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on 05-09-2002 16:30
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By A.I. Makki
Scientists working on animal behavior are totally convinced that birds are aware, intelligent, and astonishingly like humans. Their studies suggest that individual birds have unique personalities. They understand their surroundings and have flexible behaviors which resembles those of human beings.
The most thoroughly studied bird until date is a male African Gray Parrot named Alex. Experiments conducted in the University of Arizona reveal that this parrot has mastered more than 100 English words and uses them correctly. He can speak meaningfully and understand what is said to him. The scientists working on him are absolutely convinced that he is far more intelligent than what humans beings imagine him to be.
Elsewhere, psychologists working on pigeons have found that they have the ability to identify different parts of a human body, their sex, color, age, and size. They can recognize a human being in the nude and in strange clothes. They also have an understanding of man-made objects like streets and buildings and natural objects such as forests and fields.
Birds are expert navigators too. They migrate to different places by observing the movement of sun, stars, visual landmarks, and the earth’s magnetic field. Investigators working on them have noted that they use other subtle clues like wind direction and cloud movements. Experimental and laboratory studies show that birds of the same species rely on different sources of information to travel to the same destination or they may switch to other information depending on the circumstances that they encounter while migrating to far distances.
In other instances, they can become friendly with human beings and interact with them on a level to make them understand when they are hungry. They can be playful at times, crave physical contact, and they like to be caressed or tickled. They form close emotional bonds with some human beings.
It has also been noted by naturalists that birds of the same species can be distinguished because, like humans, they each have distinct movements, postures, emotions, behaviors, personalities, and differ widely in intelligence, ways of behaving, and social skills. They are much like ordinary people with emotions, feelings, thoughts, and personalities
It has also been noted that a parakeet had developed a daily relationship with a goldfish in a bowl. He would peek at one side of the bowl and the fish would come to that side of the bowl getting as close to the parakeet as possible--sometimes the parakeet would hang over the water and the fish would come to the surface. When the fish died (and a new one did not help), the parakeet showed depression with typical human symptoms of inactivity, quietness, loss of interest in others and his environment, and lack of appetite.
Other kinds of research data also leads to the conclusion that birds are much more like humans than scientists had dared to imagine. For instance, individual birds have acted flexibly (changed their behavior intelligently) in choosing their mates, in building their nests, in protecting and teaching their young, in defending a territory, and in other activities that were assumed to be a part of their character. They use body language to communicate with other birds along with songs.
Chapter 27, verse 22 of the Holy Qur’an illustrates the intelligence of birds in the verses that have been quoted below. We notice here, that Prophet Sulayman (a.s) carries out a lengthy conversation with a Hoopoe, a bird, which reads as follows:
“But the Hoopoe tarried not. For he [came up and] said: "I have compassed which thou hast not compassed and I have come to you from Saba with tidings true."
The verse tells that the Hoopoe was late in appearing before Prophet Sulayman because it had to traverse a long distance. We find here a clear indication that birds cover long distances by flight.
The Hoopoe further states that it has come from Queen Saba [Sheba] with information that would please Prophet Sulayman. In other words, the Hoopoe in the Holy Qur’an exhibits a remarkable sensitivity to the needs of Prophet Sulayman to gather correct information by which he could rule his kingdom.
In verse 23 of the same chapter of the Holy Qur’an, the Hoopoe elaborates further on his story of his experiences in the land from which he had just arrived. He says: "I found there a woman ruling over them provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne."
24. "I found her and her people worshipping the sun besides Allah: Satan has made their deeds seem pleasing in their eyes, and has kept them away from the Path-so they receive no guidance,
25. So they worship not Allah who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what ye hide and what ye reveal."
26. "Allah! -there is no god but He! -Lord of the Throne Supreme! "
27. [Solomon] said: “Soon shall we see whether thou has told the truth or lied!
Without continuing further into the text of the Holy Qur’an, if an ordinary layman wishes to understand these verses of the Holy Qur’an quoted above, then he would come to the following conclusions:
A. The Hoopoe knows that it is a woman who is ruling over her subjects. It would mean that the Hoopoe is aware of the sex gender in human beings and knows her to be a queen, a female. The Hoopoe is also aware of her unique position as a ruler in relationship with her subjects.
B. The Hoopoe can judge that the Queen is ruling over her subjects with all the comforts provided for her.
C. The Hoopoe is aware that the Queen has a magnificent throne built for her and she presides over her subjects. The word "magnificent" is a part of the vocabulary of the Hoopoe bird. This would mean that the bird could assess that the throne of the Queen to be both priceless and beautiful to look at. The bird here has been gifted with eyes which appreciate things of beauty.
D. The Hoopoe is aware that the subjects along with the Queen were sun worshippers, i.e., they clearly associated partners in the worship of One God-Allah.
E. The Hoopoe is more aware of its Creator than the ignorant subjects of Queen Saba are. The bird knows their Creator is Allah and is perfectly aware of His attributes and it praises God with words befitting the Majesty of the Creator. A world famous naturalist Jane Goodall has said that it was her observation that the chimpanzees observed by her experienced spiritual exhilaration!
F. We are made aware that Prophet Sulayman, after listening to the story of the Hoopoe, was of the opinion that the bird can both tell the truth and it can lie too! The bird can do that only if it has been created and gifted with a free will [like humans] by Allah, who is God, their Creator. This verse settles all doubt to the Muslims that the bird is not genetically programmed like an automaton by evolution or by its birth and that it can only perform fixed tasks that nature has assigned for it.
Again, the Holy Qur’an revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saws) 1400 years ago has proved beyond doubt that birds possess an amazing degree of intelligence which is very similar to human beings; a fact that had been unknown to the scientists until now. This knowledge contained in the Holy Qur’an goes to show that it is a book of Divine origin down to its last verse. A book revealed for the guidance of humanity by Allah, the Lord of the worlds!
Last update : 05-09-2002 16:30
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