AT the
time the Holy Qur'an was revealed, the human understanding of the nature of the
cosmos and the movement or the stillness of the heavenly bodies was extremely
primitive and obscure. This is no longer the case, as our knowledge of the
universe has considerably advanced and expanded by the present age. Some of the
theories relating to the creation of the universe have been verified as facts,
whereas some others are still being explored. The concept of the expanding
universe belongs to the former category, and has been universally accepted by
the scientific community as 'fact'. This discovery was first made by Edwin
Hubble in the 1920s. Yet some thirteen centuries before this, it was clearly
mentioned in the Quran:
And the
heaven We built with Our own powers (aydin) and indeed
We go on expanding it (musi'un) 51:48.
It should be
remembered that the concept of the continuous expansion of the universe is
exclusive to the Qur'an. No other Divine scriptures even remotely hint at it.
The discovery that the universe is constantly expanding is of prime
significance to scientists, because it helps create a better understanding of
how the universe was initially created. It clearly explains the stage by stage
process of creation, in a manner which perfectly falls into step with the
theory of the Big Bang. The Quran goes further and describes the entire cycle
of the beginning, the end and the return again to a similar beginning. The
first step of creation as related in the Qur'an accurately describes the event
of the Big Bang in the following words:
Do not the
unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were a closed-up mass (ratqan),
then We clove them asunder (fataqna)? And We made from water every
living thing. Will they not then believe? 21:31
It is
significant that this verse is specifically addressed to non-believers,
implying perhaps, that the unveiling of the secret mentioned in this verse
would be made by the non-believers, a sign for them of the truth of the Qur'an. In this verse
the words ratqan (closed-up mass), and fataqna (We
clove them asunder), carry the basic message of the whole verse. Authentic
Arabic lexicons3 give two meanings of ratqan, that have great
relevance to the topic under discussion. One meaning is 'the coming together of
something and the consequent infusion into a single entity' and the second
meaning is 'total darkness'. Both these meanings are significantly applicable.
Taken together, they offer an apt description of the singularity of a black
hole.
A BLACK HOLE is
a gravitationally collapsed mass of colossal size. It begins with the collapse
of such massive stars as are 15 or more times the size of the sun. The
immensity of their inward gravitational pull causes the stars to collapse into
a much smaller size. The gravitational pull is further concentrated and results
in the further collapse of the entire mass into a supernova. At this stage the
basic bricks of matter such as molecules, atoms etc. begin to be crushed into a
nondescript mass of energy. Thus that moment in space-time is created which is
called event horizon. The inward gravitational pull of that
something becomes so powerful that all forms of radiation are pulled back so
that even light cannot escape. A resultant total darkness ensues which earns it
the name black hole, reminding one of the word ratqan used
by the Quran indicating total darkness. This is called singularity which
lies beyond the event horizon.
A black hole
once created grows rapidly because even distant stars begin to be pulled in
with the progressive concentration of gravitational energy. It is estimated
that the mass of a black hole could grow as large as a hundred million times
the mass of the sun. As its gravitational field widens, more material from
space is drawn in at a speed close to that of light. In 1997 there was
observational evidence suggesting that in our galaxy a black hole of 2,000,000
solar masses existed. But other calculations show that in our universe there
could be many black holes as big as 3,000,000,000 solar masses.4 At that
concentration of gravitational pull even distant stars would stagger and lose
their mooring to be devoured by a glutton of such magnitude. Thus the process
of ratqan is completed resulting into that singularity which
is both completely closed as well as comprising total darkness. In answer to
the question as to how the universe was initially created, the two most recent
theories are both Big Bang theories. They claim that it was initiated from a
singularity which suddenly erupted releasing the trapped mass leading yet again
into the creation of a new universe through the event horizon. This dawn of
light sprouting from the event horizon is called the white hole5,6.
One of the two theories relating to the expansion predicts that the universe
thus created will carry on expanding forever. The other claims that the
expansion of the universe will, at some time, be reversed because the inward
gravitational pull will ultimately prevail. Eventually, all matter will be
pulled back again to form perhaps another gigantic black hole. This latter view
appears to be supported by the Quran.
Whilst
speaking of the first creation of the universe, the Quran clearly describes its
ending into yet another black hole, connecting the end to the beginning, thus completing
the full circle of the story of cosmos. The Quran declares:
Remember the day when We shall roll up
the heavens like the rolling up of written scrolls ...21:105
The clear
message of this verse is that the universe is not eternal. It speaks of a
future when the heavens will be rolled up, in a manner similar to the rolling
up of a scroll. Scientific descriptions illustrating the making of a black
hole, very closely resemble what the Quran describes in the above verse.
