Wonders of Allah in Fireflies

One of the best-known luminous creatures is the firefly. Scientists have spent years of research trying to produce a light as efficient as the light produced by fireflies. Fireflies achieve maximum efficiency and lose almost no energy.

In fact, it is quite amazing that a creature is able to produce light yet, at the same time, is not affected by the heat of this light. Because, as we know, during light production made by today's technology, heat certainly is created and this heat is emitted outside as thermal energy. Therefore, for this reason, creatures which produce light should also suffer harm due to exposure to high heat. However, the creatures producing light are not affected by the heat they produce, because it is weak. They produce a kind of light called "cold light" and their body structures are designed accordingly.

Fireflies are actually a type of beetle which produces yellowish-green lights by means of chemical reactions inside their bodies. Fireflies, which flash their lights to recognize one another or to give mating signals, use different lengths of flashes according to their species. In addition, in some species, it is the male who flashes first to attract the female, while in other species, the females do the "calling." Some fireflies use their lights in self-defense. They flash to warn enemies that their taste is unappetizing.

Besides fireflies, a number of other insects, various sea creatures, and many other types of species produce their own light. Each species has different characteristics. These include the manner of light production, the fields of their usage of light, and the lengths and kinds of light they produce.

Who furnished these creatures with systems through which they produce the type of light they can make use of, and then maintains the continuation of these systems? It is not, of course, the creatures themselves. It is not possible for complex organs capable of producing light yet not harming the creatures of which they are part in the process to have come into being as the result of coincidences. All luminous creatures are evidence of the superior power of the creation of Allah. Allah introduces us, through these creatures He has created, to the evidence of His endless knowledge, wisdom and might.