In this article, we offer you some kind of simplified miraculous information in astronomy and how the Holy Qur’an reached this science from long time ….
Allah (be He blessed and exalted) says: “Behold all that is in the heavens and the earth,” but neither Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) nor warners benefit those who believe not.” [Yunus: 101].
Everyone likes to ask: How did this universe emerge? And how did it begin? And where is it going to? Human mind was engaged, since ancient times, with these questions. It was not until modern days that scientists were able to discover secrets of planets, stars and galaxies. We even find thousands of scientists, in their observatory, monitoring the movement of the stars, analyzing their light and giving their own visions about the origin of stars, composition and movement.
In the last past years, researchers began to notice something strange, the driving away of these galaxies from us at high speeds! All parts of this universe is driving away to an unknown fate! This has been proved by the modern measurement instruments in the twentieth century.
So the stable fact today in all scientific researches about the universe is: (expansion of the universe) and any one who denies this expansion is like denying the sphericity of earth! This fact about the expansion of the universe, took thousands of scientific researches and thousands of researchers and scientists, who has worked actively throughout the twentieth century to the present day to prove this cosmic truth.
Now we come to the book of Allah (be He blessed and exalted): the book of wonders and secrets, what does the divine expression tell us about this truth? Allah Almighty says about the construction of the sky and expansion: “With power did we construct the heaven. Verily, we are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof.”[Al Zariyat: 47].
Not only there is a match between what modern science has reached and the koranic text, but also the Qur’an is superior in this side, as it is the book of Allah (be He blessed and exalted).
Let’s look at the word (We construct) which shows that the sky was constructed, or built and this what the latest research has revealed that the universe is a cohesive and coherent, with no deficit and no emptiness, as it was believed, in the past. It is a whole solid building. Look at the words (We are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof) which imply the meaning of continuity, the universe was expanded in the past, and today it is still expanding, and will continue to expand in the future until the moment of shrinkage! And return to where the universe began.
One of the features of Qur’an is that its interpretation accommodates to all ages. In the past, before the discovery of the real expansion of the universe, some Muslim scholars interpreted this verse, (We are Able to extend) in particular, it means that the sky is very large. This explanation is true as astronomers are telling us today about the imaginary numbers of the vastness of this universe!
For example, the very far away galaxies are far more than twenty thousand million light- years from us! A light-year is the distance that light needs to a full year to cut!
And so, the astronomical miracles of book of Allah are shown, you will find the verse appropriate for every time and place for each era of history.
While you don’t find this in modern science, as you can find the scientific theory today in a form, after a year, someone develops it and then after a period of time, someone criticizes the theory and modifies it…and so on.
Let’s look at this koranic expression, which is an invitation to reflect on the construction of the sky and stars which decorate it:(Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it) [Qaaf: 6].But what about the beginning of the universe and how it emerged and whether the Qur’an talk about it or not?
After what the scientists have studied about the expansion of the universe, the return journey to the past began, how was the shape of this universe in the past? Because parts of this universe are driving away continually, this implies that they must be close to each other in the past. So when we reverse the image of this expansion, we find out that the parts of the universe were a single grouped block!
This was the beginning of the new theory which explains the emergence of the universe, but it needs scientific researches and digital proofs. Experiments, at space laboratories, to prove the theory were very difficult and strenuous. You could find the scientist spending his life searching for scientific evidence, and may not find that evidence!!
At the end, one of the researchers managed to develop an acceptable theory about the secret of the beginning of the universe and called it “the great explosion”. In a summary, parts of the universe were clustered in one very high dense cluster, then it exploded and the parts scattered and today we are living in this explosion!
So the explosion happened thousands years ago according to scientist’s estimations and it is continuing. Galaxies are driving away in very high speeds. Here we see the superiority of Quran over modern science, always and forever. Modern science tries to discover some universe secrets, but Allah Almighty, creator of universe, tells us the accurate facts.
The Qur’an direct its talk to non- believers: (Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, and then we parted them? And we have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe) [Al Anbiya: 30].
Allah (be He blessed and exalted) knows that the discovery of this fact will be on the hands of non- believers. So that, the verse start with the words (Have not those who disbelieve known) but where is the superiority of the Qur’an over science?
The Qur’an describes and calls the emergence of the universe with the words (were joined together) that shows accuracy and discipline, which means placing one part on another to become one part. Parts of the universe were superimposed on each other with high density, indeed! No place for the emptiness, that’s why the word (joined together) is the most appropriate word to describe the beginning of the universe in terms of language and science .This means that parts of the universe were welded with each other forming a very, very heavy homogeneous material.
Science calls the moment of separation of these parts “the explosion” which is wrong! The explosion can’t be organized at all, while the separation of the parts and driving away from each other is done in a very accurate organized system. We even find if a star deviates from its path, this will lead to the collapse of the cosmic structure. Is this an explosion or a system? Therefore, we find the Qur’an calls this process (to part) as it is in the verse (We parted them). We know that this word implies accuracy and discipline; the initial mass in the universe was organized, not random, as described by scientists.
We have to mention that astronomers today talk about the texture structure of the universe; look at the opposite words(joined together-to part),don’t they suggest the texture of this universe structure ,the question about the beginning of the universe leads to the question about the end of this universe, where it is expanding to, what is after that?
Scientists made considerable efforts to learn the future secrets of universe. This theory almost mounts to the level of a scientific fact, which is the inevitable end of the universe. It was declared by many scientists. The expansion of the universe will not last forever! But it has limits and this is logical and scientific.
If we look at the universe structure, we find that the parts have a specific size and weight, and a specific attraction force between these parts. Galaxies, which are thousands millions in total, are interrelated with each other by gravity forces. When these galaxies drive away from each other to a specific distance, this gravity forces will have critical limits and will not allow spans and expansion, in the contrary, parts of the universe will shrink on each other and go back to where started.
Of course, these theories are supported by the numbers and digital results; universe dimensions, size, amount of universe attraction force were measured. The weight and density of its parts were also measured and so on…
Now we come to the greatest book of all, the book of Allah, the creator of the universe, what does the divine expression says about the future of the universe? Allah (be He blessed and exalted) says: (And (remember) the Day when we shall roll up the heaven like a scroll rolled up for books. As we began the first creation, we shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon us. Truly, we shall do it).
[Al Anbiya: 104].
What a wonderful words of Allah, when He speaks righteous! Allah Almighty tells us that He will roll up the sky as the page of a book is rolled up. It is strange that the latest scientific theories emphasize that there are no straight lines in the universe, but it is curved! Look at the word (roll up) isn’t it better than the word (shrink) as scientists say?
The term (roll up) gives the meaning of curve, so, the sky has a curved closed form, even some scientists tend to call it the sky page. So the entire universe is like the paper and Allah Almighty will roll up this paper in the Day of Resurrection and the creation will return to back as it start . Allah (be He blessed and exalted) says: (And He it is who originates the creation, then He will repeat it (after it has been perished); and this is easier for Him. His is the highest description (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but He, and there is nothing comparable unto Him) in the heavens and in the earth. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise). [Al Rum: 27].
Fourteen centuries ago, astronomy was filled with superstitious and legends, but modern era is distinguished by scientific and cosmic discoveries supported by digital researches which prove the validity of these results. Many astronomers had discovered the existence of a planet using numbers because the law of universe attraction force which regulates the movement of parts of the universe is a clear specific law.
Recently, astronomers began to notice that there are some objects in the universe that cannot be seen! These objects are scattered throughout the vast universe in large quantities and they affect the movement of light that comes to us from galaxies. Hypothesis began and the journey of scientific imagination about these huge objects started. Scientists started to visualize the life journey of stars, as stars are not fixed or static objects. They are changeable and develops and it has period of birth, then it grows and dies!!
When the star gets bigger in size, its attraction becomes great to an extent it compresses on its self and explodes, but its parts are not allowed to leave, they shrink on each other and the attraction force increases so that it does not allow light to leave. This star begins to disappear and light rays are attracted to it strongly and not allowed to escape at all, the star attracts and sucks all it comes in the way, therefore we never see it!
These disappearing objects are called by scientists “black holes”. They are stars of a great weight and attraction, cannot be seen so they are murky. Scientists became interested in these black holes; they conducted attempts to monitor them to know its characteristics and destiny. As we know, everything floats in the universe, so these black holes are running rapidly in specific orbits.
According to modern scientific discoveries, these holes have been defined as: strongly disappearing objects, running in high speeds, attracting everything that comes in its way. These are the three main qualities of the black hole, according to data of modern science, what does the book of Allah, says about stars before (1400) year?
These black holes have not been monitored and detected with scientific proof, only in the late twentieth century, the divine expression talked about it accurately, in a way which is superior than modern science. Allah Almighty swears that the Qur’an is righteous: (So verily, I swear by the planets that recede *and by the planets that move swiftly and hide themselves (sweeper)). [Al Takweer: 15-16].
(Planets that recede): cannot be seen as they disappear so strongly.
(Planets that move swiftly): it runs in high speed.
(Hide themselves (sweeper)): it can hide, sucks and sweeps whatever gets in the way.
Doesn’t this match with the accurate scientific definition? But how is the Qur’an superior to modern science? Astronomers have named these objects black holes which is wrong according to the scientific point of view.
The word (hole) means emptiness and this is not true because these objects are of a very great weight and the name (hole) does not apply to them! Even the name black is scientifically not true because these objects exist and as they don’t have color, they don’t not allow light to leave and can not be seen, so how can we call them (black)?.
So these high speed disappearing and great attraction objects are not holes and not black. They are high disappearing objects (planets that recede).
The divine expression calls these objects (planets that recede) is very true and match with reality, and when it described by the Qur’an as (planets that move swiftly) they are actually moving at high speed. When also described by Qur’an (planets that hide themselves (sweeper)) which means sweep any objects that gets on their way, they are already doing this.
Can any sensible person believe that this accurate scientific description of “black holes” that were not revealed until the end of the twentieth century, was mentioned in the Qur’an by chance? This exact description cannot be made by humans; it is really from Allah Almighty, Lord of mankind.
Man has been able, finally to land on the moon and reach the planet Mars and could move the spacecraft to reach all the plants of the solar system and even go beyond this group. Engineers develop the required designs for those crafts and we find that all crafts will move in bending and twisting paths, through specific access in the atmosphere. Due to the fact that the space craft will be subject to gravity fields, therefore, there are specific ways and bending paths.
This scientific fact was disclosed only in the twentieth century, pointing out that straight movement in outer space is impossible, moreover, all objects move in a rotational wavy movement. The Holy Qur’an talks about this movement and the specific path s and specific points to go out of earth toward the sky. The Almighty God says:” (And even if we opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to keep on ascending thereto (all the day long))” [Al Hajr: 14].
Look at the word (a gate) which refers to a specific point of exit outside the atmosphere and look at the word (ascending) Allah Almighty, didn’t say moving because He knows the movement cannot be anything else than ascending (in a zigzag way.). However, astronomers discover complete darkness immediately as they leave the atmosphere and that the sun appears in space as an ordinary star which is far away. Therefore, the astronaut feels as if his sight had closed and dazzled, and this is what Qur’an tell us in the following verse, Allah (be He blessed and exalted) says: (They would surely say “Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled (we have not seen any angel or heaven). Nay, we are a people bewitched.”) [Al Hajr: 15].
So there are specific paths in sky in which objects moving through in a bending movement and floating in complete darkness .That is what Allah’s verses tell us about facts which recently has been discovered by science. Here we remember that Allah’s swearing with these paths in the sky, which He calls it (tightened sky) as God says: (by the tightened sky,) [Al Zariyat:7].
There is a scientific miracle in this verse; the word (tightened) refers to the texture. The latest theories that explain the emergence and evolution of the universe, stress on the fact of the texture structure of the universe. Galaxies are distributed systemically rather than randomly, as if we are in front of a great texture of stars, galaxies and cosmic dust and other things that no one knows except Allah. Therefore, Allah swears with this sky and its texture structure. Who told the prophet (peace be upon him) about the structure of the universe?
Since the dawn of history, myths were built about the sun and the moon, and a lot of people (influenced by the devil) worshiped the two objects. At that time, man did not understand what is the sun or the moon, what is the difference between them. All he recognized is that the sun rises at daytime and goes down, then the moon appears and goes down, proceeds by the sun, and so on.
Spectroscopy analysis devices were invented in modern times to analyze spectra of the stars and show its structure. These devices showed that the sun is a burning mass with interacting atoms in a nuclear interaction to combine and give huge amounts of energy and heat.
Whereas, the moon like earth is a cold object, receiving the sun’s burning rays and reflects it to earth again. The sun is the source of brightness, which is a scientific fact, while the moon does not shine, but it reflects the light. So, we can say that the sun is the source of light and the moon is the reflector of that light.
Here we find expression, miracles and detail from Qur’an. Allah (be He blessed and exalted) says:(It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon as a light and measured out for it stages that you might know the number of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create this but in truth. He explains the Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail for people who have knowledge.) [Yunis 5].
Is there a better visualization of scientific facts than this divine expression? In another verse, Allah confirms that the sun is the bright lamp to indicate combustion, as we know; the lamp is the container where you put oil as fuel to burn by chemical reaction producing energy of light.
