The skeleton is an engineering marvel on its own. It is the structural support system of the body. It protects vital organs like brain, heart and lungs, and upholds the internal organs. It furnishes the human body with a superior capacity for movement that cannot be imitated by any artificial mechanism. Bone tissue is not inorganic as many people think. Bone tissue is the mineral bank of the body that includes many important minerals like calcium and phosphate. In accordance with the needs of the body, it either stores these minerals or delivers them to the body. Besides all these, bones also produce red blood cells.

In addition to the uniformly perfect functioning of the skeleton, the bones constituting it also have an exceptional structure. Having the tasks of bearing and protecting the body, bones are created with the capacity and strength to fulfil this function. The worst conditions possible are taken into consideration as well. For instance, the thighbone can carry a weight weighing a ton when perpendicular. Surprisingly, at each step we take, the bone carries a weight equivalent to three times our body weight. When an athlete pole-vaults and he lands on the ground, every square centimetre of his pelvis is exposed to a pressure of 1,400 kilograms. What makes this structure, which is formed by the division and replication of the single original cell, so strong? The answer to the question is hidden in the unequalled creation of bones.

An example from today's technology would be helpful to further clarify the subject. The scaffolding system is used in the construction of spacious and tall buildings. The support elements of the constructions made with this technique do not have a monolithic structure, but consist of many intersecting rods forming a scaffold. By the help of complex calculations that can only be made by computers, it could be possible to build stronger and more cost-effective bridges and industrial constructions.

The internal structure of bones is similar to that of the scaffold system used in the construction of those bridges and towers. The only important difference is that the system in bones is more complicated and superior to those designed by men. By means of this system, the bones are extremely strong and yet light enough for comfortable use by humans. If the opposite were the case, i.e., if the interior of the bones was hard and full like its exterior, it would be too heavy to be carried by a human and would easily break or crack at the slightest blow due to its rigid and hard structure.

The perfect design of our bones helps us lead our lives very simply, manage to perform even very difficult tasks easily without pain. Another feature of bone structure is its flexibility in certain parts of the body. Just as the rib-cage protects the vital organs of the body such as the heart and lungs, it also expands and contracts to let air move in and out of lungs.

The elasticity of bones may change over time. For instance, in women, the hipbones are extended towards the last months of pregnancy and move apart from each other. This is an extremely important detail, because during birth, this extension allows the baby's head to come out of the mother’s womb without being crushed.

The miraculous aspects of the bones are not limited to these. Besides their flexibility, durability and lightness, the bones also have an ability to repair themselves. When a bone is broken, one only has to keep this bone firm to allow it to repair itself. As is obvious, this, like all other processes in the body, is an extremely complex process in which millions of cells collaborate.

The locomotive capability of the skeleton is another important detail to consider. With each step we take, the vertebrae making up our backbone move over each other. This continuous movement and friction might normally cause the vertebrae to wear out. In order to prevent this, between each vertebra, resistant cartilages, called ‘disks’, are placed. These disks function as shock absorbers. At each step, a force is exerted by the ground on the body as a reaction to the body’s weight. This force does not do any harm to the body due to the shock absorbers of the backbone and its "force distributing" curved shape. If this flexibility and special structure that reduce the force of reaction did not exist, the released force would be transmitted directly to the skull and the top end of the spine would break into the brain by shattering the skull.

The traces of creation are also visible at the joint surfaces of the bones. The joints do not need to be lubricated although they move continuously for a lifetime. Biologists conducted research to find the reason: how is the friction in joints being eliminated?

Scientists saw that the event was solved by a system that can be regarded as an "absolute miracle of creation". Joint surfaces exposed to friction are covered with a thin, porous cartilage layer. Under this layer is a lubricant. Whenever the bone compresses the joint, this lubricant gushes out of the pores and makes the joint surface slide "as if on oil".

These all show that the human body is the outcome of perfect design, and it is a superior creation. This perfect design helps a human being to make very dissimilar movements with great swiftness and facility.

Just imagine if everything were not so perfect and the entire leg were formed of a single long bone. Then, walking would be a serious problem and we would have very clumsy and idle bodies. Even taking a seat would be difficult, and the leg bone would easily break because of being forced during such acts. However, the human skeleton has a structure that permits all kinds of body motions.

Allah created, and still creates, all the features of the skeleton. Allah invites man, whom He has created, to ponder this:

...Look at the bones -Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh... (Surat al-Baqara: 259)

Man must ponder this, appreciate the might of Allah, Who has created him, and be thankful to Him. If he does not do so, he will be in great loss. Allah, Who created the bones and clothed them with flesh, is able to do it again. This is stated in the verse: