With power did We construct heaven. Verily, We are expanding it.  (51 : 47)

This may contribute to the formulation of a judgment for the inquiring minds, probing whether the Quran is God’s revelation or not. We have, on the one hand, Muhammad in the desert, neither a philosopher nor a physicist, and, on the other hand, the assumptions of great thinkers and philosophers such as Aristotle, Ptolemy,Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton, to name but a few. The greatest minds in history, basing their arguments on observations and formulas they had ingeniously devised, claimed either that the universe had its confines or that it was an endless space, but it occurred to none of them to think of a dynamic expanding universe, until the 20th century when Edwin Hubble, by means of a telescope, demonstrated that the universe was expanding. The theory of expansion of the universe was first advanced in the 1920s. Until the descent of the Quran no other source had made such an assertion!

MUHAMMAD’S TELESCOPE

Unbelievers contended that the Quran was Muhammad’s own fabrication and not the revelation of God. How then would these dissenters explain the fact that Muhammad had been the only person who was aware of the expanding universe long before the 1920s.

Could it be that in the 600s he had invented a telescope similar to the one contrived in the 1900s? Could it be that he had been familiar with the handling of such a telescope and acquainted with the motion of stars and that he had concealed it from his fellow men? If those who accused the Prophet of lunacy and alleged that in his delusional states he imagined himself the messenger of God were justified in their claims, how would they account for the fact that he knew facts not known to his contemporaries, facts that were to be discovered 1300 years after his revelation of them? If those people assert that the Prophet had devised a religion to serve his own ends, how can they explain that his so-called delusions materialized after a lapse of 1300 years? His pronouncements at the time did not promote his interests in any way; quite the reverse was the case, since he unwittingly gave his enemies a hint they might take advantage of. Can a person whose own interests prevail over the interests of others declare something not to his own advantage that was sure to be bitterly censured and much derided by those whose naked eyes failed to observe the expansion of the universe? If, despite this, a person came up with the contention that Muhammad was an intelligent man who might have perceived this truth, what sort of an intelligence might this have been?

And, instead of boasting of having been the depository of such knowledge, why would he have preferred to tell an untruth and claim that this was not his own discovery but the revelation by God? While the inventor or discoverer of a pin is inclined to brag about his breakthrough, why on earth would Muhammad choose to be modest and categorically declare that the Quran was not his own production, but the revelation of God? Was this due to humility? Would these people – who had denied his prophethood and accused him of having been an impostor – have dared qualify him with the laudable attribute of “humility?”

DISCOVERY OF THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE

There was a gap in Newton’s physics. Newton believed in an endlessly vast and static universe. His law of gravity encountered a problem. How was it that the physical bodies, in the course of eons, defied their mutual attractions and did not collapse into a unity? The formula that Einstein devised abandoned the absolute notions of space and time as reference points for all objects in the universe. Basing his studies on Einstein’s formulas, Alexander Friedmann, a Russian physicist, discovered that the universe must be expanding. Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cleric, astronomer and cosmologist, formulated that the universe had begun in a cataclysmic explosion of a small, primeval superatom, like the growing of an oak tree from an acorn. This theory explained the recession of galaxies within the framework of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This idea was so incredible that even Einstein had problems accepting it, despite the fact that this all had originated from his own formulas. Einstein, rather, countered that physics was not the forte of Lemaître, and the universe was an infinite expanse and in a steady state.

Lemaître’s theory posited that the universe was expanding. This was a statement that no philosopher and no scientist had ever before set forth. Kant had said in his Critique of Pure Reason that this was an enigma unsolvable by human intelligence. This theory fit everything and explained the reason why the universe did not collapse in spite of gravity. The key had fit into the lock. It was the correct explanation of the enigma. However, this statement met with the usual adverse reaction: “No, it is not the truth…”

Remaining outside the sphere of theoretical controversy, American astronomer Hubble was, about the same time, making observations with his sophisticated telescope in the Mount Wilson observatory. He observed that galaxies were receding from each other, which proved that the universe was expanding. In answer to those who said they could not believe in things their eyes had not witnessed, Hubble’s discovery led to the following declaration: “Now that you see it, you have got to believe it.” Hubble showed this by the Doppler Effect. Thus the wavelengths of receding bodies prolonged in the spectrum of light waves would shift to red, while, if the bodies approached each other, the wavelengths would shorten, shifting to blue. The light that came from galaxies that shifted to red showed that the galaxies were receding. In line with this observation, Hubble discovered a striking law: the speed of galaxies that receded was directly proportional to the distance between galaxies. The farther away a galaxy stood, the more its speed of recession accelerated. The result was tested again and again. In 1950, a high-magnification telescope was installed on Mount Palomar in the USA, the largest instrument of its kind. The new tests and controls justified this observation. The measurements made pointed to the fact that the creation of the universe occurred about 10-15 billion years ago.

Both Einstein and Lemaître took an interest in Hubble’s work; Einstein, who did not agree with Lemaître at first, eventually acknowledged during a conference that Lemaître was right after all. He confessed that his failure to endorse these findings had been the gravest error in his life. Thus it was that the fact that the universe was of a dynamic nature and expanding, confirmed by observations, was also validated by the great physicist Einstein.

In the examples presented by Hubble and Lemaître, we see illustrated how a physicist arrives at a conclusion both in theory and through observation. While Lemaître demonstrated how he had made inferences from Einstein’s formulas to substantiate his theoretical discoveries, Hubble presented the data of his observations and his conclusions.

As we see, the result obtained by physicists is the consequence of cumulative and collective bits of knowledge and research. The Creator of physical laws provides the answer in the Quran to the issues of towering importance throughout human history. The Quran’s presentation of scientific facts is clear, direct, and concise; it is different than the presentation of scientists, which tends to be complicated by scientific methods and procedures. The provider of this answer does not have to go through all the labyrinths a scientist has to. The Quran’s method is perfectly straightforward, unswerving and explicit.

If we had the possibility of looking at the universe from above and somebody asked us to describe what we saw, our answer would be that it was expanding. To achieve the Quran’s revelation of this fact 1400 years ago, man would have needed access to the assistance of accumulated scientific data acquired throughout long years and to sophisticated telescopes. When people claim that science and religion oppose each other, the Quran furnishes answers to the most complicated scientific problems. Observations made by sophisticated telescopes today confirm the statements of the Quran.

The Quran, perfectly aware of the human psyche with its prescience, states that nonbelievers will insist on their convictions regardless how many miracles are presented to them. Some ask: “Why did the people also not believe in Jesus, who had performed miracles and healed the sick and the blind?” This example demonstrates why the majority of people did not believe in Christ and the other prophets, despite their miracles. Miracles change in fact as time goes by, but the negative attitude of most humans remains unchanged.

REASON FOR THE USE OF THE ROYAL PLURAL

I think it advisable to explain the reason for the use of “We” in the verse analyzed in this chapter. God uses both the royal plural “We” and the first person singular “I.” Some languages use the first person plural “we” to express grandeur and exalted rank.

In the hundreds of references addressing God in the second person, the pronoun used is “Thou” and never the plural “You” or “Ye.” The thousands of references made to Him as a third person always use the pronoun “He” and never “They.” References in the Quran to God always use either the second or the third person, and none of them as a second or third person plural. Thousands of times in the Quran, God is referred to as “Allah,” “Gracious (Rahman),” Merciful (Raheem),” and “Lord (Rab)” and all of these words are in the singular, never the plural.The Quran describes it as a continuously expanding and dynamic universe.

