Miracles of the Qur’an - 2

April 26, 2020

By: Haris Ahmad[1]

In this blog, I will talk about the Scientific Miracles of the Qur’an as I explained in my previous blog. I will explain with the evidence of verses from the Qur’an that it had explained scientific phenomena centuries before the scientific age. The Miracle in all of this is that how can a book of its age explain science centuries before the modern humans did?

The miracle I will talk about in this blog is about the universe. Till 1929 we thought that the universe was static/stationary and was eternal which meant that it would remain the same forever; however, in 1929, Edwin Hubble, who was an astronomer at Caltech made a game-changing discovery, which was the expansion of the universe. At the Mount Wilson observatory above Los Angeles, he saw that galaxies were moving in space. Not only did he saw this but he also so that all of them were moving away from the Earth at incredible speeds. 

https://www.science-sparks.com/how-does-the-universe-expand/

After more observations, it was seen that the farther the galaxies were, the faster would they move away. Isn’t that strange? Think about the fact that everything in the universe is moving far apart from us? It gives me creeps just to think about it. Hence, this became to be known as Hubble’s Law. The reason for this expansion of the universe is mainly due to inertia because in the very early universe, probably before humanity, the matter was flying apart from each other for an unknown reason and this phenomenon is still taking place. Though some say it was due to cosmic inflation. Some say that there is a force called dark matter that is causing the universe to expand at an ever-increasing rate. Now, lets come to the real point. The expansion of this overwhelming universe was stated by Allah in the Qur’an [51.47], “And the Heaven, we built with craftsmanship and we are still expanding it.” After I read this verse, I was shocked that the Qur’an had stated the scientific phenomenon that changed the course of our learning about the universe. Moreover, to add on to this; the discovery of the expanding universe was the first real evidence about the creation of the universe because of the Big Bang because if the universe is expanding, then it would’ve started this process from a single point of singularity. This is how we determined that the universe was 13.7 billion years old by calculating the rate of the expansion. Even this point of singularity was explained in the Qur’an [21:30] which says, “Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” Hence, there is no doubt in the fact that this was explained in the Qur’an. Furthermore, many other verses in the Qur’an explain more interesting scientific phenomena but that, I will explain in my coming blogs.

Stay Home, Stay Safe.

[1] Haris Ahmad is currently studying in 9^th grade (O levels) in The City School Islamabad.

Miracles of the Qur’an - 1

April 19, 2020

By: Haris Ahmad[1] 

The Qur’an is a book that encourages its reader to learn, examine, and ponder as well as question things so that he/she can get a clear understanding of everything that exists in his/her surroundings. It may be a holy scripture but it can also be referred to, as a scientific book that explains many scientific phenomena, which no one had, knew about in the time of its revelation. In fact, the scientific phenomena that the Qur’an explains weren’t even understandable to humans for centuries after. So basically, the Qur’an explained many of the scientific discoveries that we are doing now, 1400 years ago. In this blog, I’ll discuss about the scientific miracles of the Qur’an. I’m referring to these as scientific miracles because, how can a book that as revealed 1400 years ago, explain the science of today?

https://www.islamicity.org/20730/the-quran-and-muslim-unity/

The first scientific miracle I’ll explain in this blog is that the angels are made of light. Allah has created the angels from light and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) confirmed this when he said, “The Angels are created from light”. Now, in a Surah 32, verse 5, it is said that, “He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.” This verse explains that Allah arranges the matters (situations) on Earth that reach to Him in one day, the extent of which is a thousand years that we count. These matters are brought to him by Angels which is confirmed in the Quran (35:1) which says, “...Who made the angels, messengers with wings - two, or three, or four (pairs). The people of the time of the revelations of the Qur’an used to count years as lunar years unlike now because we use solar years now. Hence, there are 12000 lunar orbits in 1000 lunar years. If we divide these 12000 lunar orbits or 1000 lunar years by an Earth day just like the Qur’an explained in the given verse; it is nerve-racking to know that the answer is exactly 299,792.458 km/s, which is exactly the speed of light. You can search for this number on the Internet to confirm. Therefore, the miracle is that the Qur’an explained in the given verse that indeed it is the Angels, which take the matters of the Earth to Allah and they are made of light. The Qur’an also gave us the exact number of the speed of light. Isn’t this shocking that the speed of light was successfully calculated by humans in 1676 while the Qur’an had explained all of this in 632 A.D?