A mass of
accretion from space falling into a black hole, as described above, would be
pressed into a sheet under the enormous pressure created by the gravitational
and electromagnetic forces. As the centre of the black hole is constantly
revolving around itself, this sheet—as it approaches—will begin to be wrapped
around it, before disappearing into the realm of the unknown at last.
The verse
continues:
... As We
began the first creation, so shall We repeat it; a promise binding on
Us; that We shall certainly fulfil 21:105
Following
the eventual collapse of the universe into a black hole, here we have the
promise of a new beginning. God will recreate the universe, as He had done
before. The collapsed universe will re-emerge from its darkness and the whole
process of creation will start yet again (see plate 2). This wrapping up and
unfolding of the universe appears to be an ongoing phenomenon, according to the
Holy Quran.
This Quranic
concept of the beginning and the end of the creation is undoubtedly
extraordinary. It would not have been less amazing if it had been revealed to a
highly educated person of our contemporary age, but one is wonder-struck by the
fact that this most advanced knowledge, regarding the perpetually repeating
phenomenon of creation, was revealed more than fourteen hundred years ago to an
unlettered dweller of the Arabian desert.
The Quran and
the Heavenly Bodies
Now we turn to another aspect of the description of the cosmos which relates to
the motion of the heavenly bodies. The most striking feature of this
description relates to the way the motion of the earth is described without
glaringly contradicting the popular view prevailing in that age. All the
scholars and sages of that time were unanimous in their belief that the earth
is stationary while other heavenly bodies like the sun and the moon are
constantly revolving around it. In view of this, the motion of the earth as
described by the Quran may not be apparent to the casual reader, but to a
careful student the message is loud and clear. If the Quran had described the
earth as stationary and the heavenly bodies as revolving around it, then
although the people of that time might have been satisfied with this
description, the people of the later ages would have treated that statement as
a proof of the ignorance of the Quran's author. Such a statement, they would
emphasize, could not have been made by an All-Knowing, Supreme Being.
Rather than
literally comparing the motion of the earth to that of other heavenly bodies,
the Quran makes the following statement:
The mountains
that you see, you think they are stationary while they are constantly floating
like the floating of clouds. Such is the work of Allah Who made everything firm
and strong...27:89
If the
mountains are declared to be in constant motion, then the only logical
inference to be drawn from this would be that the earth is also rotating along
with them. But thanks to the masterly language of the Quran this observation
went unnoticed. They had the impression, shared with the rest of mankind, that
the earth was stationary and it was this false impression that was not
obtrusively challenged. If they had read with care the end of the same verse
they would have been left with no room for any misunderstanding. It ends with a
lasting tribute to the creative faculty of God, Who has created all things with
such firmness that they cannot be dislodged. Anything which cannot be dislodged
can never be catapulted out of the earth, to fly alone, leaving the earth
behind.
Again, in
many other verses the Quran refers to the mountains as ravasiya which
means 'firmly rooted in the earth':
He has
created the heavens without any pillars that you can see, and He has placed in
the earth firm mountains that it may not quake with you, and He has scattered
therein all kinds of creatures; and We have sent down water from the clouds,
and caused to grow therein every noble species...31:11
Also:
And We have
made in the earth firm mountains, that they may provide them the living food,
and We have made therein wide pathways that they may be rightly guided. 21:32
and,
And He has
placed in the earth firm mountains that they may provide you food, and rivers
and routes that you may be guided. 16:16
Thus, the
Holy Quran exquisitely succeeds in making this revelation in a manner that the
prevalent knowledge of that time is not too loudly challenged. It is likely
that the people may have believed verse 89 of Surah Al-Naml, referred to a
future event associated with Doomsday. But as has been demonstrated, this
misinterpretation would be absolutely unacceptable for the following reasons:
1. The verse clearly speaks in the
present tense and not in the future tense. The letter vaow used
here can literally be translated as 'while' instead of 'and', so the meaning
could be, 'you think the mountains are stationary, while they are
moving'. To refer this part of the statement to the future is
impermissible.
2. If they, the mountains, were to fly
in the future then how could man, even if he were perched at a safe distance on
another planet, believe them to be stationary despite watching them flying in
space? Hence such a translation is out of the question. Also, to translate this
verse to indicate that though humans today consider the mountains to be
stationary, they are not so because in future they will fly, would be evidently
wrong. If the mountains are stationary today the humans would certainly see
them to be stationary. It is not a question of their thinking them
to be stationary. The Quran would have said 'You know them to be
stationary and so they are but in future they will no longer be so'. This
is not what the Quran says at all.
3. At the end of the same verse, a
tribute to the firmness of God's creation is the last clinching proof that the
mountains, despite flying, are firmly entrenched. It is
noteworthy that the early commentaries maintain silence on the true meaning of
this verse which suggests that it was too difficult for them to interpret.
