
HOW THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS BEGINS
IN THE MORNING
And [I swear] by the night when it draws in,
and by the dawn when it breathes in. (Qur'an, 81:17-18)

Light is one of the most essential elements in the performance
of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis varies in proportion to the
intensity and duration of the light source. With the reception
of the Sun’s rays in the morning, photosynthesis—in
other words, the production of oxygen begins. |
When plants undergo photosynthesis, they take in carbon dioxide,
a harmful gas that human beings cannot consume, from the air, and
give off oxygen instead. Oxygen, which we breathe and which is our
basic source of life, is the main product of photosynthesis. Some
30% of the oxygen in the atmosphere is produced by plants on land,
the remaining 70% being produced by plants and single-celled living
things in the seas and oceans.
Photosynthesis is a complex process, and one which scientists have
still not yet fully understood. This process cannot be observed
with the naked eye, because the mechanism employs, atoms and molecules.
However, we can see the results of photosynthesis in the oxygen
which enables us to breathe, and in the foodstuffs that keep us
alive. Photosynthesis is a system which involves complicated chemical
formulae and units of weight, and on very small scale, and consisting
of the most sensitive equilibriums. There are trillions of chemical
laboratories that carry out this process in all the green plants
around us. Furthermore, plants have been meeting our oxygen, food
and energy needs non-stop for millions of years.
The productivity of photosynthesis is measured by the level of
oxygen output. The greatest point is in the morning, when the Sun's
rays are most concentrated. At dawn, the leaves begin to sweat,
and photosynthesis increases accordingly. In the afternoon, however,
the opposite applies; in other words photosynthesis slows down,
and respiration increases because as the temperature rises perspiration
also increases. At night, as the temperature falls, perspiration
declines and the plant rests.
The term "itha tanaffasa" in Surat at-Takwir, in reference
to the morning hours, in other words, "when it breathes
in," is a metaphorical reference to breathing, respiration,
or breathing deeply. This term particularly emphasises the way that
the production of oxygen begins in the morning, and that the greatest
levels of oxygen, essential for respiration, are given off at that
time. The importance of the phenomena is also emphasised by the
way that Allah swears upon it. The way that Allah indicates the
action of photosynthesis, among the most important discoveries of
the 20th century, in this verse, is another of the scientific miracles
of the Qur'an.

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Photosynthesis is the use by plants
and sometimes by certain bacteria and single-cell life forms
of the Sun’s rays in order to produce sugar (carbohydrate)
from carbon dioxide and water. As a result of this reaction,
the energy in the Sun’s rays is stored inside the sugar
molecule produced. The following formula summarises the reaction
that takes place during the process by which unusable solar
energy is transformed into usable chemical energy:
6H2O + 6CO2 ---PHOTOSYNTHESIS--->
C6H12O6+ 6O2
(6 water molecules + 6 carbon dioxide molecules are turned
into 1 sugar molecule and 6 oxygen molecules by means of photosynthesis.) |
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