With power did We construct heaven. Verily, We are expanding it.(51:47)

Is the universe infinite? Or is it finite in a steady state? From the very beginning this has been a subject of debate between great minds. Hot debates and ratiocination of all kinds failed to clarify this dilemma. This had once been the subject of philosophical speculations before it yielded its place to the science of physics. Some of the great minds argued that the universe was not a confined space, while others contended that its boundaries were drawn. The Quran describes it as a continuously expanding and dynamic universe. According to this description, the universe has a new aspect every instant that deviates from the concept of an infinite space; its perpetual expansion defies the concept of a confined and steady state universe. Thus, the Quran propounds a third alternative, leaving the heated controversy of thinkers in abeyance.

This may contribute to the formulation of a judgment for the inquiring minds, probing whether the Quran is God’s revelation or not. We have, on the one hand, Muhammad in the desert, neither a philosopher nor a physicist, and, on the other hand, the assumptions of great thinkers and philosophers such as Aristotle, Ptolemy,Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton, to name but a few. The greatest minds in history, basing their arguments on observations and formulas they had ingeniously devised, claimed either that the universe had its confines or that it was an endless space, but it occurred to none of them to think of a dynamic expanding universe, until the 20th century when Edwin Hubble, by means of a telescope, demonstrated that the universe was expanding. The theory of expansion of the universe was first advanced in the 1920s. Until the descent of the Quran no other source had made such an assertion!

Do not these disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were an integrated mass, which We then split, and from water We made all living things? Will they not believe even then? (21:30)

We deduce from the contents of this verse that it admonishes the unbelievers for ignoring the apparent miracles. The atheists’ basic contention is that matter has no beginning and that it is the matter that has generated everything, both living and inanimate things, by fortuitous act.

The Big Bang theory refutes the basic assertion of atheism in positing that the universe and time had a beginning. “Do not these disbelievers see that…?” is significant. And as it is implied by this verse, the fact that the heavens and the earth were in a state of unity before they were rent asunder was something indeed conceivable by the human mind. The 1900s were the years during which scientific discoveries succeeded each other. Those were the years in which some people tried to point out the contradiction between science and religion. It was presumptuous of them as their whims had been indulged by the prosperity generated by the industrial revolution to idolize matter, daring to substitute it for God. The fact that matter was created – that it had had beginning – as proven by the Big Bang theory, was a blow for unbelievers. The concluding sentence of the verse “Will they not believe even then?” is significant in that history confirmed the truth of this and the unbelievers remained adamant despite evidence produced.

Nevertheless, the arguments of this verse refute the unbelievers’ thesis of eternal matter and compel them to believe. This truth that was to be taken for a fact 1300 years after the revelation of the Quran was another warning for unbelievers. In history, there has been no one, other than the God through Quran, who claimed that the universe had been expanding and that the heavens and the earth had been split asunder. Ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, the Modern Age, Plato, Thales – all those who had attempted to explain natural phenomena in natural terms – Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler and Kant, none of humanity’s great minds, had had an inkling of an expanding universe and of the fact that before creation the heavens and the earth had been an indivisible whole. Without the sophisticated equipment of the twentieth century at their disposal, and devoid of all accumulated scientific data, all of these celebrated philosophers and physicists had failed to take cognizance of this fact. The Creator of the universe communicated such important facts about His creation in His book and shed light on the celestial bodies, also proving thereby that the Quran had been His revelation. God unfolded to man the evidences of His creation, the creation that had originated from a single point in which man stood as another point. It is significant to note that while pointing at the comprehensibility of this revelation in the verse, “Do not these disbelievers see…?” He prefigures the stubbornness of unbelievers: “Will they not believe even then?” Einstein himself said that what astounded him was the comprehensibility of his discoveries about the universe, rather than the discoveries themselves. This shows how significant it was to stress the fact that these phenomena were in fact within the reach of man’s mental capacity.

COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION

The original unity of the universe is expressed by the Arabic word “ratq,” meaning the integrated state and the word “fatq,” signifying disintegration by separation. I have already mentioned that when Lemaître had posited this separation as described in the Quranic verse, his theory was first refuted. One of the contenders of this argument was Fred Hoyle. In the 1940s Fred Hoyle contended that if the Big Bang had effectively taken place there should have been a residue of the explosion, and asked that this fossil be shown. This satirical criticism led to the discovery of much evidence in support of the Big Bang theory. The expression “fossil” which was mockingly uttered by Hoyle became the scientific word for real evidence discovered later. While he was trying to debunk the theory of the Big Bang in a humorous way, he had unwittingly contributed to the confirmation of the Big Bang theory.

In 1948, George Gamow and his student Ralph Adler concluded that if the Big Bang theory were true, it must have had a fossil left behind as Hoyle had claimed. According to their logic, the low-level background radiation must have existed in every direction since the universe had begun expanding in every direction following the Big Bang. Radiation other than that caused by the Big Bang must have had particular points in space from which it departed. But the radiation generated by such an explosion could not be traced back to a point. With the universe’s dynamic expansion radiation must have scattered in every direction. In the 1960s, the form of radiation imagined by Gamow and Adler was made the subject of research by a group of scientists with precision instruments at their disposal at Princeton University. However, what they had been looking for was to be discovered by others in a very interesting way. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were researchers at the Bell Telephone Company. One day, quite unexpectedly, they detected a uniform microwave radiation that suggested a residual thermal energy throughout the universe of about 3 Kelvin, which is a temperature of 3 degree Celsius above absolute 0. At first Penzias and Wilson could not unravel the mystery and had to call their colleagues Robert Dicke and his team. When he hung up, Dicke understood that he had lost the cause as he took cognizance of the fact that the discovery that was to bring the Nobel Prize award had been the lot of others. Surveys of the cosmic 3-Kelvin radiation indicated that it was perfectly uniform in all directions. The residue that Hoyle believed nonexistent had been found. So the Nobel Prize went to Penzias and Wilson.

SATELLITE IN SUPPORT OF BIG BANG

After Penzias and Wilson shared the Nobel Prize in 1965, the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), was rocketed into the sky in 1989. The data received from COBE confirmed the discovery of Penzias and Wilson. A great number of scientists evaluated the data produced by COBE as conclusive proof. Thus the process initiated by Lemaître in the 1920s was substantiated once again with new discoveries in the 1990s. 1400 years had elapsed since the revelation of the Quran and the satellite’s findings validated its statements. Supposing that we landed on a desert island and stumbled upon ashes: no one would doubt the fact that there had once been a fire on this island. The residue radiation that Penzias and Wilson ran across, and the COBE’s data, indicated the existence of the Big Bang. The contention by dissenters that the radiation scattered all over space had to be perfectly uniform in all directions is another indicator of the soundness of this evidence.

One of the proofs substantiating the Big Bang theory is related to the hydrogen-helium ratio in the universe. In the 1930s, astronomers, basing their studies on the fact that every celestial object emits a particular light, had recourse to a spectroscope to analyze the composition of the stars and galaxies. Calculations made by means of the spectroscope and mathematical formulas demonstrated that the universe, at its initial stage, comprised an average of 73% hydrogen and 25% helium and 2% other gases like carbon and oxygen. Stars did not generate hydrogen and that much helium. Calculations made by scientists made it clear that 20%-30% of the helium must have been produced before the evolution of stars. Only the primordial fireball at the outset of the Big Bang could have generated such a light synthesis; the expectations in the wake of the Big Bang and the quantity of hydrogen and helium in space are just a few of the proofs validating the theory.

