Photography
As Beautiful as a…Dragonfly?
by RE
A picture story to lighten the mood:
As I was walking to my car I noticed a dragonfly perched upon my antenna. Alhamdullilah, I had a digital camera in my car and off I went snapping away.
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You can click on the pictures to see the full resolution. Look how intensely intricate the wings are mde in order to give him (or her) the perfect flight. SubhanAllah, what an amazingly intricate creature.
A little closer…
The amazing thing was that no matter how close I got to the little bugger <pun intended>, he just did not flinch or fly away.
Whoa, buddy… A little privacy please. Literally a half inch or less away from his face.
He was aware I was around. When I would come around from the right or left side, he would follow me with his head. I was wondering if he was as interested in me as I was in him.
From the Left Side. SubhanAllah, Just Beautiful!
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The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
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Yus from the Nati
May 5, 2009 at 7:11 AM
I like the last one the best.
muslimah
May 5, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Subhan Allah! It is!
Surprisingly… I saw one for the first time here in the Emirates yesterday!
Asiyah
May 5, 2009 at 9:28 AM
[فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ]
Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.Mashaallah .Subhanallah!! Excellent pictures.
Amad
May 5, 2009 at 9:37 AM
thats pretty good photography… what a patient dragonfly :)
Saimah
May 5, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Mash’Allah nice pics! :) I love how the wing’s came out so detailed and intricate!
Amatullah
May 5, 2009 at 10:28 AM
SubhanAllah Asiyah, I was thinking of the same ayah! Amazing pictures.
How sad is it that people attribute these creations to “mother nature.”
ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ
That is Allah, your Lord, the creator of all things:none has the right to be worshipped but He. How then are you turning away? (40:62)
Umm Hurairah
May 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَاباً وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئاً لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ
O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued. They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might. [22:73-74]
Algebra
May 5, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Aslamu-alaikum:
These are AMAZING PICTURES MASHALLAH.
Its amazing how the Dragon Fly just waited to be photographed. Thats strange. Who took the pictures?
I think you could put these in National Geographic. Really nice Quality MashAllah.
salam
iMuslim
May 5, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Great photos, masha’Allah… but I’m afraid insects creep me out! Though they are amazing creations. :D
ali
May 5, 2009 at 12:29 PM
MASHALLAH TABARAKALLAH!!!!
perhaps this dragonfly was experiencing ultra khushoo in its praise of Allah swt…..ahhh the pursuit of khushoo…..where are you khushoo??
MR
May 5, 2009 at 2:22 PM
What if it was a jinn!?
Anyways
mcpagal
May 5, 2009 at 3:57 PM
great pictures mA! But seriously, that thing is huge.
Imtiaz
May 5, 2009 at 5:38 PM
I think the author of this article clearly photo-shopped these pictures. It is a travesty to see such shock journalism this day in age :D
BIG UPs to MY BR. RAMI …. :D
MR
May 5, 2009 at 6:16 PM
@Imtiaz – A photoshopped jinn
ilmsummittee
May 5, 2009 at 6:36 PM
I remember I actually wrote an entire report about dragonflies a long time ago….focusing on the mechanics of their unique flying (they can fly up down, forwards & backwards, side to side, and stay hovering in one place in midair).
Interesting fact: A while back dragonflies where studied in order to engineer helicopters …..
“A dragonfly, whose colour may vary from ice blue to claret red, has two pairs of wings on its back, one being at the front and the other at the rear. While flying, the two front wings move up as the two rear wings move down.
Sikorsky helicopters were produced in today’s technology by taking this particular form of the wings of the dragonfly as model. First the picture of a dragonfly was loaded onto a computer. Considering the dragonfly’s manoeuvres in the air, 2,000 special drawings were made. At the end of this study, Sikorsky came up with its new and very strong model with its advanced mobility( meant for transporting soldiers and supplies)”
ilmsummittee
May 5, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Truly Subhanah Allah———————->
For those bio nerds like myself (or simply those who will truly appreciate the creation of Allah (swt):
Please check this out:
http://www.harunyahya.com/designinnature01.php
The Inspiration for the Helicopter: The Dragonfly
The wings of the dragonfly cannot be folded back on its body. In addition, the way in which the muscles for flight are used in the motion of the wings differs from the rest of insects. Because of these properties, evolutionists claim that dragonflies are “primitive insects”.
In contrast, the flight system of these so-called “primitive insects” is nothing less than a wonder of design. The world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, finished the design of one of their helicopters by taking the dragonfly as a model.6 IBM, which assisted Sikorsky in this project, started by putting a model of a dragonfly in a computer (IBM 3081). Two thousand special renderings were done on computer in the light of the manoeuvres of the dragonfly in air. Therefore, Sikorsky’s model for transporting personnel and artillery was built upon examples derived from dragonflies.
Gilles Martin, a nature photographer, has done a two year study examining dragonflies, and he also concluded that these creatures have an extremely complex flight mechanism.
The body of a dragonfly looks like a helical structure wrapped with metal. Two wings are cross-placed on a body that displays a colour gradation from ice blue to maroon. Because of this structure, the dragonfly is equipped with superb manoeuvrability. No matter at what speed or direction it is already moving, it can immediately stop and start flying in the opposite direction. Alternatively, it can remain suspended in air for the purpose of hunting. At that position, it can move quite swiftly towards its prey. It can accelerate up to a speed that is quite surprising for an insect: 25mph (40km/h), which would be identical to an athlete running 100 metres in the Olympics at 24.4mph (39km/h).
