In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Function of the peritoneum:
In the small intestine there is a special membrane or lining that holds or fixes it. Doctors call this lining “the peritoneum”. This lining does a great job in the human body.
First, even if someone drinks boiling water, the intestine does not feel the excessive heat thereof. This is because the Almighty Creator, Allah, Glory to Him, has made both small and large intestines completely empty of all kinds of sense cells. The intestine is surrounded with a special lining that holds it in a flexible way that allows it to move easily. This is one of the most important jobs of this lining, the peritoneum, because movement of the intestine during the process of digestion is based on mechanical action. This lining has nerve endings and lymphatic centers, which are like defense organs in the human body. If an acute inflammation causes a puncture in the intestine, the peritoneum hastens to make a special serum that devours germs. This makes the person feel pain, which is not caused by the intestine but rather by the peritoneum, which is the primary organ of alarm in the body. If an inflammation, an infection or a puncture takes place in the intestine, the nerve endings of the peritoneum immediately send pain messages to the brain, and the person feels pain.
In fact, in the human body there are special defense centers that are responsible for discovering the nature of the attacking germs, manufacturing the anti-serum, devouring the germs and ending the entire problem. This thin lining, which scientists call “peritoneum”, surrounds the abdomen and has small phlegmatic knots, which look like fatty masses, which are of the best defense apparatuses because they constitute a real army that has soldiers that discover the enemy’s nature, fighter soldiers, and factories for manufacturing anti-serums.
In the peritoneum, there are nerve endings, which are considered as apparatuses for early warning; and all of these glands are considered as defense apparatuses that protect the intestine, which is an essential part of the human body and human life. But due to Allah’s Infinite Divine Wisdom, there are no nerves that sense pain in the intestines. So, when does a person feel pain? If there is a puncture in the intestines, pain becomes unbearable. In this context, Allah, All Mighty, says,
“They will be given to drink boiling water that cuts up their intestines.”
[XLVII; 15]
If the intestine is cut up, the person feels a lot of pain, and, similarly, if the intestine is punctured, the person also feels a lot of pain. That is why Allah, All Mighty, says,
“They will be given to drink boiling water that cuts up their intestines.”
This Quranic Verse conforms to the most recent scientific data; and it shows clearly that the Holy Quran is undoubtedly Allah’s Book, simply because such facts were not known to mankind at the time when the Holy Quran as revealed to Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH).
This miraculous lining of the abdomen, the peritoneum, has highly sensitive nerve endings that do not feel pain unless the intestine is punctured; otherwise one would not feel any pain even if one drank boiling water.
The theme of this lecture:
But when do people feel pain? The answer is: When their intestines are cut up. Once again, the Almighty Lord says,
“They will be given to drink boiling water that cuts up their intestines.”
[XLVII; 15]
Every time man discovers a new fact about his human body, he glorifies more and extols more praises of his Maker and Lord, Allah, All Mighty. This Divine Book, the Holy Quran, is undoubtedly the Book that the Almighty Creator sent down to His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH). It is indeed the Assigned Book, the Wise Course, the Straight Path, the Manifest Light, and the Tight Bond!
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations