By A. O.

Once it finds a source of food, the ant follows a straight course and returns to the nest.

The Compass in the Eye of the Ant

We need guides to show us the way when we travel to another country or another city. In particular, when we do not know the place we are going to, we definitely must have a compass and a map. A map shows us where we are and the compass shows us which way to go.

We find the way by using these tools and consulting other people so we do not get lost. Have you ever wondered how other creatures find their way? Have you ever thought how an ant seeking food in the desert returns to its nest?

Black desert ants inhabiting the Mediterranean coasts of Tunisia are among those creatures who build their nests in the desert. These ants are very good at finding their way in the vast desert and getting back to their nests without the help of a compass or a map.

As the sun rises, temperatures in the desert reach up to 70oC (158oF). The ant leaves its nest to find food in the heat of the day. Frequently halting and turning around itself, it follows a devious route within an area that may be 200meters (655 feet) away from the nest. You may see this route on the map. But do not think that the ant will get lost because of these zigzags. Once it finds a source of food, the ant follows a straight course and returns to the nest. With respect to their sizes, this journey by the ant may be compared to a man’s returning to his starting point taking a straight course after wandering 35-40 kilometres (22-25 miles) away from that point in the desert. How is it that an ant successfully performs a task that is virtually impossible for a human?

It cannot be that the ant finds its direction by looking at objects. Signs and road-marks such as trees, rocks, rivers or lakes which help one find the way are very rare in the desert. There is only sand all around. Even if there were such signs, it would not make any difference since it is not possible for an ant to keep these signs in mind, to memorize where they are and to use them while finding its way. Thinking about it this way, one can better understand the significance of the task that the ant performs. The ant can perform this difficult task by means of the special body structure it has been given.

There is a special navigational system in the ant’s eyes. This system that Allah placed in the ant’s eyes is more advanced than mechanical devices that determine direction. Being able to perceive some rays that we cannot, the ant can establish directions and know where north and south are. By means of this ability, it is not difficult at all for the ant to work out where its nest is and to return to it.

Human beings have only lately become aware of the characteristics of light. However, the ant has known and used a characteristic of light, which was unknown to human beings, since it was born. Certainly, such a perfect structure as the eye of this ant cannot be attributed to random coincidences. The eyes of the ant must have been so since it came into existence. Otherwise, the ant could not return to the nest in the desert heat and could not survive. Indeed, eyes of all desert ants have been equipped with this system since the first day they came into existence. Allah, the All-Knowing, created these eyes for them.

A Note by the Editor:

Allah the Almighty says in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an what means,

“He [Allah] hath created the heavens without supports that ye can see, and hath cast into the earth firm hills, so that it quake not with you; and He hath dispersed therein all kinds of beasts. And We send down water from the sky and We cause (plants) of every goodly kind to grow therein. This is the Creation of Allah. Now show me that which those (ye worship) beside Him have created. Nay, but the wrongdoers are in error manifest!” (Luqman 31: 10-11)

And,

“We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things? How! Are they still in doubt about the meeting with their Lord? Lo! Is not He surrounding all things?” (Fussilat 41: 53-54)

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A. O. is a Turkish writer and author.