The Holy Quran Miracles/Ahmed Rouas

The Holy Quran Miracles

The Big Bang theory between science and Quran

Ahmed Rouas

The scientific discoveries about the developments of the universe after the creation, is consistent with what the Holy Quran has notably mentioned.

This is a quick tour on  the development of the universe according to what the cosmologists and astrophysicists ended up  after centuries of researches.

Scientists agree nowadays that the universe has started in a specific point of time which goes back to some13.7 billions years ago, some other estimates put that time point  to 16 billion years ago. The once long aged absurd  idea of the timeless and eternal universe is no more attractive in the theories auction market anymore. Science proved, beyond any doubt, that the universe has a beginning and thus should have an end. 

The universe before this time was just one huge massive ball of sediments with  immense heat and extremely hot gazes and cosmic clouds and smoke. Surrounded by neck-breaking pressure which eventually  led to the biggest ever “explosion” called the Big Bang! Such explosion marks the start of the world and the universe that we know today.

Such theory has become almost a scientific fact after being supported by all researches and scientific experiments and the modern discoveries derived from Hubble space telescope and other telescopes around the globe. The last of which was the LHC scientific giant project which was called : Large Harold Collieder run by the European Organization for Nuclear research and which took place underneath the Alps mountains between France and Switzerland, in a 27 kilometre tunnel. more than 1700 of scientists and engineers from 60 countries participated is this project  which aimed at getting a glimpse of the nature of the physics of the high energy by imitating  the Big Bang through  accelerating the electron speed around this long tunnel, and at the same time accelerating protons in the opposite direction.  

the goal being head-on collisions of protons that can offer clues to the origin of mass and new forces and particles in the universe. The second beam made one turn around the LHC.

Some scientists expressed their concern about the possibility of creating a tiny black hole which may arbitrarily endanger the life on earth!

Many Muslim scholars agree that the Big Bang theory perspective is clearly supported in the Holy Quran. In Surat al Anbia (the Prophets)We read:

“ Do not the unbelievers see that the heaven and the earth were joined together( in one unit of creation ) before We clove them asunder ? and We made from water every living thing. Will they not believe?”

Some unbelievers seem to have been  taken by surprise to find such facts in the Holy Quran, they hastened to accuse the translators of the Quran with forgery and thought they made these claims up! However going back to the original text of the Quran Arabic, We find it even clearer .Let us examine the vocabulary used in this particular Aya.

The words and verbs used are : Fatq and Ratq

Ratq is an infinitive and verbal noun derived from the verb Rataqa that means: to mend to patch, to sew up, to darn. to join together etc. this description give us a glimpse of  how the  universe was initiated  before it developed to the way humans see it today. The description clearly indicates that the universe was one entity before and that the earth belongs to the same matter as other celestial bodies that we see in the heavens. Some may wonder why would Quran compare between the heavens and earth, or pair and usually links between heavens and earth? while we know today, that earth is nothing compared to other celestial bodies and galaxies. Well, the answer to that is that this collation is nothing more than an emphasise that both heavens and earth came from the same matter and origin. Nothing in the Quran or the Saheh Sunna and sayings of the Prophet that suggests earth, for instance, is equal in its volume or size to the universe! As viewed by old civilisations. Is it not enough  proof of the Quranic divine origin the fact that it is completely free of all the once overwhelming legendary theories concerning earth shape and position in this universe!? Such ridiculous concepts companied humanity all the way, and they are still around even today, and we all know, for instance, the story of that old British lady which wrangled with

Alfred Russel  (1823 –1913) As he was explaining to his audience the orbiting of  earth around sun , and the sun around galaxy, she said

'What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.' The scientist gave a superior smile before replying: 'What is the tortoise standing on?' 'You're very clever, young man, very clever,' said the old lady, 'But it's turtles all the way down.!!
(ST: Steven Hawking, A Brief History of Time)

A lot of people are still turtling all the way down even today!

