As I sit here, working away in my shed at the bottom of the garden, I have a tray of seeds beside me on the floor by the door, which periodically take my attention throughout the day. Over the past four days, the bean and corn seedlings have begun pushing through the compost, and already their unique characteristics are forming. Look at the leaves of the beans. Look at the leaves of the maize.
Subhanallah! Within every living thing on this clump of rock and iron hurtling through the solar system, there is a double helix of DNA containing its genetic blueprint. The arrangement of four chemical nucleotide building blocks encodes the formation of every living thing — plant or animal — springing into being from the tiniest nuclei.
The coming together of amino acids alone is a miracle enough for me, but look at this tray of seeds beside me. Now look within, at your eyes giving sight, your heart pounding, your lungs breathing in and our, the taste on your tongue, the hearing of your ears, your fingers which type away on keyboards and swipe and tap on screens of glass, grasping pens and spoons and forks, and trowels with which to plant diverse crops in the ground.
Subhnallah for the signs in this tray of seeds beside me.
Last modified: 17 April 2020
