Everything we perceive with our five senses is the interpretation of electric signals in our brains

Although some people may realize that images consist of
electricsignals in the brain, theymay also form the impression that
the other senses, touch for instance, are different. They may think
that when they touch or smell something they aremaking direct contact
with real matter. Again, however, they are actually perceiving nothing
more than electric signals in the brain.
When we touch something with our hands, we are not really touching
that object at all. A chemical bond is formed between atoms in a
constant state of motion. But these atoms never actually "touch" one
another. In physical terms, therefore, we have never touched anything
we think we have. As a result of this illusory sense of touch, the
atoms in our hands vibrate and initiate an electrical current. That
current then moves towards the touch center in our brains. It is then
"interpreted" whenit arrives. And this is a great miracle. In the same
way that the visualcenter interprets an incoming current as a yellow
rose, the touch center interprets the signals reaching it as soft, hot
or rough. Similar signals head from our mouths to the taste region in
the brain and form a sensation of flavor, sweetness or sourness. The
signals from the nose reaching the scent detection center in the brain
and set up a perception in the brain regarding the aroma of the object
in question. Sound from the ears reaches the brain in the form of
other electric signals, and we then in some way are convinced that the
person calling our names is our mother. Weenjoy the tunes set up
byelectrical signals forwarded to the brain from the ear, and have no
doubt that the ringtone is actually coming from the phone.
All this is an extraordinary miracle created by Allah.
But the sound we hear does not actually belong to the phone, and
neither doesthe sound of music comefrom our stereos. We experience the
sound of a telephone, the originalof which we can never see, the
original of which we can never hear unless Allah so wills.What we see
is not the yellow flower on the outside. That flower, its image, its
perfume and all its beauty, consists of electric signals reaching our
brains. And we have no evidence whether the image of this flower is
the same as the real flower on the outside. Peter Russell explains
this as follows:
If all that we ever know are the sensory images that appear in our
minds, how can we be sure there is a physical realitybehind our
perceptions?Is it not just an assumption? My answer is: Yes, it is an
assumption; nevertheless, it seems a most plausible one. [i]
There is no doubt that it is impossible for us to know whether the
images, sounds, smells and tastes that form in our brains actually
exist on the outside. On the basis of this, we can be sure of only one
thing; there is a world created especially for us in our brains. And
we can never know whether other people see this world in the same way
we do. We can only see the images, hear the sounds and taste the
flavors of a world created especially for us.We can have no direct
experience of anything else.
That being the case, we need to ask the following question: can
electric signals alone give rise to such a harmonious world?
Of course, not. Itis Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Who creates the
world for us in all its reality, clarity and beauty. Allah bestows
onus a soul from His own spirit. It is the soul created by Allah that
perceives, enjoys and rejoices, and the electric signals are merely an
instrument.
[i] Peter Russell, From Science toGod "A Physicist's Journey into the
Mystery of Consciousness", New World Library, 2002, p. 47