In the contrary, the Quranic repeated emphasise that the heavens are  seven facing one earth, makes us strongly sense and perceive that heavens are not to be compared in their size to the planet earth, Plus there are many sayings of the Prophet that speaks of cosmic distances between one sky and another, there are Ahadith that speak of 500 years distance between the earth and the lowest sky. Now the Hadith did not tell us about this 500 years distance, is it of light years or cosmic years .We already know from the Quran that time is relative and may stretch or contract in this vast universe, the Holy Quran said in Surat Al Ma’arejj 

  " Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years:”  In other contexts  it speaks of another criteria of time :“Verily a Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning".[Al-Qur’an 22:47]

Furthermore, The Holy Quran draw our attention to the fact that all that we see in the sky of  innumerable stars and galaxies are indeed small part of what really exist , what we see occur  in the nearest layer of the universe to us! Quran says:  "Behold, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with the beauty of stars" Mohammed Assad

"We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars",- Yusuf Ali

 "We have adorned the lowest heaven with the beauty of the planets." Aisha Bewley

Drawing human attention to the fact that stars and galaxies that they see in the sky are of the same matter, and were once sewed up together is, in all regards, a revolutionary idea and an unprecedented approach for more than 13 centuries.

Using this descriptive word( Ratq) to represent and depict the universe, gives a strong sense that the universe- including earth- was once a huge massive block, which is  in a complete consistence with the latest agreeable theory among the scientific community of  the universe state prior to the Big Bang.

There is no blurring in this denotation of such indicative Arabic word, It was always understood the way I explained and still is.   

This was comments on the word Ratq, Now what is the verbal meaning of  Fatq.?

Fatq Is an infinitive and a verbal noun derived from Fataqa which literally means: to rip open, to tear, to detach, to unsew, to unstitch, to slit open, to unrip , to set off ,to clove asunder ….,etc

some may argue that the above mentioned synonyms aren’t restrict to the word explosion .The answer to that is 1/ the word Fataq is an additional synonym of explode and blast. in Arabic literature , including old poetry Arabs used to deploy this word to mean- symbolically of course- the explosion of the dawn light! In fact, Fajr in Arabic is Dawn, And it is not difficult, even for none-Arabic speaking people, to note that Fajr( dawn) and Fajar(explode) come from the same source. Now one of the phenomenon in Arabic language is that every single synonymous word or verb  has its own additional meaning. therefore, although we can conveniently say that Fataq is a synonym of Fajar( explode) the  two verbs do possess some specific hints and even indications. For instance, the word explosion implies inevitably, disarray, chaos, anarchy, and disorder. While the word: Rataqa ( to detach, to unstitch, to slit open, to unsew) implies more careful  and controlled action. If we concentrate on the original verbal meaning of Rataqa which describes the sewer act as he unsew and separate two clothes apart without impairing them in order to resew them  differently, we get a strong sense of control , order and coduct.

Now after going deeply to the real verbal meanings and implications of  these two words let us ask this unusual question: Which of the two words are more  suitable to describe the Big Bang? Explosion, which is solely used by the scientific community, or Fatq used by the Holy Quran?

We already know that any explosion will scatter and disperse matter randomly and arbitrarily everywhere, Is that what happened with the Big Bang? The Answer is absolutely not! This universe is extremely harmonious, extremely controlled, and miraculously organised, its delicacy and manifest perfection could be seen everywhere, from the perfect harmony of the particles in the atom, to the marvellous order within every galaxy in this universe. All seem to be controlled by identical  laws of physics and energy.

So, how much credibility remains for the word “explosion” to describe the emerging of this miraculous universe!?

The Quranic expressions seem clearly more precise. For  the above-mentioned reason.

   

Quranic Miracles/ The Universe expansion

Quranic Miracles

The Universe expansion

By Ahmed Rouas

Among the the universal facts and scientific discoveries that the Holy Quran clearly mentioned was the expansion of the universe. And its instability since its existence. The Holy Quran say in the chapter Athaariaat :”

“AND IT IS We who have built the universe with [Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it.” Translation Muhammed Assad

“  With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of space”

