SIGNS OF CREATION IN THE SEED

SIGNS OF CREATION IN THE SEED

It is God Who created the heavens with no support – you can see them – and cast firmly embedded mountains on the Earth so that it would not move under you, and scattered about in it creatures of every kind. And We send down water from the sky and make every generous species grow in it. (Qur’an, 31:10)

As mentioned in the previous section, a seed basically consists of a seed coat, a nutrient reserve and an embryo. Though the basic structure is the same, the amount of nutrients contained in each seed's reserve, the type of surrounding protective membrane, its thickness, the shape and taste of the fruit enclosing it differ greatly from one another. Everything from the shape to the color of the seed coat and the materials it is made from varies according to the plant's species and habitat.
Seeds reveal marvelous wonders of creation. To give one example, an apricot contains just one pit, or seed, which is well protected by a hard shell. The fleshy interior tastes sweet and is suitable for eating – good food for birds, rodents, insects and other animals as well as people. The fact that the fruit consists of two such sections is also opportune for the plant, for when the apricot is eaten, the seed enclosed in the hard casing at the fruit’s center is exposed, and thus has a chance of germinating in a suitable place and growing into a new tree.
In contrast to the apricot, the kiwi is a fruit that contains numerous little edible seeds, rather than just one. The seeds of this fleshy fruit are grouped together. And because they are so numerous, even if one part of the fruit is eaten, their chances of sprouting into a new plant are increased.

The dry fruits that have multiple seeds open up to distribute them. This kind of fruit is called dehiscent. They have a thick and resilient seed coat that protects the embryo and the nutrient reserve. As they turn green, the seeds are compacted together and exert pressure on one another. They may be of very different colors, shapes and textures, and may have different features such as wings, feathery strands or a fine membrane.
Dry fruits with multiple seeds are very diverse, taking many forms such as pods, bladders, grained etc. A few examples include:
Montbretia, with round, bright orange seeds packed into triple capsules. The plant waits for the wind or a passing animal to shake it to distribute its seeds.9
The leguminous plants form a very broad category, within which each species has its own distinct shape and features. Seeds of the pea plant, for instance, are arranged in an orderly row. On the other hand, Colutea arborescens has air-filled bladders that burst noisily. The most incredible of these plants is the catclaw or black mimosa (Mimosa pigra) with its pods, each one of which contains a seed and is shaped like a hairy claw.10
These are just a few examples of plant seeds’ functional structures. Considering that every plant has a different seed structure, the variety and degree of perfection in seeds is remarkable.

Special Materials in the Seed Coat

Not only do the seeds have different structures; but the seed coats too are created with all their requirements.
The embryo inside the seed is extremely valuable – and vulnerable, needing to be carefully protected until the new plant has completely developed. This protection is provided by the seed coat, which shows variations in each species of plant. The degree of protection the seed is afforded corresponds to the resilience of the seed coat’s material, which also affects the seed’s ability to float or to be carried by the wind.
The seed’s outer covering takes a great variety of forms, with many interesting features. Some are coated with a bitter substance to deter enemies. Some are rich in a chemical called tannin that prevents the seeds from rotting. The seed coats of several plant species are covered in a kind of jelly-like substance, which consists of complex sugars fused with proteins, and swells easily on contact with water allowing the seed to easily stick to damp materials. As you’ll see subsequently, this characteristic plays an important part in the germination phase.11
As mentioned already, the seed coat’s thickness is specially regulated according to the type of plant. Every seed coat is neither too thick nor too thin, but has just the right thickness to let the plant develop in its home environment. A seed with a thin coat can be destroyed more easily by various external influences. For this reason, all seeds have coats of the most suitable thickness for their respective habitats. Seeds with very thick coats can survive all kinds of difficult conditions, but the disadvantage of an exceptionally thick coat is that the embryo has problems breaking out of the seed.
Moreover, close examination reveals that seeds distributed by animals have coats thin and easy enough to pierce for the animals to take an interest in their contents. But at the same time, the structure of the coats covering these seeds makes them unattractive to all seed-eaters.14
From the explanations given so far, it is evident that seeds, which appear to be so simple, are actually structured in great detail. Their characteristics, from the proportions of the materials they contain to their content and protective outer layers, all vary according to environmental conditions. But how did this variety and detail come into being?

