THE COMING OF THE UNIVERSE INTO EXISTENCE The origin of the universe is described in the Quran in the following verse: He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth.(The Quran, 6:101) The Expansion of the Universe Edwin Hubble with his giant telescope In the Quran, which was revealed 14 centuries ago at a time when the science of astronomy was still primitive, the expansion of the universe was described like this: And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it. (The Quran, 51:47) The Splitting Asunder of The Heavens and The Earth Another verse about the creation of the heavens is as follows: Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before We clove them asunder, and We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? (The Quran, 21:30) Orbits While referring to the Sun and the Moon in the Quran, it is emphasized that each moves in a definite orbit. It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. (The Quran, 21:33) It is mentioned in another verse, too, that the Sun is not static but moves in a definite orbit: And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. (The Quran, 37:38) These facts communicated in the Quran have been discovered by astronomical observations in our age According to the calculations of experts on astronomy, the Sun is traveling at the enormous speed of 720,000 kilometers an hour in the direction of the star Vega in a particular orbit called the Solar Apexall the stars in the universe are in a similar planned motion.That the entire universe is full of paths and orbits such as this one, is written in the Quran as follows: By the sky full of paths and orbits. (The Quran, 51:7) The Roundness of the Earth He has created the Heavens and the Earth for Truth. He wraps the night up in the day, and wraps the day up in the night. (The Quran, 39:5) In the Quran, the words used for describing the universe are quite remarkable. The Arabic word that is translated as to wrap in the above verse is takwir. In English, it means to make one thing lap over another, folded up as a garment that is laid away. (For instance, in Arabic dictionaries this word is used for the action of wrapping one thing around another, in the way that a turban is put on.) The information given in the verse about the day and the night wrapping each other up includes accurate information about the shape of the world. This can be true only if the earth is round. This means that in the Quran, which was revealed in the 7th century, the roundness of the world was hinted at. It should be remembered, however, that the understanding of astronomy of the time perceived the world differently. It was then thought that the world was a flat plane and all scientific calculations and explanations were based on this belief. The Protected Roof The atmosphere only lets rays required for life reach the Earth. Ultraviolet rays, for example, make it to the world only partially. This is the most appropriate range to allow plants to make photosynthesis and eventually for all living things to survive. In the Quran, God calls our attention to a very interesting attribute of the sky: We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs.. (The Quran, 21:32) This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century. The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things. The Returning Sky The verse 11 of Sura Tarik in the Quran, refers to the returning function of the sky. By Heaven with its cyclical systems. (The Quran, 86:11) This word interpreted as cyclical in Quran translations also has meanings of sending back or returning. As known, the atmosphere surrounding the Earth consists of many layers. Each layer serves an important purpose for the benefit of life. Research has revealed that these layers have the function of turning the materials or rays they are exposed to back into space or back down to the Earth. The Layers of the Atmosphere One fact about the universe revealed in the verses of the Quran is that the sky is made up of seven layers. It is He Who created everything on the earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things. (The Quran, 2:29) Then He turned to heaven when it was smoke. In two days He determined them as seven heavens and revealed, in every heaven, its own mandate. (The Quran, 41:12) The word heavens, which appears in many verses in the Quran, is used to refer to the sky above the Earth, as well as the entire universe. Given this meaning of the word, it is seen that the Earths sky, or the atmosphere, is made up of seven layers. The Function of Mountains The Quran draws attention to a very important geological function of mountains. We placed firmly embedded mountains on the earth, so it would not move under them… (The Quran, 21:31) As we have noticed, it is stated in the verse that mountains have the function of preventing shocks in the Earth. With extensions that mountains extend out towards under the ground as well as over the ground, they clench different plates of the earth together like a peg. The Earths crust consists of plates that are in constant motion. This clenching property of mountains prevents shocks to a great extent, by fixing the earths crust, which has a very movable structure. This fact was not known by anyone at the time the Quran was revealed. It was in fact brought to light only recently as a result of the findings of modern geology. Where continents are thicker, as in mountain ranges, the crust sinks deeper into the mantle.(4) In a verse, this role of the mountains is pointed out by a comparison with pegs: Have We not made the earth as a bed and the mountains its pegs? (The Quran, 78:6-7) Mountains, in other words, clench the plates in the Earths crust together by extending above and beneath the Earths surface at the conjunction points of these plates. In this way, they fix the Earths crust, and prevent it from drifting over the magma stratum or among its plates. Briefly, we may liken mountains to nails that keep pieces of wood together .We placed firmly embedded mountains on the earth, so it would not move under them... (The Quran, 21:31) The Movement of Mountains In one verse, we are informed that mountains are not motionless as they seem, but are in constant motion. You will see the mountains you reckoned to be solid going past like clouds. (The Quran, 27:88) There is a very important point to be stated here: God has referred to the motion of mountains as a drifting action in the verse. Today, modern scientists also use the term Continental Drift for this motion. (7) Unquestionably, it is one of the miracles of the Quran that this scientific fact, which has recently been discovered by science, was announced in the Quran. The Miracle in the Iron Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Quran. In Sura Hadid, meaning Iron, we are informed: …And We sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind.... (The Quran, 57:25) The word sent down, particularly used for iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical meaning to explain that iron has been given to benefit people. But when we take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, being physically sent down from the sky, we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle. Iron ingot This is because modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from the giant stars in outer space. The heavy metals in the universe are produced in the nuclei of big stars. Our solar system, however, does not possess a suitable structure for producing iron on its own. Iron can only be produced in much bigger stars than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it, and eventually it explodes in what is called a nova or a supernova. As a result of this explosion, meteors containing iron are scattered around the universe, and they move through the void until attracted by the gravitational force of a celestial body.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 08:26:37 +0000
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