At this speed, it collides with its prey. The shock of the impact is quite strong. However, the armoury of the dragonfly is both very resistant and very flexible. The flexible structure of its body absorbs the impact of collision. However, the same cannot be said for its prey. The dragonfly’s prey would pass out or even be killed by the impact. Following the collision, the rear legs of dragonfly take on the role of its most lethal weapons. The legs stretch forward and capture the shocked prey, which is then swiftly dismembered and consumed by powerful jaws. Sikorsky helicopters were designed in imitation of the flawless design and manoeuvr ability of a dragonfly.
The sight of the dragonfly is as impressive as is its ability to perform sudden manoeuvres at high speed. The eye of the dragonfly is accepted as the best example among all the insects. It has a pair of eyes, each of which features approximately thirty thousand different lenses. Two semi-spherical eyes, each nearly half the size of the head, provide the insect a very wide visual field. Because of these eyes, the dragonfly can almost keep an eye on its back. The eye of a dragonfly is considered the world’s most complicated insect eye structure. Each eye contains about thirty thousand lenses. These eyes occupy about half the area of the head and provide the insect with a very wide visual field because of which it can almost keep an eye on its back. The wings of a dragonfly are of such a complex design that they make any conception of coincidence’s involvement in their origin nonsense. The aerodynamic membrane of the wings and each pore on the membrane is a direct result of plan and calculation.
The most significant feature of the dragonfly is its wings.Two opposing muscle groups move the wings. The muscles are tied to levers inside the body. While one group of muscles pull up a pair of wings by contracting, the other muscle group opens the other pair by reflexing. Helicopters ascend and descend by a similar technique. This allows a dragonfly to hover, go backward, or quickly change direction.
TheSilentStranger
May 30, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Assalamu Alaikum,
I want to ask you a question since you identify yourself as a bio nerd. =) I’ll be taking Biology next year so this is very important for me. Do you believe that the Darwinian theory of evolution is compatible with Islamic theology? Why or why not? I’ve asked several people about this but haven’t recieved a straight answer. Can you share your opinion with me? Jazak Allah Khair
Barakallahu Feek
Abû Mûsâ Al-Ḥabashî
May 5, 2009 at 7:36 PM
Here are some more pictures:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00981/dragonfly-smile_981142i.jpg
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09b/DragonFlyMM_450x350.jpg
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://img1.eyefetch.com/Contest/contest2985/492709-85cb1476-cbc2-4a88-9398-0ca26ea55849.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.eyefetch.com/image.aspx%3FID%3D492709&usg=__2KP0WxomOnT-1gPIyWSLRNShXhk=&h=656&w=700&sz=137&hl=en&start=11&sig2=3oRFmx0AZ4Jna1Z-4LTgGg&um=1&tbnid=s2r_dV3LYQJx1M:&tbnh=131&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmiling%2Bdragonfly%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=UswASoHpINKnmQfkjbTWBA
Algebra
May 5, 2009 at 7:40 PM
THANKS TO THE LINK FOR THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!
Reemo
May 5, 2009 at 7:40 PM
Wow MashAllah! Amazing pictures :)
I agree with iMuslim :D
Mohammed Abbasi
May 5, 2009 at 7:59 PM
Lovely
Abdullah (hafidh)
May 5, 2009 at 8:43 PM
salam-alaikum-wa-rahmatullahi-wa-barakaatuhu,,
Amazing mashaAllah, dragons are my favorite creatures tho they don;t exist, so maybe the dragonfly will be my favorite insect :-)
hayya
May 6, 2009 at 3:26 AM
i liked the pics soo much ALLAH has created every thing in its perfect order.
Khabira Al-Muhyee
May 6, 2009 at 8:28 AM
MashaAllah! How wonderful the capture of such an amazing little creature. Interesting reads from others comments. Makes one reflect on Allah’s creation, no matter how Great or Small.
Lioness
May 6, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Mashallah!!! And this is one lioness too scared to be that close to Mrs.Pretty Wings!
Osman
May 6, 2009 at 1:45 PM
SubhanAllah, I have always been fascinated by the wings of the dragonfly. Nice pics, kudos to that dragonfly!
UmmeAmmaarah
May 6, 2009 at 4:02 PM
If only i were that dragonfly, or any other dragonfly, or a stone, or a bird or a leaf……. just obeying Allah’s will…… no hisaab! If only i could do a tenth of the dhikr that that draginfly must do…. SubhanAllah! :)
Umm Fulaanah
May 8, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Oh UmmeAmmaarah…. so beatifully said masha-allaa…. I loved the pics and how the dragonfly sat their patiently modelling…. so cute masha-allaah…. guess im gonna have to keep my eyes open for chances like these…and like the author – carry a digital camera with me….
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Gerald Panama
February 4, 2010 at 5:41 AM
I just needed to say that I found your site via Goolge and I am glad I did. Keep up the good work and I will make sure to bookmark you for when I have more free time away from the books. Thanks again!