Anthropology

Every year, birds of various species travel from one continent to another covering thousands of miles nonstop. From the study of birds that is Ornithology, we can learn a lot if we commit ourselves to this specialization that is specific to birds science. Flying over massive oceans whose study is referred to as Oceanography and towering mountains whose study is Orology, for those involved in theological sciences, it is vital to have a good grasp of the above mentioned sciences. What the birds eat after reaching their destinations, requires exclusive knowledge of botanical sciences. Keeping an eye and covering the thousands of miles of Avian journeys that are specific to birds movements really appear surprising to the observer of birds migrations worldwide. As a lover of Avian journeys and their general movements around the world, it is worth mentioning that my total rejoicing of their movementations sprouted from my previous scientological studies of Ornithology on my own without the need for classwork registration in any college or university. An Imam or priest or a rabbi preaching contents of religious scriptures to his followers or adherents, must be familiar with the sciences of birds, if not, it would be futile for the listeners to have a good grasp of what is being said. Birds Mentioned in the Holy Qur'an (BMHQ) are meant to Develop Human Thinking (DHT). Islamically, the theory of developing human thinking is preferablely for those having deeper reflection and complete understanding of why we are on this earth, and to believe in One Creator who deserves to be worshipped without associating Him with other partners. Theologically, birds are signs from Allaah Almighty that deserve further human observations and contemplations. Like other carnivorous and herbiverous animals that appear everywhere, the omnivorous humans are required to have a glimpse of the values of the different birds species and the roles they play in environmental conservation. On the other hand, birds play important roles in the environment because some are consumables like the chicken that is the number one most consumed and the wild guinea fowl while others are primarily for seeds distribution. While chickens are widely consumed, the guinea fowl remains exclusive to a few since it is a wild protected species. Winds, water, animals, and birds help plants reproduce through the dispersal of seeds. We could argue that plants are the best friends of birds. It could appear astonishing that some birds species stock seeds underground and then forget the specific storage locations. Birds get attracted to their favorite plants through color and size. At times, birds defecate and leave behind highly fertilized seeds that are high in nitrogen. With their long distance travels, the earth gets replenishment because birds defecations re-create a new environmental landscape that appear enticing to humans. Let's borrow a leaf from the Qur'an to better justificate the real meaning of birds movements. In Surah an-Nahl (chapter 16) verse 79, the Qur'an exhorts the believers to have a good look at the birds poised up in the air. أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۢ فِى جَوِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ ٧٩ Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are signs for those who believe. — A. Yusuf Ali Birds fly in flocks during migrations at various elevations that may be impossible to see with our naked eyes without specific instruments such as telescopes and satellite imaging cameras that are man-made and meant to capture physical objects that are beyond our reach. The report of a lonely vulture flying 34,000 feet above the earth and then suddenly colliding with a passenger transport plane in 1984, is an important factor worth mentioning. Likewise, a single bird that was being monitored and fitted with a microchip flew 17,000 miles nonstop. The scientific names of the three birds mentioned in Qur'an are Coturnixcotumix japonica (Salwa-quail), Corvus (Gurab-crow) and Upupaepops (Hudhud-hoopoe). The predicate logical relations for the ontological concept of birds could be defined as subclasses with instances like the hoopoe (هدهد) and the quail (سلوى) and the crow (غراب). The hoopoe or هدهد is a unique bird that brought news to Prophet Suleiman (Solomon) from as far as the people of Sabba or Sheba in Yemen. They were a disbelieving people who worshipped the sun and were ruled by the Queen of Sheba whose name was Bilqiis. As for the hoopoe bird, this is what the Qur'an states about Solomon's displeasure with it after inspecting all the birds that were under his command. It is in Surah 27 verse 20. وَتَفَقَّدَ ٱلطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِىَ لَآ أَرَى ٱلْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَآئِبِينَ ٢٠ ˹One day˺ he inspected the birds, and wondered, “Why is it that I cannot see the hoopoe? Or could he be absent? On the other hand, the quail (سلوى) or Salwa was a roasted bird that was delivered from the heavens by Allaah Almighty together with Manna which could have been something akin to honey even though it was whitish in color. In Surah al-Baqarah verse 57, Allaah mentions Manna and Salwa below: وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْغَمَامَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ ۖ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ ۖ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ And ˹remember when˺ We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails, ˹saying˺, “Eat from the good things We have provided for you.” The evildoers ˹certainly˺ did not wrong Us, but wronged themselves. The crow (غراب) or Qurab was the bird that brought to the attention of Qaabiil or Cain how to conduct a burial after killing his younger brother Haabiil or Abel. These three birds are mentioned in the Bible and Qur'an. In the Bible the crow or raven is mentioned in Luke 12:24. In Surah al-Maidah that is the Table Spread, upon killing his younger brother Haabiil or Abel, Qaabiil or Cain cried by regretting and moaning. It was at that point that Allaah responded with the following words: فَبَـعَثَ اللّٰهُ غُرَابًا يَّبۡحَثُ فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِ لِيُرِيَهٗ كَيۡفَ يُوَارِىۡ سَوۡءَةَ اَخِيۡهِ​ؕ قَالَ يَاوَيۡلَتٰٓى اَعَجَزۡتُ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِثۡلَ هٰذَا الۡغُرَابِ فَاُوَارِىَ سَوۡءَةَ اَخِىۡ​ۚ Then Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?" And he became of the regretful. Sahih International In Islam, it is not permissible to eat a crow or raven because it is known to eat carrion like the Leptoptilos crumeniferus that is the Marabou stork. Not different from the white-backed African vulture Gyps africanus, there are various birds species that fall under the carrion eating species. Going back to the movements or migrations of birds, worldwide, even though we rarely see the different species poised up in the air traversing long distances, the reality is, we miss a lot how valuable they are to us and other creatures. In many regions of the world, reports of specific birds species going extinct, threatened or diminishing in population or migrating after experiencing threats from birds hunters, requires thorough observations by committed environmental protection agencies of the governments whose jurisdictions are most likely to have missed the decrying call for global protection of the most affected avies species. In Kenya, regions populated by the Kamba people reveal shocking revelations of the total extinctions of many birds species because of the communities scramble for survival and the search for food. Sneaking into the nests of birds in the middle of the night has rendered many aves species suffer tremendous reductions if not extinctions or profound migrations to other safer regions. In conclusion, it is everyone's responsibility to protect the diminishing global aves population, not only for the present, but for posterity.