RESPIRATION AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS

18- And the dawn as it breathes.

81-The Rolling, 18

The verb to breathe is a term originally used to describe the process in which many living
organisms take in oxygen from their surroundings and give out carbon dioxide. But what has
respiration to do with the dawn? What brings together these two seemingly incongruous
subjects? Does something new happen in the daylight different from the night? These
questions were bound to remain unanswered until the time the process of photosynthesis
came to light, the synthesis of simple carbon hydrates like glucose and starch from carbon
dioxide and water, with the liberation of oxygen, using the energy of light, in green plants
chlorophyll being the energy transformer. Nutriments of high-energy content formed as a
result of this process, called photosynthesis, are stored in tissues while oxygen is given out.
Briefly stated, photosynthesis is a metabolism process in contradistinction with respiration.
During respiration, carbon hydrates mix with oxygen, breaking down into the component
elements of water and carbon dioxide; the end products of the reactions during respiration
are the primary substances of photosynthesis.

This phenomenon takes place only during the day. Photosynthesis is dependent on the
energy of light and cannot be realized in the dark. When the “dawn breaks” as described in
the verse, light shines and oxygen, the sine qua non of respiration, begins to be given out by
plants. This makes clear the reason of juxtaposition of words “breathe” and “dawn” in the
verse.

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THERE BEEN NO

PHOTOSYNTHESIS?
Energy is absolutely necessary for living organisms. This energy, which contributes to the
functioning of our muscles and heart, and plays an important role in the chemical reactions
of our body, is supplied by animal products and vegetables. The primary source of the energy
contained in nutriments is the sun. At night, the sun’s rays do not reach us. The “dawn” is
the time these rays begin to reach the earth. The plants that receive those rays transform
this light energy into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. Regeneration
and growth of plant tissues depend on this energy. While the plant continues to grow using
this energy, it stores some of it in the form of chemical energy. A man or an animal that
consumes this plant receives the energy it contains. This perpetuates the chemical reactions
in their bodies and stores energy in their tissues. Consequently, the energy we derive from
animal products and plants is the energy coming from the sun through the plants, forming
the initial stage of nourishment. Had there been no process that enriched the oxygen in the
air, the oxygen available in the atmosphere would have been exhausted by now. Thanks to
this process that begins at dawn can we breathe. At the time of the descent of the Quran,
people knew nothing about photosynthesis or transformation of oxygen and carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere, or again, about the role played by the sun’s rays in the realization of this
process. The establishment of such a connection between the dawn and respiration in this
verse astounds us once again.

Energy is absolutely necessary for all biochemical processes fundamental to living organisms.
The energy is the result of the breaking down into elements of nutriments stored in the cells.
When they come into contact with oxygen during this process, the chemical energy stored in
molecules of the nutriment is released. This is a reaction similar to the phenomenon that
takes place when a piece of wood kindled gives out heat and light. So the act of respiration
must not be considered exclusively as an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, but as a
more complex process that forms the basic energy source of plants and animals.

Had God not created the various requirements for photosynthesis, such as, for instance, the
chlorophyll necessary for the plants’ realization of photosynthesis, not a single organism
would survive. Like many phenomena in the universe, photosynthesis, the transformation of
oxygen and carbon dioxide necessary for respiration, is a part of the great and perfect
design.

Knowledge of photosynthesis is of fairly recent origin. Scientists have conducted major

research projects; among others, those of the team headed by Melvin Calvin, an American
chemical engineer, are of great import. This team was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry
in 1961.

The photosynthesis that enables us to breathe and supply oxygen can be epitomized as
follows:

Light energy (coming from the sun) + Carbon dioxide (coming from the air) + Water =
Chemical energy + Oxygen.

The chemical formula is:

Light + 6CO2 + 6H2O = C6H12O6 (Glucose) + 6O2