Although the available scientific evidence is in itself sufficient to prove the Big Bang theory, we are witnessing a steady increase of this evidence. A Big Bang medium was created in Switzerland at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), the famous center that has the most powerful and versatile facilities of their kind in the world. The findings of the research carried out here lends further support to the theory.

The law of thermodynamics supports the theory according to which the universe must have had a beginning; the second law of thermodynamics states that some processes in nature are irreversible and unidirectional, the direction being dictated by an overall increase in entropy. Thus, the energy grows less and less utilizable until it becomes of no profit. If the universe and matter had existed from eternity, the movement would have come to a standstill in eternal time. On the other hand, eternity does not pass; if it does, then it is no longer an eternity. In brief, the very fact that we happen to be at this point connotes the existence of a beginning. If we think that time was not created, the contradiction is inevitable and ends up with a dilemma. The only solution to the dilemma would be positing that time was created and that the universe must have had a beginning; these, as proved by the Big Bang Theory, are mutually validating evidences.

COULD MUHAMMAD HAVE SENT A SATELLITE

We have witnessed the verification of data received from the satellites sent into space. How did it happen that the Prophet had an insight into the fact that the earth and the heavens were an integrated mass before they were split? We asked whether the Prophet could have had a telescope concealed under the sand dunes, a telescope as sophisticated as the Hubble telescope? Are the unbelievers going to claim now that Muhammad discovered the primeval unity of the heavens and the earth by having recourse to calculations of the cosmic background radiation, and that he had sent his satellite long before the launch of COBE, 1400 years ago? Penzias and Wilson shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery. Would the unbelievers nominate Muhammad for the Nobel Prize for physics for having announced 1400 years ago that the universe had once been a whole before space began expanding?

It is evident that anyone who contended that the Quran had not been sent by God, but was the work of the Prophet, would necessarily become an object of ridicule. However, those resolved to remain unbelievers would insist on their convictions regardless of all evidence being brought forth. So had it been with Abraham and Moses and Christ and so was it with Muhammad. The psychology of unbelievers has never changed throughout history.

Those who opposed Moses declared that they would adhere to their own conviction, no matter what signs Moses would produce.

They said: “No matter what kind of sign you show us, to bewitch us, we will not believe in you.”  (7:132)

BIG BANG : SIGN OF GOD’S UNITY

Polytheistic beliefs have exhibited structures that differ according to the communities and times in which they have evolved. The polytheistic beliefs in ancient Egypt differ greatly from the polytheism of India. However, these systems have something in common. Every god has his apportioned domain where he exerts his sovereignty. The sun is a god, so is the moon, and the divinity whose sanctuary is the hills is another such being. Some of these control the rains, others the winds; some have control over the mountains, some over the rivers…In opposition to belief-systems that parcel out the universe, the monotheistic religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam, saw the universe as a whole. These religions professed that severance and sundering could not be imagined in a universe created by one God. According to these religions what seems to be divided is but in appearance only, while the essence of the universe is one whole; the universe ruled over by God is one entity, with every one of its points being interrelated with all the other points.

Famous philosophers of the past, from Kindî, Farabi, Averroes and Avicenna to Christian scholars, had announced that “One comes out of one,” positing thus the unity of God. These thinkers had tried to find a correlation between the occurrences in the universe whose logical conclusion would be the unity of God. In the aftermath of the Big Bang, this unity was once again proven. The origin of the universe was irrefutably one single composition. Considering that everything evolved out of this single entity, all elements should be in correlation with each other. No one could henceforth declare that the sun, the moon, man, the serpent or a plant had its respective creators. Unity lay beneath everything, and the Creator of this unity was also the Creator of the sun, the moon, the beasts and the plants that emerged from this unity. Even before the Big Bang theory, the irrationality of the idea that attributed different creators to different objects was evident. However, the Big-Bang proved with new evidence that God is One.

Say: He, God, is One. (112:1)
God is He on Whom all depend. (112:2)
He begets not, nor is He begotten; (112:3)
And none equals Him.(112:4)

To Him ascend the angels and the spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years. (70:4)

He regulates all affairs from the heaven to the earth. Then they ascend to Him in a day, the measure of which is a thousand years as you count. (32:5)

The theory of relativity is Einstein’s best known discovery. However, many people whose interests are not in any way related to physics are at a loss to understand what this theory signifies. The Quran had already touched on these facts 1400 years ago. Einstein’s theory of relativity has two main divisions, namely the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity.

According to Einstein, time would pass more slowly for somebody driving a vehicle at a speed close to the velocity of light. In a medium in which an inhabitant of the earth passes one hundred days, it may take a person fifty days to displace at a speed nearing the propagation speed of light. This finding is the most interesting fact of the relativity theory. Time slows down in direct proportion with speed. Time is therefore a relative conception, as indicated in the Quran. Hours differ and days are conceived differently according to the medium, place and speed involved.

The general theory of relativity deals with gravitational fields and tries to demonstrate that time is slower in the fields of greater gravitation. A man walking on the surface of the sun will see that his clock runs more slowly, as do the biological and anatomical functions and all the motions in terms of his atoms. Recent experiments have corroborated this fact. One of these experiments was conducted in the
British National Institute of Physics. John Laverty, researcher, synchronized two clocks indicating the exact time (two clocks of optimum
perfection; error of precision in the course of a space of time of 300,000 years would be not more than 1 second). One of these clocks was kept at a laboratory in London; the other was taken aboard an airplane shuttling between London and China. The high altitude at which the aircraft flies is subject to a lower gravitational force. In other words, time was expected to pass at a faster rate aboard a plane in conformity with the general relativity theory. There is not so great a difference in terms of gravity between someone treading upon the earth and someone flying in the air. This difference could only be established by a precision instrument. It was established that the clock aboard the aircraft had a greater speed, one per fifty five billion seconds. This experiment is one of the proofs of the relativity of time. According to the prevailing prejudice, there should not be any difference between the two clocks. This supports the dispelling of prejudices as foreseen in the Quran. Had it been possible to make this experiment on a planet with greater gravitational force, there would be no need for precision instruments to measure the difference, since normal watches could do the job.

THE USE OF THE WORD “DAY” IN THE QURAN

Verse 5 of the sura The Prostration and Verse 4 of the sura The Heights not only point to the relativity of time, but give also a clear meaning of the Arabic word “yawm” that denotes not only the space of time of one day – which comprises 24 hours – but also a certain period of time. This makes it easier to understand the six “yawm”s mentioned in the Quran (See: 7-The Purgatory, 54; 11-Hud, 7; 10- Jonah, 3; 25-The Distinguisher, 59; 32-The Prostration, 4; 57-Iron, 4.) Before the creation of the universe and the world there was no notion of “day,” a period of 24 hours. Therefore, the six “yawm”s must be understood as six “periods.”

This gives a clue to the Jews and Christians for the interpretation of the Biblical account according to which the world was created in six days. Findings in the domain of space physics show that the universe and our world passed through many stages, from a gaseous state to galaxies, to the formation of the atmosphere surrounding the Earth, and of waters and metals. The fact that the Quran refers to the stages that the process of creation went through is also better understood by modern cosmology.

