Mentioned in the Quran: Charismatic Crows
When humanity first stepped onto the stage of the world, guided by the wisdom of Adam (peace be upon him), they experienced the most pristine state of our planet, accompanied by various creatures. Everything was a novelty – emotions, sights, colors, and even human experiences such as love and jealousy. It was during these formative times that the first crime was committed when Cain, in a moment of heated anger, killed his brother Abel. Standing beside the lifeless body of his brother, uncertain of his next move, Cain observed a crow busily scratching at the earth. Learning from the crow’s actions, he experienced a profound remorse, lamenting, “Woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and cover my brother’s body?” This article explores the intelligent crows mentioned in the Quran and their unique role in human history.
I believe it’s an injustice that crows, often portrayed as symbols of evil in cinema and literature, have not been given the credit they deserve. These intelligent birds possess incredible problem-solving abilities, teamwork skills, strategic planning, analytical thinking, resource management, and impressive memories. Unfortunately, these attributes often remain obscured beneath the negative stereotypes associated with crows. Years ago, a New Caledonian crow was observed bending a wire into a hook to extract food from a tube. Since then, research on crow intelligence has led scientists to assert that crows possess intellect equivalent to that of a seven-year-old child. But what can crows do with this remarkable intelligence? Let’s embark on a journey through nature with these fascinating birds that have accompanied humanity from the very beginning.
What Can Crows Do with Their Intelligence?
Crows use tools to obtain their food, whether it’s bending leaves to create hooks or using sticks to extract insects from tree crevices. They also demonstrate an understanding of abstract concepts like causality, displacement, and gravity. We’ve all seen crows drop walnuts from a height to crack them open. Crows are even known to drop nuts onto roadways and wait for passing cars to crack the shells. They’ve adapted brilliantly to their environments. The crow’s memory is exceptional; they can remember faces, places, and even specific objects. A crow that loses its life on a migratory path will not use that route again, and it can pass this knowledge down through generations. This demonstrates their strong social bonds and the ability to cooperate in the face of danger. Crows can even exhibit self-control.
In a study on crow intelligence, they were offered the choice to wait for a better reward or take a less preferred one immediately. Astonishingly, crows preferred waiting for a better option, showing patience in anticipation of a more significant reward.
Crow Achievements in Test Setups
In one experiment, researchers set up a test system to assess the crows’ ability to make plans in the moment. In this task, a crow had to obtain food by using a stick to extract a stone from a tube and then use the stone to access another piece of food in a separate compartment. The challenge was that these compartments were separated by wooden barriers. The crow had not seen the entire setup before. Yet, Saturn, the crow in the experiment, solved this three-step task without a single mistake in a single attempt.
In another experiment, a crow named 007 was confronted with an eight-step apparatus consisting of objects lined up in a particular sequence. Although 007 had encountered each object individually before, seeing them arranged in this sequence was entirely new. To succeed, the crow had to complete each of the eight steps in the correct order without any omissions. The result? Success.
The research into crow intelligence highlights the remarkable capacities of these fellow creatures who share the Earth with us humans. In the Quran, the mention of crows teaching humanity the process of burial offers a significant insight. Depicting them as instructors of wisdom to humans when our eyes turn away from the self-centeredness of our egos, this serves as a testament to the vast knowledge and wisdom that awaits those who study the world of creation. The fact that even a creature associated with negative connotations can teach humanity a lesson underscores the profound and multifaceted teachings present in the natural world.
To read the original article in Turkish: https://www.bidunyahaber.org/kuranda-adi-gecen-karizmatik-kargalar/