Yusuf Ali

What does this Aya verbaly means in Arabic language? and how should it be translated, I say this because I see Lack of preciseness   in some translations, the original Arabic text speaks clearly about the following unavoidable facts,1 the sky or space 2 constructing or building up 3 power involved in such “operation”4 the continuous  expansion. Nobody who has any knowledge of Arabic language would miss these basic words in this Aya. Now do all the Quran translations reflect these basic information in this Aya the answer is no! because of the fact that many of the Holy Quran translators translate the meaning that they understand from the text, hence when they are confronted with certain Ayats that speak about facts that they never heard of, or they are beyond their concept and imagination, they will try to find a logical explanation. In other words, If the translator of the Holy Quran has no idea about the discovery of the expansion of the universe, he or she wouldn’t see it in the tex, even if it was crystal clear! Simply, because their mind is completely occupied with other totally different concept.  or imagination. This attitude even happens to our more  stern and keen means of observation such as our senses  . When one’s mind is totally preoccupied with certain things, his eyes may fail to see clear objects or persons. same thing could be said about many Ayats of the Quran. That is why it is very important to reflect the verbal meanings of the actual words and verbs in the Holy Quran. And for those who are expecting from the Quran to mention the latest discoveries in clear and unshakable meanings I say such thing is contrary to the nature of things and also to the message of the Quran, because the Holy Quran is not a science text book, it is rather a guidance for the people of the world, and those scientific indications are but signs in the way nothing more. Because those same discoveries had them been explain in details by the time of the revelation they would had been the mean obstacles in the way of people to believe. For example who would believe in the time of the revelation that we don’t actually  see stars but only their light! And we only see their places that they were in some time ago! it could be a thousand years ago! If billions of people even today had no idea of this thing how would  anybody believe in such discovery 1400 years ago?! That could have been a deadly overdose for those people, the science accumulation is built up step by step, and it grows with the add-delete system. So, we should not blame the Holy text of the Quran for the limited understanding of the translators of certain scientific phenomenon. Or even the Arab and Muslim commentators, for the Quran translations and comments  reflect very often the limited knowledge of these explanations more certainly than reflecting the vastness  of the Holy Quranic horizons . However , many of the Quranic scientific insinuations and hints are so clear that place the contemplator of its original text on the cliff of a premature discoveries. Such lucidity and clarity in Quranic text show the explanation of old commentators as if they were aware of the recent discoveries of the modern times! Here is an example from a prominent  13^th century commentator  named Ibnu Kather on his commenting on the following Aya: “ 

  . وَالسَّمَاء بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ 

47. With the power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of Space.

Allah most Exalted , drawing attention to his creation to the above and below worlds, says that He built the sky by making it a protected firmament with absolute power, and We are expanding it : means: We expanded its sides and horizons and we exalted it without pillars till it became like you see it.”

 Although this comments of his does not seem to contradict the present scientific  perspective of the universe as we describe it today, but we can clearly notice  that he couldn’t escape from his personal concept of the universe of the time, such deficient concept  resorted him to jump over a very important fact in the text. Which is the unusual shifting from the past tense course to the present continuous course: expanding, broadening, widening! In the same unremitting context?

His motive is justifiable, for the scientific discoveries of the time wasn’t going along with the Holly Quran prophesies and facts. And it was almost impossible for anyone to exceed his time and declare the discovery of the expansion of the universe.

Such Quranic fact remained concealed for centuries till the modern scientific discoveries unveiled it.      

How did the story of expansion of the universe started?

The first sign and indication of this  discovery belongs to the Austrian scientist Doppler who noticed that sounds seeme to be of higher pitch when the listener and the source of the sound were approaching and coming close to each other, and of lower pitch when they are moving away from one  other. In other words, he observed that the sound vibrations and waves emitted from a fast train, reach the listener -in a static position- in a accumulative sequence shape , it increases till it reaches its pick  at the equivalent site with the observer. As soon as the train starts to leave this particular position, those same sound vibrations altered from strength to weakness. Eventually, he noticed in his later researches that the light waves surprisingly act in similar manner. When light waves are   zooming toward you, their  light waves squeezed together. You see these light waves as having a higher frequency than normal. And you see them blue. Since blue is at the high-frequency end of the visible spectrum,

Contrary to this phenomenon is when light is zooming away from the observer, you see these waves as having a lower frequency, and you see them red , in other words, the more squeezed light waves are, the more they look blue, and the more stretched they are, the more they look red .

In this way, a new mechanism to measure the remote distances in the universe emerged. And Doppler was able to conclude that most of  galaxies  are moving away from us.

Later on Slipher came to reassure the same outcome, and by 1925 he could observe 40 galaxies zooming away from each other. Then were followed by the prominent American physician Edwin Hubble1929 who confirmed that the velocity of galaxies away from each other and from our galaxy ( the milky way) is equivalent to their distances from us. In other words, the more distanced the galaxies are away from us , the faster they are moving away. In 1934, and together with his colleague Milton Hummason in Wilson mountain telescope in California, they published their discovery. Hubble was the first to discover that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. i.e. Its velocity is not in steady pace but alters in accordance with time and place. Hence, it is one of the greatest manifestations of Quranic miracles is to find clear indication of such discovery in the Holly Quran. In fact, one is astonished as he put some Ayats that describe the time of the creation of the universe and its following stages together. and then compare them to the scientific achievement in this regard to find out a total match and perfection, despite the fact that the way this universe came to being from nonentity remains folded in the prescience, no man can imagine its reality. However, he can conclude it because there is simply no other possibility.