If we remember the stories of creation of ancient Egypt, China and India, we encounter wild fancies such as a universe standing on a tortoise or as an eternally existing entity. None of the past civilizations had made any reference to the stages of this evolution. This message of the Quran contributes to a correct interpretation of Biblical exegeses of the concept of day. The message in the Bible that reads: “And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.” (Genesis 2, 2) was thus corrected, as fatigue was certainly out of the question for God.

We created the heavens and the earth, and all that lies between them in six days, and no fatigue touched us. (50:38)

CONTRIBUTION OF THE RELATIVITY THEORY

Einstein postulated that the concept of time was relative. For Kant time was an innate function of reason. He contended that the perception of time was an a priori category. Einstein’s physics was henceforth the science that integrated time and space, so that, instead of space we had now space-time.

There is something that must not escape attention, however: the perception of time is achieved by the intellect. Since according to our estimation, just as the special relativity theory establishes that velocity makes time relative and the general relativity theory postulates that gravity makes time relative, one should elaborate on “the intellect’s relativity” which posits that the intellect’s perception manner would render the relative perception of time. Like a key that fits the lock, our intellect also has the capacity of perceiving time and the universe. That is (1) time exists in the universe, (2) and the intellect is created with a priori abilities to perceive time and the universe. The two processes are coexistent, just like the coexistence of the world seen by us and the eyes.

It seems to us only fair to add the intellect’s perception factor to Einstein’s concepts relating velocity and gravity and time. Comprehension of time’s relativity will contribute to a better understanding of the Quran. For instance, it is said in the Quran that the dead will think when resurrected that their span on the earth had been very brief. Once time’s relativity has been conceived, the puzzling
question of the time to elapse from one’s death till the Day of Judgment will be clear. Such questions for the inquisitive mind that sees the time upon the earth as the only valid time regardless of the attending circumstances will find their answer, once time’s relativity is understood. Given the fact that a deceased person is outside the confines of the temporal dimensions of the earth, the time to elapse after his death, regardless of its actual duration, would be of no consequence.

On the day when He gathers them, it will appear to them as if they had tarried an hour of a day… (10:45)

He said: “How many years did you stay on earth?” (23:112)
They said: “We stayed a day or part of a day, ask those who account.” (23:113)

ANYONE AMONG US TIRED OF WAITING FOR EONS?

The reason why the fifteen billion years that elapsed from the moment the universe was created until the creation of man was made clear by time’s relativity. In a different context, fifteen billion years may be conceived as one minute or even less. The length of its duration depends on our perception and standpoint.

Scientists, based on the most recent and accurate calculations, assert that approximately fifteen billion years have elapsed since the creation of the universe until this very moment. Is there anyone who feels tired of waiting for eons? The evident answer being in the negative, the time the departed will have to wait as from their decease until resurrection will not cause anxiety in them. Comprehension of time’s relativity renders possible the solution of many problems believed to be beyond the grasp of the intellect.

PROOF FROM NECESSARY VERSUS POSSIBLE BEING

A host of celebrated philosophers like Avicenna, Farabi, Taftazani and Jurjani had recourse to this argument in proving God’s existence. They asserted that all the possible creatures upon the earth could not exist by themselves as they owed their existence to a Creator. “The created” requires a Creator while God, “the Self-Existent” (whose existence is a necessity) does not need a creator. The created is a product of causality; their existence or non-existence are within the confines of possibility. To think of the non-existence of the existent poses no contradiction. However, this does not hold true for the Self-Existing, God; otherwise the contradiction would be evident. Philosophers like Leibniz argued in like manner the principle of “Sufficient Reason.” According to him, the universe is made of possible beings. The universe itself is a possibility. If we try to trace back the chain of causality (which is impossible) until the infinite this would not explain the universe. Yes, the universe is a possibility but requires a Sufficient Reason outside its confines. To allege that the reasons may be traced back to the infinite would mean that we were created after eternity. But since eternity is endless there would be no question of any lapse of time after eternity; if there has been a chain of causality, it would necessarily follow that it had had an end. If there had been a chain of causality that came to an end, it would prove the existence of a “first cause.” There may be persons who would find the existence of a first cause difficult to grasp. On the other hand, an eternal chain of causes would be a self-contradiction.

Absurd and incomprehensible are not the same thing. For instance, the structure of a space-shuttle may be incomprehensible for us, but we cannot deny its existence. The number 5 cannot be higher than the number 10; that is absurd. As the contrary is absurd (that the eternal chain of causes has led to this point), the existence of a first cause is a necessity (although there are those who contend that this argument is “beyond comprehension”).

What I propose to do is to reformulate the approaches of a series of thinkers from Avicenna to Leibniz in the light of scientific data obtained in the twentieth century in a richer and more scientific context. Findings related to the relativity theory may be used for this end. That the perfect use of time existing only in relative terms in the universe, in the formation of the universal targets, can only be grasped by the existence of an Absolute and Indispensable Regulator, that the existence of time can only be explained in a satisfactory way by the Cause behind the creation of time, that the harmony existing between time and intellect can be imagined to exist by the presence of a Regulator outside the confines of time and intellect and that even time is a possibility depending on a Creator should be integrated for use with the explanation of the “proof from necessary versus possible beings.”

And He shows you His signs: Then which of the signs of God will you deny? (40:81)

The Arabic word “azvaj” is the plural of “zavj” meaning “pairs,” “matches,” “partners.” There are three sorts of pairs in the Creation as described in the verse:

a- Pairs that grow from the earth, i.e., plants that have species of differentiated sex;
b- Human pairs, males and females. Also some included human characteristics like bravery / cowardice; love / hate; generosity / stinginess, etc.
c- Pairs unknown: men did not know anything about the creation in pairs at the time of the descent of the Quran. In this section we shall be dealing with the latter in particular.

Glory be to the One, who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as themselves, and other things they do not know.  (36: 36)

THE DISCOVERY THAT WON THE NOBEL PRIZE AWARD

The atom lies at the basis of all matter in the universe. A study of this smallest piece of matter may give an idea about the creation of everything in pairs (partners). As research conducted on the structure of the atom gained momentum, it became clear that the constituents of elementary particles were not limited to protons, neutrons and electrons and that their compositions were of a more complex nature and an unerring precision. Creation in pairs is also valid for elementary particles.

A proton has its anti-proton, an electron is coupled with a positron, and a neutron possesses an anti-neutron. The creation of matter in pairs is one of the discoveries of towering importance of physics. Paul Dirac, a British scientist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1933 for his discovery in this field. His discovery (Parity) led to the discovery of the fact that matter has an anti-matter. God’s ingenious calculation is also seen in the numbers of protons, electrons, and neutrons, and of their respective pairs. Let us take as an example the electron and its counterpart, the positron. When these two get together, energy is generated. If there were 15 units of positron versus 10 units of electrons, 10 units of electrons and 10 units of positrons would be eliminated leaving behind 5 units of positron. If their numbers were equal, there would emerge only energy, leaving behind no electrons or positrons. The survival of protons, electrons and neutrons depends on the quantities higher than their respective pairs, while the numerical balance between electrons, protons and neutrons is also important. For example, if the number of electrons were less than the number of protons, there would be no life in the universe. All the fine calculations in our existence are based on this fact. Had one single formation of thousands of phenomena been left to chance, we would not have been on our planet today. We exist thanks to the omniscience of our Creator Who controls everything through His omnipotence.

CONTRIBUTION TO UNITY OF POLARITY

As I have already pointed out, the fact that the description of scientific phenomena in the Quran could not be accounted for by the knowledge acquired at the time of the Prophet is not the only outstanding point. This fact is certainly very important. However, our wonder becomes even greater when we examine the scientific data provided in the verses of the Quran which reflect God’s omnipotence, art, science and design.

For instance, the statement in sura 21, verse 30 that the universe was created from an integrated mass, as the raw material of the heavens and the earth were closed up before God split them, could not possibly be the word of a mortal at the time of the Prophet. This also proved that God had created the matter, the universe and that He had preset objectives in His mind. Therefore, as we proceed, I shall try to point to the scientific miracles in the verses of the Quran as well as to the fact that these things testified to His existence and the splendor of His art. In brief, as important as the existence of the miracles themselves is the inspiration displayed by the miracles. This also holds true of course for the verses announcing that the material world was created in pairs. At the time of the descent of the Quran the creation of the universe in pairs and the significant role of this phenomenon could not possibly have been known. Important as this is, the gamut of wonders ranging from the forces to the balance between the protons and anti-protons, between neutrons and antineutrons are also important. The Quran’s concern is not merely to stress the miracle as such, but also to draw attention to the creation in pairs so that we may have a better insight into the wonders of the creation.

The importance of creation in pairs in the universe gained momentum with the discovery of quarks within the protons and neutrons as well. Laboratory research has made it clear that quarks and leptons (another subatomic particle) emerged in pairs. When the quark called “Bottom” was discovered after such quarks as “Up,” “Down,” “Charm” and “Strange,” the consciousness of creation in pairs was so widespread among scientists that the name “Top” was given to a quark before even it was discovered. In the year 1994, the discovery of the quark “Top” was announced. The research carried out in the Fermi labs in the USA resulted in the discovery of “Top,” that paired up with the quark called “Bottom.”

All paired creations contribute to the integral order of the universe. The quarks “Up” and “Down,” the protons and antiprotons, the positive and negative electricity charges in the universe have no consciousness. All these well-ordered and predetermined formations are created in a microcosm that, in turn, renders possible the formation of galaxies, stars, planets, plants, the animal kingdom and humankind. Opposite pairs of forces and opposite pairs of particles owe their existence to an Omnipotent Power. The colorful and marvelous universe based on the formation of opposite pairs of force bars the possibility of chaos. Whoever the author of the creation and the designer of ultimate ends may have been, it was He who generated the pairs of particles and forces and set these opposite particles and forces to operate in a harmonious unity until the targets are reached. For those who take heed the evidence is clear.

And We created pairs of everything that you may contemplate. (51: 49)

The word expressing totality in the Arabic language is “kullu” while the Arabic expression “tasniya” refers to any two objects. In the verse reference is made to the motion of two celestial bodies, namely the sun and the moon. However, the reason why “tasniya” is not used indicates that there should be more than two objects.

It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun, and the moon; each of them floating in an orbit. (21: 33)

If we suppose that the night and the day take place on the earth, the other object should be the earth. The Arabic word “falak” is used in Arabic to denote the orbit traced by stars and planets.

THE MIRACLE IN THE USE OF EVERY SINGLE WORD

As one can see, every single word and suffix has been carefully selected. The Arabic equivalent of the expression “to float” is “sabaha.” Maurice Bucaille says the harmony of the movements of the sun, the moon and the earth can be expressed as follows: “The Arabic verb ‘sabaha’ refers to displacement of an object by its own movement. The meanings of this verb converge on displacement referring to the motion of the object by itself. When displacement takes place in water, the movement refers to the act of floating; when it is on land the displacement takes place by the movement of the object’s own legs. If, on the other hand, this displacement occurs in space, the motion intended can be described only by the etymological sense of the word. Thus, ‘sabaha’ should be conceived as a motion in a self-generating act. The moon rotates around its axis within a space of time equal to its revolution around the earth; that is 29.5 days. So what we see is always the same face of the moon. ‘The sun turns about its axis within 25 days approximately. The word ‘sabaha’ that describes the motions of the sun and the moon conforms to the findings of recent scientific data. This fact could not have been fancied by a human being in the 7th century, regardless of his erudition.”

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

The motions of the sun and the moon and the earth continue without the slightest interference with our life. On the other hand, all the phenomena are brought about to make life on earth and diversity possible. The earth revolves about the sun, at an angle of inclination of 23 degrees and 27 minutes. The seasons evolve upon the earth thanks to this inclination upon which depends also the system of growth of plants. The velocity of rotation of the earth about its axis attains 1670 km. If the earth did not rotate, its surface facing the sun would be exposed to continuous light while the rear would be in perpetual darkness. In such a world, neither vegetation nor beings could exist.

Neither can the sun overtake the moon, nor does the night precede the day. Each of them is floating in an orbit. (36: 40)

All the motions of the sun, the moon and the earth continue in perfect harmony. Everything is so excellently arranged that even Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, contributes to the life on earth. Astronomer George Wetherill, in his article on Jupiter, says that had there been no planet of a magnitude equal to the size of Jupiter, the earth would have had one thousand times more exposure to stray meteors and comets, and that if Jupiter were not at the place where it happened to be, we could not have been here now to probe into the mystery of the origin of the solar system. No matter where we turn, we come across splendors, infinitesimal calculations and works of art provided. Of course, we meditate on God’s creation using our intelligence. Our Creator displays the evidences of His omnipotence and omniscience and His compassion everywhere in the universe.

Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alteration of night and day, there are signs for those who posses intelligence.(3:190)
They remember God while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides. And contemplate on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, You did not create all this in vain. Be You glorified. Protect us from the torment of the fire.” (3:191)

To gain clearer insight into the meaning of these verses, let us see first the signification of the words used in Arabic. The Arabic word “hunnes” that we translate with the expression “Those that recede” also has the connotation of “shrinking,” “sinking,” “retrogression” and “regression.”

I swear by those that recede (81:15)
By flowing that goes to nest (81:16)

On the other hand, the Arabic word “kunnes” means “to follow a definite itinerary,” “to return home” and also “nest of a moving object.” And the word “flowing” in the 16th verse is expressed by the word “jariye.”

We are inextricably bound by an indefinite number of scientific laws in our daily life, among which are the law of gravitation, the law of motion, the law of thermodynamics, etc. While we eat or relieve ourselves we are subject to the law of gravitation. When astronauts eat and relieve themselves in space, they have to take recourse to special arrangements in order to satisfy their demands, because their bodies were created according to the standards of the earth gravitation. Discoveries of scientists are not discoveries of the nonexistent, as their function is to throw light on those things that already exist.
Gravitational force has always existed in the universe. But it fell to the lot of Isaac Newton (1642-1727) to clarify it by describing it with mathematical formulas. Newton demonstrated by the law of gravitation that God’s creation was based on the law of gravity, which governs the stars, the earth, the moon, and that man’s erect posture was not a haphazard development, but was related to the gravitational force inherent in matter.

Referring to the fine balances of the universe, Isaac Newton said that the author of this extremely sensitive system, composed of the sun, the planets and the comets, can only be a Creator endowed with intelligence and power. He, whom we call our omniscient Lord, is the ruler of all these things, His dominion embraces all.

