İKİNCİ FEN · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL · Birinci Madde
**Article One: Concerning the Bones of the Body**
Briefly describing the bones of the body.
Know, esteemed one, that anatomists have stated: Certain bones, such as the vertebrae (fikar-i sulb), are of great importance in the body, just as the foundation is important in a building. For the vertebral column forms the foundations of the body. All limbs are built upon it and rely on it. Just as all parts of a ship are placed upon and supported by its central mast, so too are all organs of the body placed upon and supported by the vertebral column. Some bones serve as protective shields within the body, like the fontanelle on the head of a newborn infant. Some bones deflect dangers, as in the bones resembling (şevk).
The vertebrae (upon which) these protections reside. Others act as shields that dispel danger, such as the sesamoid (izâm-i simsimâniyye) bones found between finger joints. Some bones fill the spaces between joints. Certain bones are attached to bodies requiring support, like those connected to the muscles of the tongue and larynx (lam). All bones are the supports, pillars, protectors, and guardians of the body. They are solid bodies with a hollow interior containing marrow, which is their nourishment. The greatest benefit of this hollowness is lightness. The singularity of the void ensures that the solid body remains in its proper state. Solidity prevents breakage during forceful movements. The benefit of the marrow within—as previously mentioned—is that it serves as food for the bone and constantly provides moisture to it. Thus, a hollow bone does not loosen or shatter when moved. Where a bone must be more durable, the cavity (channel) is constricted, as in the bones of the lower leg, which bear heavy loads. Where lightness is required, the cavity widens, as in the nasal bones. These are created so that air and scents can reach them for nourishment, and also so that excesses descending from the brain may exit through them. All the bones of the body have been created close to and joined with one another. The small spaces between them are filled with cartilage ligaments (kıkırdak bağları), which are created for the benefit of the cartilaginous joints. Where this benefit is not required, two bones are created separate from each other without a connecting ligament, as in the mandible.
It is known that the proximity of bones varies. Sometimes it is the closeness of an easily movable joint, where one bone moves while another remains still; the elbow and wrist joints exemplify this. Other times it is the closeness of a difficult-to-move joint, where moving one bone without the other is arduous and limited; the tarsal joints are examples of this. Sometimes it is the closeness of a coordinated joint, where the movement of two bones is linked; short bone joints illustrate this. Sometimes it is the closeness of a saw-like joint, where the excess of one bone enters the notch of another (and they) do not move; like how the roots of teeth fit into the jawbone, with no alteration. Sometimes it is the closeness of a stitched joint, where both have sharp, saw-like edges that interlock like copper plates; as in the bones of the skull.
“We glorify and praise Allah, who has created [all things] in the most beautiful manner and given them form, who has created everything with wisdom in the most excellent way, and whose glory is exalted above all imperfections. His glory is supreme, and His power is limitless.”