Op-Ed: How Cells Mirror our Spiritual Struggles

Nature, in its complexity, offers us countless lessons that can inspire and inform our approach to life. In her article Dr. Vanessa Debora Gardea Vega MD, Specialist in Cardiology, draws a powerful analogy between biological processes in our cells and spiritual or moral principles governing human life. 

Introduction: The Body as an Orchestra of Divine Design

The human body operates according to principles of order, purpose, and cooperation. Every cell is genetically programmed to perform specific functions essential to maintaining the whole organism's health and balance. DNA, the molecule containing this information, acts as a master code, precisely controlling the identity and behavior of each cell (Alberts et al., 2015).

When a cell loses its ability to obey this code and deviates from its genetic programming, it becomes deregulated. This phenomenon underlies cancer, a condition described as a "genomic disease" (Vogelstein & Kinzler, 2002). Modern biology reveals the elegance of cellular cooperation—a mirror, perhaps, of the moral and spiritual unity to which humanity is called.

Just as each cell fulfills a unique function for the health of the body, humans have a unique role to play within their community. When we forget the whole, we risk forgetting the Creator—the Master Blueprint, the Divine DNA—that unites and sustains us in a greater purpose: maintaining the integrity and balance of the body.

DNA sustains the physical order of our bodies, similarly the Creator provides a spiritual code of harmony to guide our collective existence. Neglecting this sacred pattern leads to disconnection— biological, social, and spiritual.

Cells and Society: Individual Functions for a Greater Good

Cells are the fundamental units of life, each with a vital function:

Muscle cells: enable movement.

Nerve cells: transmit electrical signals.

Epithelial cells: protect and cover surfaces.

Blood cells: transport oxygen and defend against infection.

Just as different cell types serve unique roles, each person plays a unique role in their community. In this way, each human being is like a cell with a distinct function. Though not identical, all contribute to the health of the whole when aligned with the original purpose or design. Forgetting our collective purpose and the Creator disconnects us from the "Master DNA" that binds us to the whole.

All sacred scriptures teach the same principles, conveyed through different prophets and languages: faithfulness, humility, discipline, and service, which guide human conduct, comparable to the genetic code that guides cells to perform their function. The ideal spiritual community does not require uniformity but unity of purpose, mutual respect, and love. As the body thrives when its cells are in harmony, the soul flourishes when united with others in the pursuit of good.

The master code of this spiritual body is the Book of God —the revealed scriptures— symbolically represented by DNA and interpreted by those capable of unveiling its deep meaning.

Medicine increasingly focuses on DNA-level alterations, providing further insights. For instance, small genetic variations can influence disease resistance, such as how some individuals exposed to HIV remain healthy owing to distinct genetic differences. The presence or absence of certain alleles (like HLA-B35 and Cw04) in some individuals provides natural resistance to HIV. Even after exposure, they never contract the virus. This illustrates how small genetic differences can dictate outcomes. 

Just as in medicine these tiny changes in the genetic code can mean the difference between health and disease, on the spiritual plane small acts of alignment or deviation from the original design can lead us towards harmony or chaos. In this context, deviation from the perfect code in the cell can provide insights into both physical and spiritual disease.

The Origin of Aging and Death

Cellular aging is tied to DNA replication errors, particularly in telomeres (the ends of chromosomes). Telomere shortening with each cell division causes aging, as these errors accumulate and, over time, lead to cell dysfunction and death. 

This physical reality parallels spiritual life: gradual loss of divine order can lead to spiritual death. Just as cellular damage accumulates with each division leading to dysfunction, so too does spiritual disobedience accumulate, fracturing inner harmony.

Disease and Sin: Breaking the Order

In biology, intense or persistent stress can cause damage, death, or pathological transformations. This prolonged stress not only physically damages cells but can also break harmony. In spiritual life, it leads to sin and separation from the divine will. Only when the body—and the people of God—return to harmony can true healing begin.

The solution to cellular betrayal is not punishment, though sometimes it may be beyond the point of repair. The goal is restoration: the reprogramming of spiritual DNA. This reprogramming involves renewing faith, willpower, and commitment to the divine design, which includes accepting the living messenger of God in each era, restoring the lost connection with the Creator. Sacred books consistently emphasize faithfulness, humility, discipline, and service to God, teachings transmitted by His messengers and envoys. For this reason, it is important to follow the living messenger of each era.

Each soul, like a cell, has a unique role and when it is aligned with the divine design, unity and purpose flourish. When exposed to mild or temporary influences that are foreign to this perfect purpose, cells adapt to preserve physical life. In the same way, souls must learn to adapt in order to preserve spiritual life.

We observe that changes in divine law, much like cellular adaptation, occur gradually over time. If the human body can adapt and evolve, consider the profound transformations God enacts through His messengers—metaphorically serving as the DNA that sustains spiritual life.

Examples of physiological adaptations and their spiritual parallels include:

Hypertrophy: increase in cell size, like strengthening faith through consistent practice (e.g., skeletal muscle growth through exercise; cardiac hypertrophy in hypertension).

Hyperplasia: increase in cell number, like the multiplication of good through community service (e.g., endometrial changes during the menstrual cycle or liver regeneration).

Atrophy: reduction in cell size and function, like spiritual loss caused by inactivity or withdrawal (e.g., muscle loss from immobilization or aging).

Metaplasia: reversible transformation of cell type to better withstand stress, like the necessary transformation to face and overcome adversity (e.g., foveolar metaplasia occurs when cells in the digestive system change to resemble foveolar cells to protect against damage).