UNIVERSAL MATHEMATICS

The Quran often speaks of the fact that God created everything within a given measure. This means that everything in the universe is governed by mathematics. The thing made to measure is commensurable, measurable by a given standard and can be expressed in mathematical terms. Newton corrected the results that Kepler and Galileo had reached, gave them precision and proved that the material universe could be explained in mathematical terms.

In the 1700s science took cognizance of the importance of the gravitational force. God alluded in the Quran in the 600s to the law of gravitation, to which He had had recourse in His creation. In the verses mentioned at the head of this chapter, one can see the allusion to attraction and to the balance between attraction and motion. The sun and the nucleus of the atom are in states of recession and retrogression, the nucleus attracting electrons and the sun attracting planets. The nuclei, which have already retrograded in the center, want to integrate the electrons, and the sun acts likewise by drawing the planets unto themselves by applying forces that cause them to recede. The word “hunnes” mentioned in verse 15 of the sura, The Rolling, can easily be claimed to be signifying attraction.

Despite the attraction by the nucleus of the atom, electrons do not adhere to the nucleus. Likewise, the planets do not come into contact with the sun despite the latter’s gravitational force. It is the motion of electrons and planets that prevent the electrons from fusing to the nucleus and the planets to the sun. The word “jariye” used in verse 16 of sura The Rolling signifies flowing, and is a perfect choice since it is the factor that prevents adhesion. Had the electrons and planets tended to adhere to the nucleus and to the sun respectively, no planet, no solar system, no orbit, no vital energy, and no majesty in the creation would exist. If the electrons and planets were to scatter in defiance of the “hunnes,” having been released from the gravitational force, again, neither galaxies, nor the animal kingdom, nor vegetation, nor we would exist. Thanks to these two separate phenomena, electrons return to their orbits, their homes, and planets where they belong, to move in their orbits. This is marvelously expressed with the word “kunnes” in verse 16. The Quran uses the word “hunnes” to signify attraction, and motion by the word “jariye” that resists against the force of attraction and to be within the orbit again by the word “kunnes.” Thus, in a period when there was no term to express attraction, the Quran had already revealed the phenomena that depended
on attraction.

MARVELS FROM ATOMS TO STARS

As we already have seen, God testifies under oath to pull our attention to certain events or phenomena. The oaths we see pronounced in verses point to the flawless creations of God, and the miraculous announcements in the Quran for minds cleansed from stubbornness. Protons exert attraction in the innumerable nuclei of atoms in our body while the electrons oppose this force while remaining within the orbit. These happenings in the atom are in continuous and harmonious activity thanks to the electromagnetic force and to the other forces of the atom. If the atoms of our body we call “I” were to stick to the chair we are sitting in and to integrate with the ground upon which we stretch out, there would no longer be an entity called “I.” Again, if the electrons of the chair we are sitting on collided with the electrons of our body, giving rise to chaos, could we have ever existed? No. The gravitational force and the motion, as well as other forces, harmoniously contribute to our being. Forces that have come about, and everything in Creation, remind
us of God.

By the heavens and The Knocker. (86:1) How will you comprehend what the The Knocker is? (86:2) It’s a piercing star. (86:3)

LITTLE GREEN MEN OF THE UNIVERSE

In 1967 Jocellyn Bell accidentally stumbled on a gravity time warp a million times greater than that produced by the sun. The object she detected was emitting regular pulses. These pulses were reminiscent of heart-beats. At the time, such a pulsating object was not known to exist in space. At first, it was concluded that these signals might well have been propagated by intelligent beings, inhabitants of other planets. Invitation cards were printed, the media were notified and a seminar was arranged. LGM (Little Green Men) signified that intelligent creatures had been detected and were contacted by radio signals. Not long after, the source of the signals in question was discovered: it was a spinning neutron star, an object whose velocity was incommensurably great. The neutron star had another name: “pulsar.” Bell’s discovery failed to establish contact with the inhabitants of space, but she had found pulsars. The words “pulsar” and “pulsating” seem to accord with the word Tariq of the Quran, which means “knocker.”

CAN YOU COMPREHEND WHAT A PULSAR IS?

In the second verse of the sura, The Knocker, we read: “How will you comprehend what The Knocker is?” A spoonful of matter taken from a pulsar would weigh one billion tons. Were we to depose a small particle of it on earth, the particle would pierce it and end up in its center. Just think of it, a spoonful of any matter on earth hardly weighing more than a few grams! This shows how difficult it is to conceive of a pulsar. A pulsar is produced by the compression of stars a couple of times bigger than the sun. The diameter of a pulsar can be about 15-20 km. Were we to compress our world in a like manner, we would have a sphere of 100 meters of diameter. It takes the earth 24 hours to rotate around its own axis, whereas the pulsar rotates around its own axis many times per second; all these things show how difficult it is to comprehend this striking, pulsating star.

LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN WORK A MIRACLE

Some have tried to identify the star mentioned in the verse and have claimed it to be a certain celestial body, like Saturn or Venus. Mustafa Mlivo, who claims these assumptions are not correct and that “Tariq” is none other than a pulsar, says the following: Characteristics of the celestial object mentioned in 86:1-3 are: 1- It pulsates (knocks); 2- It is a star; 3- It penetrates, pierces, drills. None of the solar system planets meets all those criteria because: A- None of the planets produces pulsations that give the impression of knocking, beating. B- None of them is a star. They are cold celestial bodies. C- None of them produces such an intensive radiation. As one can see, the Quran had already mentioned a star that was to be discovered. This star was indeed discovered, but in the year 1970. Since the concept of a “pulsating star” could not be imagined at that time, it was rendered in translation as it stood, i.e., “Tariq,” the meaning of it being explained in footnotes, in dictionaries and interpretations. The Quran whose every sentence, every word is based on the finest of meanings, wherein lie hidden realms still to be discovered. The more we study the Quran, the more we are enlightened, the more we learn.

The atom is the smallest particle of matter. God drew attention to the existence of the atom, laying emphasis on the importance of its knowledge. A naked eye looking at a table, a carpet, a wall or a stone cannot fully grasp the importance of the atom and the knowledge it contains. While the Quran stresses the importance of the atom, it emphasizes also the subatomic particles, “Or something smaller or greater than.”

Not even an atom’s weight in the heavens and the earth, or something smaller or greater than it is hidden from Him, but all are in a clear record. (34:3)

In the expression “greater than” is comprised the knowledge of the greater compositions like molecules, the entirety of which is within God’s ken.

Men contemporary with the Prophet could not possibly have known that in the atom and subatomic particles and their compounds different types of knowledge were comprised. The Quran asserts the omniscience of God. Drawing attention to the existence of the atom and the subatomic particles is relevant to the present day information that physics has discovered.

The knowledge obtained today by means of cosmological physics studying the science of the origin and structure of the universe are interrelated with the data of atomic physics. Another miraculous sign of the Quran is its referring to the weight (miskale in Arabic) of the atom wherever the word “zerre” (atom) is mentioned.

