Foreword

We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them as a game. We did not create them except with truth, but most of them do not know it. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 38-39) Some readers may think that the subject of this book is not one that interests them very much. They may tell themselves both that a book about a little insect has nothing in it for them, and that the busy pace of their lives leaves them no time for such a book. Then again, these same people may feel that a book on economic or political research, or perhaps a novel, would be more attractive and "useful." Or they may think that books on other subjects will be of greater interest to them. Whereas the fact is that this book the reader is holding will be a great deal more "useful" than many he has hitherto read, and has much more to offer him. Because this book is not a biology text written to give detailed information about this tiny animal called the spider. The book may have the spider as its subject, but its true importance lies in the truth about life it reveals and the message it has to give.

Like a key… A key is a tool which looks pretty unimportant in itself. If you give one to a person who has never seen one before, and who is therefore unaware of the relationship between key and lock, he will consider the thing in his hand meaningless and a useless piece of metal. Whereas sometimes a key, depending upon what lies behind the door that it opens, can be one of the most valuable things in the world.

This book has been written, not with the aim of taking the spider as a subject on its own, but to use it as a "key." As for the reality behind the door which this key opens, it is the greatest truth anyone can ever discover throughout the course of his life. Because it demonstrates how baseless is the theory of evolution, propounded by people who want to deny the truth, is andprovides answers to questions, answers that mankind has been searching for since the dawn of time. The answers to such fundamental questions as "Who am I?" "How were the universe and I created?" and "What is the point and meaning of life?" are the reality behind this door.

The answer is this: human beings and the universe they inhabit were created, down to the tiniest detail, by one Creator, and exist to show that He exists and to praise Him. That Creator, who has no imperfections or weaknesses, but who is infinitely powerful, is God. As God has revealed in the Qur'an, the sole reason for the existence of any human being is to understand the act of his and the universe's creation and to serve God, who is Lord of all.

It takes some effort to acquire this understanding. Part of this consists of observing everything that exists, considering it, and being able to decipher the message within. Because everything which exists, and especially every living thing in nature, is a sign of God's existence and bears witness to His being.

God draws our attention to these verses in the Qur'an, which He revealed to show the true way to the human beings He had created:

In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people's benefit, and the water which God sends down from the sky – by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara: 164)

Everything in the heavens and everything on the earth and everything in between them and everything under the ground belongs to Him. (Surah Ta ha: 6)

On examination, what the Qur'an reveals in the above verse may seem perfectly normal events in many peoples' eyes. The alternation of night and day, ships floating instead of sinking, the rain's giving life to the soil, the movement of winds and clouds… Modern man thinks that all of these can be explained by science and with a mechanical logic, for which reason he thinks that they carry with them no element of surprise. However, science only considers naked material truths, but is never able to provide an answer to the question "Why?" It is from the condition of widespread ignorance created by the religionless social order dominating the world that people are prevented from considering these verses and understanding the different meanings which lie behind them. Essentially, and in fact, the Qur'an says that the nature of those verses can be perceived only by "people who reflect."

For a "people who reflect", basically every part of nature is a sign, or in other words a key to the door to truth. Since nature can be split up into a nearly infinite number of parts, the number of doors and keys is also nearly infinite. But sometimes it is enough to open just one door to lead a person to the truth. Just one part extracted from nature, for example, a single plant or a single animal, can bring a truth-seeker closer to an understanding of the entire universe. For this reason, God states in the Qur'an that "God is not ashamed to make an example of a gnat or of an even smaller thing", because "as for those who believe, they know it is the truth from their Lord." (Surat al-Baqara: 26)

Such tiny creatures as the mosquito, and the spider, are mentioned in God's verses. In the same way as the gnat is considered unimportant by people, so is the spider: but "people who reflect" can see the miracle these verses convey. These tiny animals can each be seen as a key, and can open the door to seeing the perfection of God's creation. This book, which describes the surprising and incredible characteristics of the spider, known by so few people, and which will in describing them also ask "how?" and "why?" has been written with that end in mind. And for that reason alone this book is more significant than many books you may have read up until now. Because to become one of the "people who reflect" is more essential to man than anything else.

And He has made everything in the heavens and everything on the earth subservient to you. It is all from Him. There are certainly Signs in that for people who reflect.(Surat al-Jathiyya: 13)

The Miracle of Creation

This is Allah's creation. Show me then what those besides Him have created! The wrongdoers are clearly misguided. (Surat al-Luqman: 11) Some species of spider can catch frogs, rabbits, and even birds with their powerful poisons and special fangs. ONE EXAMPLE OF PERFECT CREATION For a spider to build a web like the one on the left, there must be combs functioning like a weaving factory, a laboratory producing chemical materials, and many more complex organs in its body. Spiders, which have all of these, without exception, and the relevant characteristics, give the lie to the claims of evolution and bear witness to God's perfect creation. We know that spiders are "engineers," making webs, those wonders of architecture and engineering. They are also killing machines, preparing mechanical traps, capable of building nests under water, hunting their prey with lassoos from their webs, capable of giving off chemical poisons, holding on to a thread and jumping from hundreds of times their own height, creating threads stronger than steel within their own bodies, and camouflaging themselves for hunting. We come across further miracles when we examine the structure of their bodies, alongside the properties they possess. Spiders are very sensitive to vibrations on their webs. The female Black widow spider is able to tell whether the source of the vibrations on its web is an insect caught on it, or a male coming to mate There are many features in all spiders' bodies bearing witness to their having been created, such as combs working like a weaving factory, laboratories making chemical products, organs producing very strong digestive properties, senses capable of perceiving the slightest vibration, strong fangs capable of injecting venom, and so on. Considering all of these properties, the spider gives the lie to the theory of evolution and once again destroys such a derisory hypothesis as coincidence. Let us examine the organs in the spider and their features. THE BODY The spider's body is composed basically of two parts, the combined head and thorax (cephalothorax), and the abdomen. The head and thorax have eight eyes, eight legs, two venom fangs and two feelers. At the tip, the soft and elastic abdomen are spinnerets and holes for breathing systems. The cephalothorax and the abdomen are joined by a small stalk called the "pedicel." No other living creature's waist is as thin as the spider's. Through this narrower than 1mm stalk pass the digestive tract, veins, windpipe, and nervous system. To put it more generally, there is a special linear system joining the two halves of the spider's body. These lines form a link between the splendid mechanisms within the structure of the spider's body (venom glands,silk-producing glands, the whole body's nervous system, breathing and circulation systems) and the brain. USEFUL LEGS An enlarged photograph of the sensitive hairs on the spider's legs. The spider has four pairs of legs enabling it to walk and climb even under the most difficult conditions. Each leg consists of seven parts. At the end of each leg are hairs called "scopula." Thanks to these the spider is able to walk on walls or even upside down. The special construction of spiders' legs does not stop with allowing it to walk on non-flat surfaces. Despite the fact that their eyes do not see well, the spiders' ability to move about comfortably at night is due to the construction of their legs. Some species of spider can only sense light, or in other words possess only 10 percent of the sight of a human being. But despite this, spiders spin their webs at night and move about easily on them at the same time. Spiders move about without treading on the sticky parts of the web, only the dry parts. They owe the fact that they are able to escape without getting caught, on the rare occasions that they tread on the sticky parts, to the fact that their feet are coated with a special liquid from their glands. The ends of the combs are known as spinnerets, each of which is covered with hundreds of spigots. The liquid silk produced by the glands in its abdomen is pushed out of the body by these nozzles and then spun in the form of silk. SUPERIOR SENSORY CAPABILITIES One of the spiders known for the most effective use of the vibration-transmitting properties of its web is the monkey spider, or funnel-web spider With the exception of jumping spiders, most spiders have rather poor sight, and can only see for short distances. This disability, which might be a great disadvantage for a hunter, is compensated for by the spider's particularly sensitive early warning system. This warning system is based upon the sense of touch. The body is covered with hairs which are very sensitive to vibration. Each one of these hairs is attached to a nerve ending. Vibrations resulting from touch, or even sound and smell, stimulate these hairs. The trembling of the hairs activates the nerve endings. The nerves then rapidly transmit the message to the brain. In this way spiders become aware of even the smallest vibration. Spiders cannot perceive motionless prey, but by deciphering the vibrations given off by living things, they can work out where the insects are on the web. If the spider is not entirely certain where on the web the insect is, it establishes where the insect has landed by putting its legs