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The Islamic Bulletin
Volume XXV No. 29
have perished. In the case of the mosquito, development
over time was not an option.
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(Qur’an 20:50)
The anatomy of the mosquito includes heat, hu-
midity, gas, and chemical-substance receptors. In addition
to these receptors, the mosquito has feelers which perceive
the vibrations of their opposite sex. The fact that a mosquito
is equipped with such an extensive and effective system of
receptors indicates that its nature, i.e., its way of meeting its
needs, had to be in place from the beginning for it to be a
mosquito, for it to exist and perpetuate itself. The Creator
of this marvelous and perfect system, the one who brought
the mosquito into existence, made His identity known in the
following verse of the Qur’an:
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XSRQ *RG IRU LWV SURYLVLRQ +H NQRZV ZKHUH LW OLYHV DQG
ZKHUH LW GLHV DQG DOO RI LW LV UHFRUGHG LQ D *ORULRXV %RRNp
(Qur’an, 11:6).
Biting the Prey
The first incision is made with the upper and lower jaw. The
four cutters in the sucking tube cut deep into the skin. Sen-
sory organs which detect heat, smell, taste, and touch play
an important role in establishing where the capillaries are
located under skin. After a few attempts, the mosquito finds
a vein. It sucks the blood by sticking a tube into the hole it
has opened in the skin. With the tube, it penetrates a small
vein and sucks blood directly out if the vein. It can also suck
the blood which has accumulated in the surrounding tissue,
a thing which happened when skin the mosquito severed the
skin.
At this juncture, a potentially unsurmountable problem pres-
ents itself to the mosquito. The bite of a mosquito activates
the human body’s defense system. The human body ex-
cretes in the region of the wound an enzyme which prevents
microbes from entering the body. By causing the blood to
clot, the human enzyme also stops the body from bleeding.
A mosquito cannot drink clotting blood. To resolve this prob-
lem, through one of its sharp knives, the mosquito injects
into the wound an anti-coagulant which renders the enzyme
completely ineffective; the clotting stops, and with the mos-
quito’s instruments of invasion no longer obstructed, the mos-
quito can slurp up as much free flowing blood as he needs.
This counter-defense secretion of the mosquito also provides
the local anesthetic which numbs the area of the incision in
the victim. This makes the victim unaware that his/her skin has
been cut and its blood sucked. Only after the fact, does the
secretion causes an allergic reaction and the skin starts to itch.
A female sucks about 2.8 mg (0.0001 ounce) of blood at a
time, for about 2.5 minutes. The blood is sent to the midgut
by suction pumps in the fore-section of the digestive system.
The abdomen fills with blood as far as the digestive system.
Digesting the blood takes 3-4 days, and then sucking is re-
peated.
In a mosquito’s sucking tube, there are 6 knives. 4 of these
cut the skin. The other 2 join to form a hollow tube which the
mosquito uses to stick into the tissue it has cut and suck out
the blood.
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WKRVH \RX LQYRNH EHVLGHV $OODK ZLOO QHYHU FUHDWH >DV PXFK
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(Qur’an 22:73-74).
Superior Flying Technique
Wings of a mosquito beat approximately 500 times a second.
This produces the buzzing perceived by the human ear. This
astonishing rate results from a very sensitive measurement.
If someone’s arms were tied to a machine and forced to flap
500 times a second, the shoulder joint would rupture. Con-
nections would burn. Ligaments holding the arm together
would snap. The arm would become completely disabled. If
the movement lasted for more than a second, the shoulder
would dislocate and the arm would break off. This movement
which is impossible for humans, is the daily life of a mosquito.
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WKDW IOLHV ZLWK LWV ZLQJV H[FHSW >WKDW WKH\ DUH@ FRPPXQLWLHV
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(Qur’an 6:38).
This miraculous ability to flap its wings is utilized with the
help of a support systems innate to the mosquito. First and
foremost, the muscles and connectors that make the wings
flap are extremely strong and resilient. Second, these muscles
require energy. As we know, cells use oxygen to synthesize en-
ergy. Resilience increases in direct proportion to an increased
capacity for utilizing oxygen. In the human body, oxygen from
the lungs is taken into the blood. Thereby, it is carried to the
cells. The reason a person gets tired when running is because
necessary oxygen is not carried to the cells in time. Another
reason is the appearance of lactic acid in the cells of the mus-
cles. If the cells cannot get rid of the acid, fatigue follows.
This situation is different for mosquitos. In order to beat their
wings—which are nearly the size of their bodies—500 times
a second, the mosquito needs a great deal of oxygen. The
mosquito’s respiratory system is created to meet this need. Its
respiratory system consists of a tube that reaches every cell.
As the tube makes direct contact with the outside air, the
cells obtain oxygen without an intermediary substance. Waste
substances are also passed from cells into the atmosphere by