Part 13

Epiglottis, a flap of cartilage that stops food from entering the trachea

Cross-section / of larynx (posterior) 4

Voice and speech tools

Consider now speech, how the sound comes out from the throat and then is articulated to be distinct words; how its organs are crafted. Observe speech and its precision, the letters and their utterances, and notice the organs, segments and rhythms. You will find in all this great wisdom. As the air comes out as plain current from the chest, it rises up the windpipe, until it reaches the uvula , the tonguc, the lips and the teeth, where it acquires

segments, distinctions, and tones that make each syllable heard and each tone distinguished clearly from any other. In this way the letters are identified. You see how the windpipe is one, the air that rises in its plain form is uniform; but it then reaches straits and barriers, where twenty-nine different letters [in Arabic] are audible. The whole process of speech is based on that; speech with all the requests, prohibitions, information and inquiries; verse, prose, speeches, sermons and trifling; some amusing, some pathetic, some disheartening, some encouraging and some frightening; some promising and consoling, some saddening, depressing, or refreshing; some sickening, some healing. Observe how some speech alienates from blessing, and brings down calamity; some may ward off ordeals, and invoke bounty; some wins over hearts, reconciles discords, brings together antagonists, and some does the opposite. On account of some words that one has uttered carelessly, one will descend into hell - a distance farther than the east from the west; on account of some words that one has uttered without giving them importance, one is raised to the highest places, close to the Lord of the Worlds.

Glorified be He Who created all that from plain air that rises from the chest, seemingly without aim, without direction, and without particular destination. Besides all that, there are the differences in languages and dialects, more than anyone but Allah can encompass. Groups of people from diverse climates happen to meet in one place, each speaking in his or her language, each language controlled by exact rules, having its own rhythm, and the different groups know nothing of what the other groups are saying. The tongue as a tool is the same in shape and appearance, so are the uvula, the molars and the lips; but the words that are produced are vastly different. As a miracle, this is not unlike a plot of land, irrigated with the

same water, but growing diverse and greatly different plants, flowers, grains, and fruits. It is on these grounds that Allah, the Almighty, mentions that both aspects of creation are signs, in the following verses:

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“And among His wonders is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of innate knowledge!” (30: 22)

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“And _ there are on earth many tracts of land close by one another and yet widely differing from one another; and there are on it vineyards, and fields of grain, and datepalms growing in clusters from one root or standing alone, all watered with the same water.” (13: 4)

Think now of the throat, how it is a kind of pipe for the passage of air, while the tongue, the lips, and teeth are for articulating letters and producing tones. Do you not notice how a person who has lost his teeth cannot pronounce properly the letters which are articulated by the teeth and the tongue? Do you not notice how a person who has lost his lip cannot pronounce properly the ‘r’ or the ‘I’ sounds? How a _ person who has an ailment in the uvula cannot properly pronounce the uvular letters? Anatomists have compared the rising air stream to the flute, the lung to the bellows that supply it with air, the muscles that surround the lungs to the hands that press

the bellows to propel the air up the bronchi, the lips and the teeth that form the letters and tones to the fingers that alternately block the holes on the flute to produce a melody, and the barriers that obstruct the flow of air to the holes on the flute. In view of that it has been said that the flute is made on the model of the production of sounds in the human. If you marvel at the skill of humans who make with their hands those wonderful instruments, you ought to wonder much more at the Divine workmanship that produced those letters and sounds from among flesh, blood, veins and bones. And the outcome is worth noting indeed. But it is human nature that what is habitual does not drive people to wonder. When people observe some novel accomplishment devised by humans they glorify the Lord and praise Him, but they bypass the amazing and Staggering signs of His greatness that resemble nothing around us. Consider the diversity in the tone and pitch of voices despite the apparent identity of throats and uvulas, tongues, lips and teeth. Who effected all those distinctions quite clearly despite the great resemblance of the apparatus that produce them? Who but the Creator, the All-Knowing!