on the web, tapping it and making it sway. From the resulting vibrations it can then locate its prey. The spider's legs are the organs best endowed with these sensory hairs. The hairs are hollow, and of rigid construction. The animal can sense the origin of the vibrations emanating from a source of noise up to a metre away. Furthermore, there is another sensory system sensitive to temperature in the hairs on its legs. Then there are bald spots on the surface of its body with enormously sensitive nerve endings inside. On account of all these properties, spiders can sense any movement going on around them or the approach of any body, even on their own skin. If a spider loses a leg, it grows a replacement a while later. The new leg will be shorter than the original one. The spider will not use this leg, which does not even touch the ground, for walking. In fact, the spider can walk quite comfortably with only half its original complement of legs, namely four. The only reason for another leg to grow, albeit a short one,is that the spider has need of the sensory hairs on it. By day this tarantula lives in the sleeping bag-shaped web it has spun. At night it leaves the web which camouflages it and goes hunting. The body of the tarantula is covered in hairs which work like an early warning system. These hairs are so sensitive that they can even perceive vibrations in the air set up by sound. Spiders' sensitivity to vibrations on their webs is so well developed that they can tell whether the source is prey caught on the web or a male spider coming to mate. When their shells become too narrow for their growing bodies, so tarantulas have to get rid of them. Adult tarantulas grow out of their rigid skin about once a year, rolling over and struggling for hours, like a hand trying to wriggle free of a tight-fitting glove. When the shell-shedding process is completed, the spider is renewed together with all its systems and has a new shell with the same properties as the old one. Until a few years ago, it was thought that webs, because of their elastic construction, could not transmit vibrations. But research, using the newly developed machines called the "Doppler Laser Vibrometry," shows that the situation is quite the opposite. It is now known that webs conduct vibrations, despite their elastic construction, and that they increase the level of the vibration.32 However, no scientific reason for this has yet been discovered. The spider can very clearly perceive any kind of warning, from a tiny sound wave to vibrations on its web. This extremely useful early warning system which passes over the web, is a mechanism having the most useful characteristics from the point of view of the spider. If we consider the fact that each one of the thousands of hairs on the spider's body is attached to a nerve ending and thence to the brain and that the spider can rapidly evaluate the warning signals it receives, the complexity of the system will become more apparent. VENOM-PUMPING FANGS The spider has two powerful fangs in front of its eyes. These fangs are weapons the spider uses for hunting and for protection. Behind each fang is a venom gland which pours its lethal poison into a poison hook. When the spider wishes to immobilise its prey, it sinks its fangs into it. Then it pumps venom into its victim's body through holes in its fangs. Spiders also use these fearsome, deadly tools for building their nests and carrying small objects. To the side of the fangs are two extensions, instead of antennae, called pedipalps (feelers). The spider uses these to examine the victim it has caught in its web. The spider's fangs As we have seen, spiders' sensory systems are of a very special design. It is clear that this system invalidates the claim of the theory evolution of development over time. Alongside this, it is impossible to explain the existence of systems whereby the spider produces lethal poison within its own body by coincidence. The venom's chemical make-up allows it to kill insects. In order that it should not harm the spider, the venom is stored in a specially insulated area. In the same way the spider's fangs are extremely functional. The venom-pumping mechanisms being located inside the tissue-cutting fangs allows the transfer of the venom into the victim. In this way the fangs work like a chemical, as well as a physical weapon. This demonstrates once again that every part of the spider's body has special planning, which cannot be explained by coincidences, mutations, or any other imaginary evolutionary mechanism. The spider, together with all its properties, was created by God. All these properties are evidence for us of God's art. PARALYSING THE PREY AND DIGESTION The spider completely wraps the animals which get caught in the web in another thread, which it produces after they become well stuck to the web. Then it takes the prey in its fangs and fills it full of venom, killing it. 5 Defence System With a flick of a hind leg, tarantulas defend themselves by launching tiny hairs bristling with microscopic barbs. Once imbedded in the attacker's skin or eyes, the barbs cause a maddening itch that can persist for months. 4 Early Warning System Sensitive to the slightest vibration or wind, pivoting hair follicles on the tarantula's feet and lower legs alert it to approaching danger. Thanks to this feature the tarantula is able to be aware of everything going on around it. This warning system is vital, because it is the only way the spider, which is practically blind, can perceive the world around it. 3 Little Cat's Feet Flanked by protective tufts, needle-sharp retractable claws enable tarantulas to climb walls. Underneath, velvety pads of hair cushion the weight of the spider - and create eight buoyant pontoons that enable some tarantulas to walk on water. 