This is the method used by human until the early twentieth century when people began using the light bulb. So what happens inside the lamb is combustion process and the fuel inside the lamb is the oil that interacts with oxygen in the air to give light and heat. This is what also happens in the sun. If we entered the center of the sun, we find a nuclear- combustion process, fuel here is hydrogen, which reacts with each other to produce light and heat. Look at Allah’s expression: (And has made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp) [Noah: 16]. Notice how the Qur’an differentiates between the work of the Moon (a light), and the work of the sun (a lamp).
his accuracy in the koranic scientific terms didn’t come by chance, but by the power of Allah Almighty.
God says: (Blessed be He Who has placed in the heaven big stars, and has placed therein a great lamp (sun), and a moon giving light.)[Al-Furqân 61].
Human has benefited from the characteristics that Allah Almighty Has placed in the universes. Maybe the most significant one, of the twenty-first century, in which we live today, is the so-called digital communications which witness great development every day .The question here is: How is the transfer of information on the surface of the globe is done to cover all the parts? It is a distinguished characteristic of the atmosphere, that is to reflect and bounce back the electromagnetic waves, and this is what allows communication and transmission between the continents of this planet without exception.
There are electrically ionized (electrified) layers in the atmosphere that has an advantage of reflecting and bouncing the radio wave when it is sent, just as the light ray reflex and bounces when it strikes a mirror. These layers would act as mirrors for these waves.
As we know from the laws of refraction, the wave coming to a reflector surfaces, falls back in the same angle but in a different direction. This feature made moving messages from one continent to another possible by the reflection of these waves. Above theses layers are magnetic layers surrounding earth from all sides. Their function is to reflect and bounce the deadly cosmic rays coming from space toward Earth, so they reflect it and the rays are scattered in spaces.
The closest atmosphere layer to earth has very important characteristics, it reflects earth temperature and don’t leave it to be scattered in space which keeps a constant rate of temperature on earth. So one characteristic of the sky is to bounce or reflect waves of different kinds. This feature has been discovered recently. Everyday, science discovers something new which is related to this feature, the reflection feature, named by the Qur’an by the word (which returns). Surprisingly, we find a great verse in the Qur’an about this feature and described it as a distinguished sky feature, Allah Almighty says: (By the Firmament which returns) [Al tarik: 11].
Again, we repeat our traditional question in this research: from where did this cosmic truth come in a book sent down from more than fourteen centuries? Allah, the creator of the sky, knows about its features, told us about these features to make it a proof for us that every word in the Qur’an is really from Allah (be He blessed and exalted).
The importance of the Earth’s atmosphere for life on this planet is no secret to any one. The more science develops, the more we find out about the features and benefits of this wonderful atmosphere which without it, life would not appear on Earth.
Atmosphere extends several hundred of kilometers above the Earth’s surface, and its thickness is very low compared to the size of the Earth with a diameter of more than twelve thousand kilometers. What scientists have discovered about the blue cover?
The latest thing, decided and described by scientists about this atmosphere is that it is like a roof, protecting us, in the middle of this dark, cold universe. One of the most important characteristics of atmosphere is that it saves living organisms on earth, with oxygen which is necessary to sustain life. Atmosphere also keeps and stores the coming heat from the sun and maintains moderate and suitable temperature for life. Without this feature, earth planet would be like the moon, one side with temperature more than a hundred degrees, and on the other side less than a hundred degrees below zero.
Millions of meteorites fall into earth everyday but it deterred by the atmosphere and they are burnt because of friction, before reaching earth but only few of them don’t burn and reach earth. Moreover, this wonderful roof deters all harmful rays which, if it reach the earth’s surface it would burn everything on it. Most dangerous of all, is the ultraviolet radiation. Only the necessary part for life continuity of this radiation reaches us. Earth has a strong magnetic belt for more than two thousand kilometers above the surface; this belt protects the earth from many of the elementary particles floating in space.
After all these facts, which confirm that the sky protect us from many damages, isn’t the sky which is the roof that carefully kept by Allah to protect us and keep our lives? This description excites in the Book of Allah from fourteen centuries ago, Allah says: (And we have made the heaven a roof, safe and well guarded. Yet they turn away from its signs (i.e. sun, moon, winds, clouds, etc.). [Al-Anbiyâ’: 32].
Let’s consider this scientific expression: (a roof, safe and well guarded). How did this accurate expression come in the book which was in an era when there were only myths but no science? At that time no one knew of the Earth’s atmosphere. Who told the Prophet (peace be upon him) about that safe ceiling?
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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel
References:
1- Robinson, M.R. Our Universe (Scientific American, 1993).
2- Lederman, Leon, and Schramm, David. From Quarks to the Cosmos (Scientific American, 1999).