When we look in books propounding evolutionary theory to answer such questions as “How?” and “Why?”, we find that evolutionists prefer to use obscure expressions and deceptive methods. A book entitled Evolution has this to say on the subject of seeds and fruits:
The outer casing of a seed is strong enough to withstand the molar teeth and intestinal acids and enzymes of various animals, and an atmosphere lacking in oxygen. Moreover, this seed casing has been evolutionarily designed so as to protect the embryo until the conditions for germination are suitable from factors causing it to germinate at the wrong time and seed-eating animals.15
You'll note that having enumerated some of the remarkable features of seeds, the use of the expression "evolutionarily designed" tries to give the impression that they came into being through evolution. But the paragraph above by no means explains how seeds came into existence, because it merely mentions the perfection in their creation. The phrase “evolutionarily designed” actually has no meaning at all.
Moreover, this expression is untenable in itself, because the concepts of “evolution” and “design” are diametrically opposed. It’s unimaginable that the process of evolution could produce a design, for evolution is claimed to depend on coincidences, and the very existence of an order reveals the existence of a conscious mind. Accordingly, if there is an order, it follows that concepts such as evolution, coincidence and chance can have no bearing. Signs of creation in seeds are evident proofs that they are not the product of evolution but are created by Almighty God.

Let an example clarify this further. Suppose that you visit an art gallery and come across a wall full of drawings, each depicting the seed of a different plant and its related details. Were you to ask the gallery director who drew all these pictures, what if you were told, “These were not drawn by any artist; they were evolutionarily designed with the help of coincidences”? You would find such an answer highly unreasonable, and continue to believe that they were the work of an artist.
Just as you would not believe in the “evolutionary design” of such drawings, neither would you accept that seeds – living structures containing all the information about a plant, which under the right circumstances can germinate to produce hundreds of thousands of different kinds of fruit and flowers – could come into existence as a result of unconscious coincidences. So the question should be who essentially created these perfect systems, how plants were structured accordingly.
With their claims of coincidence, evolutionists can never explain the very clear plan in the structure of seeds, a plan that evidently has not come about as the result of coincidences. Just as every drawing must have an artist, there is someone behind every plan. The perfectly planned systems in seeds is the work of God, with His eternal wisdom and supreme power. The wisdom that can be seen in every stage of the life of plants is clear proof that they are the creation of the Almighty God.

It is He Who sends down water from the sky. From it you drink and from it come the shrubs among which you graze your herds. And by it He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect. (Qur’an, 16:10-11)

Reasons for the Different Sizes of Seeds

The size of seeds, as well as other features of plants, is determined in accordance with a plan. The coconut, for instance, which travels long distances by sea, is one of the biggest seeds. Its size ensures that there are enough nutrients to last during the long journey.
Orchids, on the other hand, have quite tiny seeds. Orchids are delicate plants that can only grow when the right medium, light and moisture conditions are available. Thus they produce seeds small enough to be carried by the wind and numerous enough to be deposited in at least some suitable locations. A single orchid flower can produce millions of seeds.16
The seeds of the beech tree, shown in the picture below left, are dispersed and start wafting through the air towards the end of autumn. These small seeds some 0.5 cm (0.2 in) in length sprout wherever there is enough light.
Tropical seeds are often very bulky. The mommay, shown below right, is one of these, with seeds usually about 5 cm (2 in) long. This seed can put down especially long roots to enable it to germinate in dry places. This reduces the risk of the seedling drying out due to lack of water.17

In seeds there is as great a variety as there are plants in the world. When we consider that the seed of every plant has a different shape, contains a different amount of nutrient reserve, and has a coat with a different thickness, we can see evidence of their wondrous creation.   Dry seeds often have a special structural feature like tufts to let them be transported. Seeds of Epilobium glaberrinum shown below are dispersed by the wind. The seedpods consist of four parts. As soon as these separate, the plant’s tufted seeds disperse in the air and carried away in the wind.