FROM VAST TO SMALLEST MAGNITUDES

Imagine you are eating a pizza with great relish. What are its ingredients? Sausage, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and flour. What are the constituents of these sausages, cheeses, mushrooms and tomatoes and what are the constituents of the constituents? This series of questions leads us to molecules. The molecules themselves are made up of atoms such as oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. Then come protons and electrons, together forming eventually the nucleus of the atom…

The entire universe is made of matter or energy. From the trunk of a tree to its leaves, from the hands of a human being to his eyes, from golden ornaments to cotton dresses, everything is matter. The atom is the individual structure that constitutes the basic unit of any chemical element.

The proton is an elementary particle that is the positively charged constituent of ordinary matter, and, like the neutron, is the building stone of atomic nuclei. The electron is an elementary particle that is the negatively charged constituent of ordinary matter. These are the recent discoveries of science that led us to the discovery of the television, computer, Internet, etc. Take, for instance, a grain of sand in the palm, which is assumed to be the simplest matter, and think of the quadrillion of atoms it contains; quadrillions of atoms you could not finish counting throughout the span of your lifetime. Imagine that each of these atoms has its electrons moving around the nuclei, like the planets making their rounds around the sun. A quadrillion solar systems contained within a grain of sand or piece of rock in your palm. An intelligent mind will readily conceive that there is nothing simple in the universe. Be it a pizza or a rock, suppose that you fancy recomposing them. To embark on such a huge project, you must go back to the very beginning, to the primeval explosion, and repeat the process. In this odyssey, you will run into atoms, cornerstones of the universe, entailing the existence of protons, electrons and neutrons; then you will be faced by the gaseous substance made of hydrogen and helium; these will be followed by stars and atoms produced in these stars which will one day be transformed into the mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes of our pizza. In order to really make a pizza, we need to create the entire universe with all the stages it had.

The more you delve into the study of the atom the greater becomes your wonder. Suppose a penny on the table is the nucleus of an atom. The orbit that the electron would trace around it would be at a distance of 2-3 km. What is in between? The distance between the two, i.e., the nucleus and the electrons, is a vacuum. In other words, a piece of rock held in our hand contains in it quadrillions of solar systems, but 99.99% of it is a vacuum. Interesting, isn’t it?

While we observed the fact that the universe was replete with orbits as described in the verse (51-The Dispersing, 7), we witnessed the infinitude of God’s power and magnitude. This divine power is demonstrated through more than one hundred million galaxies, more than a hundred million stars contained in each, countless planets and satellites and their quadrillions of devised orbits. A grain of sand, then, contains quadrillions of miniature replicas of the solar system where electrons dance around the nuclei of quadrillions of atoms. What should one deduce from this? To begin with, the incommensurable magnitude of our Creator’s power is also observed in the depth of matter. Endless vastness has been created from these particles. The motion of the atom is the same movement around the center of limitless magnitudes. The system in any given galaxy and the one forming a particle of dust is the same system. The Author of that speck of dust is also the Author of the universe. All these phenomena point to the immensity of His power and to the order reigning in the universe, as well as to the fact that nothing is casual in His creation. The creation of the smallest and of the biggest is equal for Him. The creation of a point containing trillions of atoms and of immense space is equal for Him and difficulty is a notion not applicable for Him. There is no limit to His wisdom and power.

And if all the trees on earth were made into pens, and the ocean supplied the ink, augmented by seven more oceans, the words of God would not run out. God is indeed Almighty and Wise. (31: 27)

INFINITESIMAL CONTENTS OF ATOMS

The nucleus of the atom contains protons charged with positive electricity. These positive charges repel each other. The miracle of creation occurs when protons adhere to each other forming a single point. The power that confines the protons repelling each other and the neutrons within a single point is immense; it is called strong nuclear force. The elementary particles containing this force are referred to with the French epithet “gluons” meaning “sticky” (The immense destructive energy of the atomic bomb was obtained by the use of this force). God, who devised everything in the universe with mathematical precision, has also conceived this immense force with mathematical exactitude. This force adheres the mutually repelling protons to each other; had the power been weaker or stronger, the protons could disintegrate or it could cause the intrusion of protons and neutrons into each other.

The atomic bomb demonstrated tragically the immense power of the atom. It also showed that one of the factors that contributed to our worldly existence is its intrinsic balance. Thanks to the welladjusted order reigning in this field, matter does not disintegrate all of a sudden, giving rise to noxious effects of radiation. Another important factor that contributes to the stability of the atom is the weak force inherent in it. This force is particularly important in establishing the balance of the nuclei that comprise an excessive number of neutrons and protons.

Electromagnetic force is another factor contributing to the existence of atom. It is this force that brings about the attraction of oppositely charged particles and the repulsion of particles having like electric charges. This has made possible the coming together of the protons and electrons. However, this coming together has its limits. Electrons do not stick to the protons while they move at a breathtaking speed around the nucleus in their orbits. The repulsion of negatively charged electrons turning in succession, and the attraction of the electrons by the protons changes nothing. In this way, the electron does not stick to the proton that attracts it, nor is it moved away. The Creator of this system, of these electrons, deprived of consciousness, is undoubtedly the Creator of matter, atoms, electrons, etc. Let us make an experiment as conscious human beings. Imagine tying a rope around the waists of three or four people while others stand in the middle of the circle. Let those in the middle try to pull the tied people towards themselves while the outside people are circumnavigating the center, and let the people making the circle push each other and those in the center as well, resembling the movement within the nucleus of an atom. We certainly do not expect them to make thousands of rotations per second like an electron. Can reasonable human beings continue to imitate the motion of an atom for the length of one minute? And imagine for an instant that we venture to imitate the model of an atom with 3 or 4 orbits and that there are three or four rotations around the symbolic nucleus. In addition to this, suppose that sumo wrestlers representing the gluons with adhesive properties within the nucleus try to keep those pulling the rope while pushing each other at their places. What an awkward experience this would be! How have the protons and electrons been performing this feast over and over again endlessly for eons and eons with the quadrillions of atoms contained in a small rock?

These atoms existing in the universe and in our bodies were produced long ago in supernovas. The calcium in our teeth, the carbon that our pizza contains, and the iron atoms in our body are products of stars of high temperatures. These raw materials of the universe are prepared in the laboratory of these stars before being transformed into pizzas, water, blood, flesh, teeth and eyes.

This is not a story of an adventure taking place far away from us. Our hands, hair, eyes, our very food and the chair we sit on, everything is performing this process indiscriminately. Our Creator is perpetuating this process incessantly with His omnipotence and omniscience. All these movements of the atom and the energy inherent in it are what perpetuate our existence.

To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. No son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion. It is He who created all things, and ordered them in exact measure. (25:2)

WHAT ELSE?

It is estimated that there are some 1080 particles in the universe. Add 80 zeros after 1 to have an idea of this magnitude. These particles function thanks to complex, ingeniously devised and balanced forces. So do the comets, supernovas and planets, a consequence of the harmonious interaction of these particles. What else must one bring forth to give an idea of the power and design lying behind all these? In this chapter, I tried to outline the structure of an atom and emphasize that it was extremely complex, perfect and ingeniously devised. Were we to push our exploration further, our wonder would be much greater. The emergence of elementary particles in the wake of the Big Bang is the result of an intelligent design. The heat at every instant during the explosion, the number of atomic particles, the forces involved in every stage and their intensities have been carefully planned. Any change in these values would be the end of existence, of galaxies and atoms, and would end up in chaos. The consequence of this primeval explosion was not chaos as might be expected, but a perfect harmony, the work of the Creator, governed by physical laws, a perfect order reigning among galaxies and atoms.