1 Venomous Message Hollow fangs deliver venom produced in adjacent tiny bulbs. This poison is powerful enough to be able to kill animals such as birds, lizards, and rabbits.   2 Male Delivery System Male tarantulas are equipped with specialized palps, hook-shaped appendages on the short feeding arms near the mouth. When ready to mate, males weave a web and deposit a drop of sperm on it. The sperm is then drawn up into the bulb-shaped tips of the palps, which deposit it into the female.   Spiders can resist hunger for long periods of time. For example, the life-span of the wolf spider is about 305 days. It can spend 208 of these without eating anything. It is able to resist hunger in this way by reducing its bodily metabolism to 1/40. Following such a period the body-weight of the spider that hunts can increase by up to double. This comes about due to the fact that their bodies were created to adapt to extreme conditions. The spider can only digest liquids. Tiny particles larger than one-thousandth of a millimetre are filtered out by hairs around its mouth. So, it is necessary for the spider to liquefy this creatures' tissues before it can digest them. For this reason the spider pulls apart the insect's tissues with digestive enzymes. Once the tissues have become fluid enough, it takes in the liquid thanks to its very strong sucking system. For example, after killing a bee, the Misumenoides Formosiges spider opens two holes, one in its head or neck, the other in its abdomen. Then it sucks the juices in the bee's body up through these holes. The spider mixes the tissues it has sucked up with the digestive juices in its body. When the force of vacuum in the victim's body grows greater than the spider's sucking power, the spider relaxes the sucking muscles around its stomach. This allows some of the digestive juices within the spider's body to enter different parts of the bee's body, where they dissolve the tissues there too. Then the spider sucks through the other hole in its abdomen. The rotation continues until the bee is completely emptied. Beyond simply being a source of food for the spider, the bee's body becomes part of the spider's digestive system, a temporary extension of it. Finally the bee comes to resemble an empty egg shell; nothing remains of it but a shell. Insects are not spiders' only prey. Frogs, mice, fish, snakes, or small birds can all fall victim to spiders. Spiders known as "bird spiders" are even powerful enough to catch and digest rabbits and chickens. THE WATER-WALKING SPIDER Water spiders use the surface of the water like a web for hunting, thanks to the waterproof nature of their feet. Every living thing was created by God to possess the properties it needs. Water-spiders possess a special structure allowing them to walk on water. These spiders have a thick, velvety plait consisting of hairs covered in a water-resistant wax on the ends of their feet. This allows the spider to walk on water without sinking. The spider's ability to remain on the surface of the water is so high that, even if it were 25 times heavier than it is, it would still comfortably be able to walk on the water. While walking on the surface of the water, water-spiders use their rear legs as rudders. Their middle legs enable them to move, while the job of the shorter front legs is to catch their prey. Water-spiders move so quickly that they can suddenly make a leap of a metre on the surface of the water. This means they move at the speed of a motor-boat. When hunting, the water-spider uses the surface of the water like a web. A dragonfly, fly, or butterfly which falls on to the water as the result of a faulty manoeuvre becomes an ideal prey for this species of spider. When these insects' wings come into contact with the water, they become trapped on the surface of the water, as if on fly-paper. The faintest vibration they make on the surface of the water is then sensed by the spider. Furthermore, the spider is not only able to establish the prey's location through these vibrations, but also its size. It immediately goes to where its prey is stuck on the water, bites, poisons, and kills it. Who made this coating on the hairs on a spider's feet to stop it from sinking, one wonders? This question can be broadened by thinking that every water-spider there has ever been has had its feet coated in this way. How do the spiders know about the water being able to keep them afloat, the properties of water-resistant molecules and their reaction with water molecules? Since they could not have planned this system themselves, who did? Since this planned system based on water surface tension could not have come about by itself, or by chance, how did it come about? And how did spiders pass on this system and the chemical formula of the product that keeps them from sinking to later generations of spiders? The answers to these questions will bring us to the existence of a perfect creation. The spiders were created in perfect form by God. In the same way as God gave every species the properties it would need, he gave these spiders the feature of being able to walk on water, which they would need.

32- Bilim ve Teknik Görsel Bilim ve Teknik Ansiklopedisi (Science and Technology Gorsel Science and Technology Encyclopedia), p. 108