The Shark’s Cloak of Invisibility

September 25, 2015Science & Faith

What is a cloak of invisibility?
How does invisibility come about?
What physical laws does the shark use to cloak itself in invisibility?

The Miraculous Shark
Thanks to recent technological research, optical invisibility, which we encounter in various science fiction books and films, is moving away from being just a fantastic concept and has begun becoming a reality. This property, which used to be thought of as a dream, is now coming true under the laws of physics. As we know, an object being visible depends on that object reflecting the light falling on it because “seeing” or “perception” is a process that takes place when electromagnetic waves emitted from, or striking an object, return to the receptors in the eye. On the basis of that fundamental reality, scientists began collecting the necessary data for invisibility. The physical law to be applied in order to realize invisibility is to prevent an object from giving off electromagnetic waves, waves colliding or colliding waves being given off haphazardly. Objects can be made invisible thanks to a special material that covers it. Indeed, scientists have established a cloak that can bestow invisibility by means of a newly developed meta-material technology.

The Cloak of Invisibility Acts in Line with Physical Laws

The cloak of invisibility emerges when a metal cylinder is placed between donor and receptor and prevents the receptor seeing electromagnetic waves, thus resulting in invisibility. In order to produce this property, the object desired to be hidden is covered with specially developed meta-materials, and this makes it invisible within specific electromagnetic waves. One would normally expect waves striking a metal surface to be radiated around it, and even to leave a shadow behind it. Yet thanks to the cloak woven by using meta-materials around the metal cylinder, the electromagnetic waves continue on their way uninterrupted. Thanks to such a system, it becomes impossible to perceive electromagnetic waves from outside and thus detect the metal cylinder. Yet under the inspiration of our Lord Allah, one species of shark has been using the cloak of invisibility described here, which currently exists only under controlled laboratory conditions and is displayed in scientific exhibitions, since the day it was first created. Like many scientific discoveries, the property of invisibility that inspires the scientific world is just one of the proofs of our Lord’s creation. Allah, Lord of the Worlds, reveals in a verse that He is the creator of the entire universe and that everything comes into existence by His telling it to “Be!”

“Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything between them,the Almighty, the Endlessly Forgiving.” (Surah Sad, 66)

The Cloak of Invisibility of the Lantern Shark, a Source of Inspiration to the Scientific World

The “dense scale lantern shark,” a quite small member of the shark family at an average of just 30 to50 centimeters in length, possesses a cloak of invisibility that has for a long time been the subject of research by scientists. The shark lives in the waters to the south of Japan, and by reflecting heat through its scales it loses brightness in the depths of the ocean and literally becomes “invisible.” Scientists believe that the shark’s property of invisibility is the result of a light-emitting organ they refer to as the photophore, and that this organ is controlled by way of nerves and hormones. This light absorbing organ converts chemical energy into light energy, thus making it blend in with the light around it, and therefore invisible. It has also been established that a region in the shark’s abdominal cavity also contributes to its invisibility and makes the shark invisible from below. The shark did not, of course, come by this property by chance or by using its own intelligence. It is of course impossible for any living thing with no intelligence or consciousness to discover the cloak of invisibility that scientists have discovered through lengthy experiments and research, and that is still at the experimental stage. Almighty Allah has created these living things with the characteristics they require. Invisibility is an essential property in order for these animals that live at the sea bottom to survive. Our Lord reveals His love for and mercy on living things in this verse:

“Allah is the Creator of everything and He is Guardian over everything.”(Surat az-Zumar, 62)

The Superior Characteristics That Invisibility Bestows on the Shark

Through the physical properties bestowed on them by Almighty Allah, all living things in nature live in the greatest harmony with their surroundings. The lantern shark’s invisibility bestows on it the superior features the animal needs:

Thanks to its invisibility, it enjoys perfect camouflage, and it is therefore undetectable by its prey. And that means it can catch its prey very easily.

And again because of that property of invisibility it is not easily caught by larger predators.

It has been established that the shark can emit light from nine separate regions of its body. The other regions are its pectoral fins, the sides of the body and the tail, the brightest part of the fish, especially during the reproductive period.

Allah Is He Who Possesses Infinite Knowledge and Wisdom

Scientists are working in order to be able to apply invisibility on a wide basis because such research will present enormous advantages in the field of medicine in particular, in the military sphere, in civil engineering, in communications and for many other scientific and technical purposes. However, in order for designers to be able to produce materials with invisibility they are investigating the shark’s property of invisibility, as well as conducting scientific experiments, and trying to obtain clues regarding the animal’s superior features. They are astounded by its light emitting property, an example of a sublime creation, and are trying to manufacture meta-materials to bestow invisibility, and are engaged in complex engineering calculations and designs. But all their research to date has remained limited, and they have been unable to fully replicate the natural properties possessed by these life forms because they also possess the feature of sometimes emitting light and being invisible, while acquiring bright light at other times, and this is dependent entirely upon their requirements at that particular moment.

It is impossible for a living thing with no mind or consciousness to think about and know all these physical laws. It is obvious that this property possessed by lantern sharks is just one instance of His Omniscience that Allah manifests in these animals. Our Lord reveals this about His creative artistry in another verse:

“Allah created every animal from water. Some of them go on their bellies, some of them on two legs, and some on four. Allah creates whatever He wills. Allah has power over all things.” (Surat an-Nur, 45)

The perfect structures possessed by all living things, as in the example of the shark, reveal our Lord’s sublime creative artistry. The shark’s property of invisibility is just one piece of evidence that Almighty Allah has created all things, living or inanimate, in a perfect manner and with the finest details.

The sharks’ property of invisibility was created in the most appropriate form for this animal so that it can hunt and protect itself. Scientists have managed to obtain a cloak of invisibility after many years of research, and employing logic and reason at every stage. These scientific discoveries are still not complete, and only once the deficiencies have been rectified may they perhaps come to possess a perfect design. Yet this matchless property, which lantern sharks have possessed since they were first created is the work of the Omniscience and infinite mind of Allah. Our Lord’s sublime knowledge is described in the following verse:

“And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there are Signs for people with certainty.” (Surat al-Jathiyah, 4)

The shark’s property of invisibility shows that there are many examples for human beings in nature and living things. Allah has created all these for us to reflect on and learn from. The Qur’an tells us that:

“In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are Signs for people with intelligence:

those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Surat al-‘Imran, 190-191)

The Cloak of Invisibility Will Be Widely Used in the Technology of the Future:

It may be applied in the field of civil engineering: Medical devices cloaked in this way, such as metallic implants and pacemakers, will be able to enter MR scanners using this technology and will also be able to pass safely through security scanners in places such as shopping malls and airports.

It may have a broad sphere of applications in the field of communications:With this technology it will be possible to direct telephone signals with the minimum amount of interference.

Geographic obstructions typically interfering with signals absorb electromagnetic waves. But thanks to wave-directing cloaking techniques, waves carrying information will be able to be transmitted in the desired direction and with relatively less signal loss.

It may be widely used in medicine: The hand of the surgeon being invisible during surgery will make it much easier to perform operations since it will allow the area behind the hand to be visualized with full clarity.