The Holy
Quran also pronounces that all heavenly bodies are in a constant state of
motion; none of them is stationary:
...
everything is gliding along smoothly in its orbit.21:34
This
all-embracing statement covers the entire universe, our solar system being no
exception. In addition to this, there are many other verses which mention the
elliptical movement of all the heavenly bodies. But they also speak of their
movement towards their destined time of death. Following are some of the verses
which cover both subjects:
Allah is He
Who raised up the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then He settled
Himself on the Throne. And He pressed the sun and the moon into service. All
pursue their course until an appointed time. He regulates it all. He clearly
explains the Signs, that you may have a firm belief in the meeting with your
Lord.13:3
Hast thou
not seen that Allah makes the night pass into the day, and makes the day pass
into the night, and He has pressed the sun and the moon into service; all
pursuing their course till an appointed term, and Allah is well aware of what
you do? 31:30
He merges
the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night. And He has
pressed into service the sun and the moon; each one runs its course
to an appointed term. Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the kingdom, and those
whom you call upon beside Allah own not even a whit.35:14
He created
the heavens and earth in accordance with the requirements of wisdom. He makes
the night to cover the day, and He makes the day to cover the night; and He has
pressed the sun and the moon into service; each pursues its course
until an appointed time. Hearken, it is He alone Who is the
Mighty, the Great Forgiver.39:9
NOW we
turn to another amazing revelation of the Quran regarding a specific motion of
the sun which is mentioned nowhere else. This verse 36:39, pronounces,
And the sun
is constantly moving in the direction of its ultimate abode of rest. This is
the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
It clearly
speaks of a point in space to be the sun's final resting place. Despite the
fact that it is only the sun which is mentioned, the verses which immediately
follow bind the entire universe to the movement of the sun in the same specific
direction:
And the sun
is constantly moving in the direction of its ultimate abode of rest. This is
the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. 36:39-41
And for the
moon We have regulated stages until it looks like a thin branch of an old palm
tree.
Nor does it
behove for the sun to overtake the moon nor for the night to overtake the day
...18
If it were
only the sun which was moving in a fixed direction, the verse which follows
this statement would not have proclaimed that the sun and the moon strictly
maintain their mutual distance; they will never be able to gain or move away
from each other, an unchangeable destiny till their appointed time. This
clearly shows that in whatever direction the sun is moving, the moon is also
moving.
But it is
not only the question of the sun and the moon. All the heavenly bodies are
described in the Quran as soundlessly floating. Again there are numerous verses
in the Quran which describe the heavenly bodies bound together with invisible
links. Hence if one of them moves in a direction other than its orbital and
elliptical motion, all the other heavenly bodies must also move along to
maintain their mutual balance.
And He it is
Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; everything gliding
along in orbit.21:34
It is not
for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day. All float
in an orbit.36:41
This is a
unique style of the Quran also employed for indicating the movement of the
earth upon its axis. The people of the time of both these revelations could not
clearly grasp the underlying idea. If the mountains are moving the earth must
also move along, but this is not what the people of that age inferred. Nor
could they grasp the idea that if the sun is moving in the direction of a
specific space, the entire universe must also be moving along with it to the
same destination. This vision of the entire universe drifting away in space is
an idea which perhaps has not as yet been conceived by contemporary scientists.
Yet it can be implied from an in-depth study of the Quran that the entire
cosmos is moving towards some point in space. If that implication is true then
one is left with no choice but to visualize all 180 billion or more galaxies,
of which our planetary system is but a tiny dot, to be moving along with the
sun in a set direction.
ELSEWHERE IN
THE CHAPTER we have suggested the possibility of an all-consuming gigantic
black hole which may pull back the entire universal mass into its singularity.
As such, we
have concluded that according to the Quran the case of the universe is an open
and shut case. At the moment of the Big Bang it began to expand almost at the
speed of light. At the end it will once again be drawn back into the abyss
which we refer to as a black hole.
As far as
the concept of a single universal black hole is concerned, it is based on the
Big Bang theory which is fully supported by the Qur'an. Some scientists however,
propose the case of an open universe. They believe that the universe will continue
to expand forever and ever until the spacial matter becomes too thin and
sparse, and extends beyond the gravitational pull of the centre of the
universe. This scenario leaves no room for the universe to be reassembled and
recreated. The Qur'an categorically rejects this open concept. It is loud, clear
and specific that from a singularity the universe erupted, and back into
another singularity it will sink again. The Unity of God and its creative
outburst and the return of the creation again to the Unity of God could not
have been better expressed than:
... to God
we belong and to Him shall we return 2:157.