Tiny units of split seconds had their function to perform in the creation of the universe. Had the particles and anti-particles been created in equal number, all of them would be destroyed when the temperature fell below one billion degrees, leaving behind nothing but
radiation. The very fact of our existence is evidence to the contrary. The number of electrons had to be somewhat more than the number of positrons and the number of protons should exceed the number of anti-protons and the figure representing the neutrons should be superior to the number of anti-neutrons.

Every particle had to come into being at a predetermined velocity, temperature and time sequence. The primeval explosion was designed in such a way that it was followed by an evolution that reflected the Creator’s ingenious artistry. We have touched on the structure of the atom and the formation of atomic particles after the primeval explosion. The more one delves into the mystery of creation the more one’s wonder and amazement increase. The actual magnificence of the atom, the creation of particles of the atom by an intelligent design and the transformation of the particles into atoms are beyond the grasp of the intellect. If 1080 particles, with mutually attracting and repulsing electricity charges, had not been transformed into atoms in a finely balanced manner, neither the human ego, nor the book we read, nor the earth we inhabit would exist.

Whether we ascend to the heavens or descend to the microscopic depths, we encounter the same perfection and immensity of God’s work and design.

To God do belong the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that there is therein, and it is He who has power over all things.(5:120)

The Arabic expression “zat-ul hubuk” means ingeniously devised paths (orbits). The expression connotes beautifully designed formations.

By the Sky with its ingeniously devised paths (orbits). (51:7)

The scintillating brilliance of the stars that has enchanted us ever since the beginning of our existence, the incomparable sight unfolded across the sky has always attracted our attention, overwhelming us. Numerous poems and prose works describe the charming sensations that the sky generates in the human breast. The rising and setting of the sun, the phases of the moon, the sky studded with stars give the picture of a steady state universe. The universe full of its orbits is not visible to the naked eye. Stars that move at incredible speeds seem stationary to us. The fact that all stars and heavenly bodies are in motion was only scientifically established after the discovery of the telescope and the advance of science. The number of galaxies in the universe exceeds hundreds of millions, each comprising more than one hundred million stars, some larger and some smaller than the sun. Our sun is comparably of middle size. These stars have many planets like the earth and the planets have their satellites like our moon. All these have come about after having detached from one single point. All these stars and planets and satellites have their respective orbits. The omnipotence of God is conspicuous in His creation. God who originated everything from a single point demonstrated that the skill involved was not inherent in that point; having generated from it billions of celestial bodies displayed the endlessness of His power and facility. Every one of these bodies moves in its own orbit so that the state of the universe changes every second. This variation takes place by the motion within the respective orbit of every star, planet and satellite. Every moment in the universe is a new occurrence: so is every instant of a star, a planet and a satellite.

ARGUMENT FROM MOTION

The process of motion has been the subject of study by many thinkers throughout history. Plato said that the source of motion must have been God and described the universe as being governed by a Designer who was good and beneficent. Aristotle inferred that God must be the Prime Mover, that He was the original source and cause of motion in the universe. Farabi, representative of the Islamic world, concluded that the Prime Mover was the source of all existence and that He, the Unmoved Mover, had generated the movement. The Ihvan-› Safa, a philosophical-religious association of the 10th century, produced encyclopedic works. This association underlined the motion of the universe, confirmed the process of creation out of nothing, drawing attention to the order reigning in the universe and the perpetual movement that proved the existence of God. A great many Christian thinkers like Thomas Aquinas saw the motion of the universe as an evidence of a Supreme Being.

The fact that the motion in the universe is not limited to our solar system or to a handful of stars but is spread all over space is a very important point since it is also a proof of the endlessness of the power of God. The attention that the verse draws to the orbits in space is also meaningful. Galaxies move in perpetual motion; their constituent billions of stars float in their respective pathways; the planets trace elliptical orbits around the stars; and the satellites make their rounds about the planets, motion inside motion. If motion had not been devised to be an intrinsic part of matter we could not have sat comfortably in our chairs to watch TV. Nor would the sun, the earth or our very selves exist. All these formations owe their existence to the moving objects. The movement of stars in their orbits, the movement of planets around the stars have rendered our existence possible and our sipping coffee while watching television. The creation of motion in an ingenious and regular order generating chain reactions, and our observation of precise, ordered and perfect movements in galaxies of macrocosm and in atoms of microcosm are flamboyant invitations to conceive God’s power and knowledge. There will certainly be people who will turn a deaf ear to these invitations. Verse 7 of the sura The Dispersing that draws our attention to the orbits is followed by the following verses:

You are surely caught in contradictions (51:8)
Deviating therefrom are the deviators. (51:9)

So, I swear by the place where the stars fall. (56:75)
And that is indeed a mighty oath, if you but knew. (56:76)

FALLING OF STARS AND MIGHTY OATH

The place where the stars fall is stressed by an oath coupled with the epithet “mighty.” We shall see incommensurately great mathematical figures in connection with the death of stars whose fuel is exhausted. The great numerical values in the universe come about at the death of stars to which reference is made with the following words in the Quran, “And that is indeed a mighty oath, if you but knew.” Everybody versed in physics knows that one of the most interesting phenomena in the universe is the black hole that comes about in the wake of the death of massive stars whose magnitudes are greater than three times the size of our sun. Having depleted their fuel, these cosmic bodies die, collapsing inward upon themselves. The giant stars that contract possess a great gravitational force. This force is so immense that even light, with its velocity of approximately 300,000 km/sec, cannot escape it; these black holes absorb even the light that passes by. Later on, a great many planets and stars are attracted by this gravitational force. Black holes also constitute “the place where the stars fall.” The existence of black holes is deduced from the fact that they attract as whirlpools the matter of other nearby stars and emit Xrays, swallowing all the lights and stars around. The most interesting studies of Stephen Hawking are on black holes. Stephen Hawking discovered the radiation that came to be called the Hawking Radiation by establishing the fact that a black hole could emit radiation while conforming to the physical laws of energy.

The black holes formed by the collapse of stars by their gravitational force are in perfect conformity with verses 75-76 of the sura, The Inevitable. At the time of the descent of the Quran, the end of a star by being transformed into a black hole was something unknown. A star turning into a black hole and the stages it goes through are very interesting phenomena.

Stars that run out of fuel do not immediately collapse. They grow in size at first, as if inflated. Their temperature, around 15 million degrees, rises up to 100 million degrees. They are first transformed into red giants or super giants. The area covered by a super giant is so vast that it can easily contain more than sixty million suns. The immensity of these numerical values is reminiscent of the magnitudes indicated in 76th verse of the sura.

Some of the supernovas contract and turn into white dwarf stars whose mass equal the size of a human being but weigh 10 million kilograms. Still greater stars become neutron stars (pulsars), stars supposed to form in the final stage of the stellar evolution; these consist of a super dense mass mainly of neutrons having a strong attractive force. The matter in the neutron stars is extremely dense. Just to give you an idea, a teaspoonful of this matter would weigh one billion tons.While all these spectacular events are taking place, we, on our planet, continue to sleep, run and talk, quite unaware of them. So is our life: rendered possible by forces beyond our ken. As new stars are born somewhere in the universe, the old ones bid farewell, as if saying: “We pass away, but our Creator is for ever abiding and his Creation is perpetual.”