body at various places in the Holy Quraan.

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـٰهُ نُطْفَةً فِى قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ
ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا ٱلنُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْمُضْغَةَ عِظَـٰمًا فَكَسَوْنَا ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَـٰهُ خَلْقًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ
Indeed We have created man from an essence of clay, then placed him as a drop of semen in a firm resting place, then changed the semen into a leechlike mass, then leechlike mass into a foetus lump, then foetus lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought him forth as quite a different creature from the embryo – so blessed is Allah, the best of all creators. [Al Muminun: 12 – 14]

So not just the body but rather every aspect and every organ of the body is unique. Scientists explain that humans have five vital organs that are essential for survival. These are the brain, heart, kidneys, liver and lungs.

The human brain is the body’s control centre, receiving and sending signals to other organs through the nervous system and through secreted hormones. It is responsible for our thoughts, feelings, memory storage and general perception of the world.
The human heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout our body.

The job of the kidneys is to remove waste and extra fluid from the blood. The kidneys take urea out of the blood and combine it with water and other substances to make urine.

The liver has many functions, including detoxifying of harmful chemicals, breaking down of drugs, filtering of blood, and secretion of bile and production of blood-clotting proteins.

The lungs are responsible for removing oxygen from the air we breathe and transferring it to our blood where it can be sent to our cells. The lungs also remove carbon dioxide, which we exhale.

The function and purpose of these and all the other organs in our body is very detailed and very lengthy to go into, but here are just a very few interesting facts of the marvellous body which granted us for free!

•  The human body contains nearly 100 trillion cells.
• There are at least 10 times as many bacteria in the human body as cells.
• The average adult takes over 20,000 breaths a day.
• Each day, the kidneys process about 200 quarts (50 gallons) of blood to filter out about 2 quarts of waste and water
• Adults excrete about a quarter and a half (1.42 litres) of urine each day.
• The human brain contains about 100 billion nerve cells
• Water makes up more than 50 percent of the average adult’s body weight

Leave alone the sun, moon and all the planets etc. just this body alone is enough to make one realise the oneness and greatness of Allah Jalla Jalaluhu.

وَفِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ءَايَـٰتٌ لِّلْمُوقِنِينَ
وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ

In the earth, there are signs for the firm believers, and also in your own selves; can you not see? [Az Zariyat: 20,21]