The Salivary Glands the

Three pairs of Salivary The parotid Salivary Glands make the food Gland. | sketch Shows only three ‘and thus easier A duct known as ~ three identical glands

Stencils Duct on the opposite side,

to swallow and digest Outlet to mouth,

The Sublingual Gland its duct opens on to tthe fluor of the mouth

Warton'’s duct” The Submandibular Gland

The saliva gland and the tongue

With 17 muscles that move it in all directions and three nerves controlling the transmission of sensation, the tongue helps in chewing, swallowing and tasting food, and is essential in the production of speech. There are on the surface of the tongue 9000 taste buds to recognize the four tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. During chewing and swallowing, six glands with ducts secrete saliva into the mouth to soften the food and prepare it, assisted by 32 cutting and grinding tools, the teeth.

The above tools provide other benefits and advantages apart from speech. The throat is the channel that leads the cool breeze to refresh the heart at every successive

inhalation. The tongue serves as the tool of tasting, where various flavours are tasted and enjoyed or not, and where they are evaluated. It also serves to push the food and turn it around to facilitate the job of the uvula. The teeth have the advantage mentioned above, that of cutting the food; but they also serve to give solidity to the lips lest they droop and disfigure the face. It may be observed how the person who has lost his teeth has hanging-down lips. The lips themselves provide several advantages. They help in sipping drinks in the desired amount, so that the drinker does not choke. They are also a closed door to hide the mouth, which receives whatever is thrown up from the belly, and where begins the descent of what is taken in. The lips are a lid and a roof, which is opened and shut at will, At the same time, they adorn the face and beautify it, and that is not all. Consider the person who has lost his or her lips, how disfigured he or she looks! It must be clear by now that each of the mentioned organs serves so many purposes, performs many tasks, and has many advantages and benefits. Each is a tool that can be used for many purposes.

The systems of the head

If you were to see the brain and witness its formation and structure, you would be astounded and overwhelmed. It is so complex that the mind boggles, and it is shrouded in membranes and layers that lie on top of each other, so that it is protected from any mishaps, and to maintain its wellbeing. Above all that, there is the cranium that shelters the brain like a helmet, protecting it in case it is exposed toa fall, shock, or blow. The cranium itself is covered with skin, protecting the bone from exposure to injuries, and over that there is ample hair to protect the skin and shelter it from heat, cold and injuries. The latter is also an adornment and adds beauty of looks. You may well ask the denier: Who is it that covered the brain with the utmost care, privileged it with a special status, and chose it to be a

cabinet supplied with a myriad advantages, powers and marvels? Who is it that sealed that cabinet, supplied it with extreme fortification, protected it most thoroughly, and deemed it to be the controller of senses and perceptions? Who made the eyelids shade the eyes like a cover, their edges like trees, and the eyelashes like shelves lining the eye when it is opened? Who had the eye’s layers arranged one on top of the other, seven in all, the same in number as the heavens, each layer playing its particular role, so that if any one layer failed it would mar the vision? Who is it that placed the eyes admirably in the face, and made them the source of beauty, the mirror of the heart; a scout and guardian of the body, a pioneer that is sent ahead to run errands, never grumbling, never fatigued, despite the innumerable times it is employed and the trips it takes? Who endowed the eyes with illuminating vision, all focused to the size of the lens, which encompasses heavens and earth, mountains, sun and moon, oceans and wonders, all admitted through seven layers? Who located it high in the face, similar to a sentinel stationed on a high hill to guard the body? Who concealed the king (i.e. the heart) in the chest, established it on the throne of the kingdom, with all the organs, limbs and internal and external systems in its service, the way soldiers serve their king, obliging and obedient, complying to orders, heeding prohibitions, striving, and seeking their ruler’s contentment; not allowed to rebel against its authority, nor to retire from its service; one is a messenger, one a courier, one an interpreter, some are assistants; each having its assigned part which it never goes beyond, never meddling in another’s business. Whenever the king desires relaxation, it orders them all to keep quiet and calm; and when it wakes up, the soldiers await its pleasure, each resuming its job willingly and constantly. If you were to observe the heart in its court, the missions and decrees it issues and receives, the soldiers in its service, the couriers carrying the mail between the king and its subjects, you