In both biology and spirituality, survival and flourishing depend on alignment with the original design. Cells that adapt effectively under stress preserve life. Souls that align with divine guidance preserve harmony. When this alignment is lost, whether in the body or in the spiritual community, disorder and decline follow. Just as physiological adaptations can restore balance to the body, spiritual renewal through faith, discipline, and following God’s living messenger can restore balance to the soul. In this lies the truest form of healing.

Comparing Biological and Divine DNA

DNA not only governs biological life but metaphorically represents the sacred script God writes into every cell, much like Scripture inscribed within the heart. When obeyed, the body thrives, while disobedience causes suffering.

Just as divine messages fade over time and must be renewed by God sending successive messengers throughout history to restore what was lost. Each one, like a strand of DNA, preserved unity and divine purpose. Aba al-Sadiq shines as a faithful interpreter of divine design, a model of spiritual coherence and perfect obedience.

Rebellion against  God rarely begins dramatically—it often starts with small compromises, tolerated transgressions, or toxic influences—materialistic, emotional, or spiritual—that corrupt the soul from within.

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)

The Qur’an echoes this through verses of healing:

"We send down in the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy to those who believe." (Qur’an 17:82)

"And when I am ill, it is He who cures me." (Qur’an 26:80)

"Say, ‘It is, for those who believe, a guidance and a healing.’" (Qur’an 41:44)

DNA carries the instructions to preserve life. In this analogy, God’s message is the genetic code that sustains the whole. Like the childhood game of whispers, the original message becomes distorted with each repetition. So it is with cells: with each cell division, clarity diminishes. 

Likewise, divine messages fade over time. But every time the message weakens, God restores it through another messenger. Just like adaptive mechanisms in biology, revelations evolve with humanity’s understanding.

Cancer as a Consequence of Deviation: Biological and Spiritual Dimensions

Cancer arises when a cell damages its DNA and ceases to follow its original design. It no longer cooperates—it grows uncontrollably, invades surrounding tissues, harming the whole organism. It becomes disconnected from the common good, acting outside its intended purpose.

Why do some people get cancer while others don’t?

Multiple factors play a role:

Genetics (e.g., BRCA1 mutations in breast cancer)

Environment (e.g., exposure to carcinogens like tobacco smoke)

Lifestyle (diet, alcohol, stress, infections)

Age (due to accumulated damage)

There are also protective and risk-enhancing genes:

Oncogenes: (e.g., RAS, MYC): cause uncontrolled division if abnormally activated.

Tumor suppressor genes: (e.g., TP53, BRCA1): if damaged, cannot halt division.

DNA repair genes: if faulty, mutations accumulate.

Multiple factors contribute to cancer including genetics (e.g., mutations in BRCA1), environment (carcinogens like tobacco), lifestyle choices (diet, alcohol consumption), and aging (accumulated damage). Similarly, spiritual well-being depends on avoiding toxic beliefs or behaviors, and embracing guidance rather than blind tradition.

We inherit more than biology—we inherit behaviors and beliefs. But these too can be evaluated. The Qur’an criticizes blind tradition:

“They said, ‘We worship idols...’ Abraham said, ‘Do they hear you...? Do they benefit or harm you?’ They said, ‘No, but this is what our fathers used to worship.’” (Qur’an 26:70–74)

“When told, ‘Follow what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘We follow what we found our fathers doing.’” (Qur’an 31:20–21)

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me...” (Matthew 10:37)

Spiritual well-being and physical health are closely related:

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30)

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:28)

“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” (Proverbs 17:14)

Breaching the divine order has physical consequences, as seen in stress-related cardiomyopathy (Takotsubo Syndrome), where intense or chronic stress can lead to physical consequences, symbolizing the body’s response to disorder.

Importantly, just as medicine seeks to restore cellular order through treatment and intervention, spiritual healing calls for restoring harmony with divine will. Community support, faith, and guidance are vital for both physical recovery and spiritual renewal.

Conclusion: Restoring the Order

Cellular behaviors provide powerful metaphors for understanding spiritual realities and human purpose. DNA governs biological life, but it also reflects the divine code written into every soul. Obedience to this code fosters health and harmony. Rebellion leads to disease and chaos.

Understanding cancer as a form of cellular dysfunction leads us to reflect on purpose, limits, and restoration. Both cells and humans were created to serve a greater whole.

“I am the Lord, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)

Following the living divine messenger, Aba al-Sadiq, exemplifies divine obedience and spiritual clarity. He has explained, from cell to soul, the structure and purpose of human life. In this time, he is the Qa’im, the one appointed by God to guide humanity back to divine order.

As physical toxins are avoided to maintain bodily health, spiritual toxins—such as sin, ego, and disobedience—must be avoided to preserve divine harmony.

To restore what is broken, we must follow the one who holds the map to wholeness. Recognizing and following the Qa’im of our time is not optional—it is essential. For only through his guidance can the spiritual DNA be reactivated, and the soul realigned with its Creator.

May God grant us a sound body and a purified soul—and the clarity to recognize His Messenger when he calls.

References

Alberts, B. et al. (2015). Molecular Biology of the Cell (6th ed.). Garland Science.

Hanahan, D., & Weinberg, R. A. (2011). Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. Cell, 144(5), 646–674.

IARC Working Group. (2012). A review of human carcinogens: Radiation. International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer. (2002). Breast cancer and breastfeeding. The Lancet, 360(9328), 187–195.

Schuppan, D., & Afdhal, N. H. (2008). Liver cirrhosis. The Lancet, 371(9615), 838–851.

Vogelstein, B., & Kinzler, K. W. (2002). The Genetic Basis of Human Cancer (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.