The second miracle I’ll explain in this blog is about celestial bodies. From the 4^th century BCE till the 16^th century, humans believed in the theory that all the celestial bodies in the universe orbited around the Earth after certain observations that the people conducted. However, in the 16^th century, Nicolas Copernicus brought forward the heliocentric model, which showed that the Earth and other planets orbited the Sun that was stationary at a certain point in the universe. Even though this theory was right, it still missed something. It missed the point that the Sun was not stationary. Recently, humans have discovered that the Sun is also moving. In fact, it moves along with its planets around the Milky Way at the speed of 28,000 km/hr and you will be shocked to hear the Qur’an had explained this phenomenon 1400 years ago. In the Qur’an, Surah 39, verse 5, it is written, “He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.” As you can see, it says that the sun and the moon are each running in their own courses for a specific term. This cannot be a coincidence at all. Indeed, there is no clash that the Qur’an is the word of Allah himself who is the sole creator of everything.

The third miracle I’ll talk about is about the creation of things in pairs. As you may know that almost everything you see is in pairs. Take examples of matter and anti-matter, electron and positron. Believe it or not, Paul Dirac, a British scientist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1933 for his stunning discovery about sub-atomic particles being in pairs. However, even this was clearly explained in the Qur’an in Surah Yaseen where it is said, “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.” As I explained, everything has a pair. Even plants have species that differ in their gender. Humans and other animals have different genders. Love has the pair of hate, bravery has cowardice. Moreover, it is also said that some of what they do not know. These may be some that are too hard for us to see or are inaccessible to us.

The fourth miracle I’ll explain in this blog is about plants and the process of photosynthesis. Most of you may know that plants are autotrophs. This means that they can produce their own food using inorganic materials from their surroundings. They produce food by using light from the sun by converting it from light energy to chemical energy. Moreover, carbon dioxide and water are also needed for this process to take place. The main natural source of water for plants is, of course, the rain that they use in the process of photosynthesis but the main thing is that when this process takes place, glucose and oxygen are the byproducts of the process. The glucose is used within the plant but the oxygen is a gas so it is release into the surroundings and is scattered around. Believe it or not, the process of photosynthesis that humans discovered in the 18^th century was explained in the Qur’an in the 7^th century. In the Surah 18, verse 45 of the Qur’an, it is said, “And present to them the example of the life of this world, [its being] like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and [then] it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is ever, over all things, Perfect in Ability.” This clearly explains how water is used and then is scattered like dry remnants that is scattered by winds.

The fifth miracle that I will explain is about continental drift. In 1912, Alfred Wegener put forward the theory of continental drift, which explained that the continents were shifting positions on Earth’s surface. According to the website live science, “Although Wegener's "continental drift" theory was discarded, it did introduce the idea of moving continents to geoscience. And decades later, scientists would confirm some of Wegener's ideas, such as the past existence of a supercontinent joining all the world's landmasses as one. Pangaea was a supercontinent that formed roughly 200 to 250 million years ago, according to the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) and was responsible for the fossil and rock clues that led Wegener to his theory.” This means that since we believe that all of the continents once used to be a single supercontinent, it could be a confirm fact that the continents drifted apart to form the continents we know now. This was indirectly explained in the Quran in the Surah 27, verse 88 in which it is said, “You now see the mountains and consider them firmly fixed, but then they shall pass away even as clouds pass away. That will be the handiwork of Allah Who has created everything with perfect wisdom. He is well aware of what you do.” This clearly explains that the mountains that are placed on lands are moving apart from each other, which is of course related to continental drift because it explains the same thing.

Many people use the excuse of these miracles being coincidences but they are wrong. They should know that coincidences happen once or twice but not more than that otherwise it would be truth. Likewise, in the Qur’an, there are many verses about science, which have been proven to be absolutely true. Hence, the miracles of the Qur’an are not coincidences at all and they have also been proven to be the truth. 

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[1] Haris Ahmad is currently studying in 9^th grade (O levels) in The City School Islamabad.

Qur’an; Holy Scripture and a Scientific Book

April 12, 2020

By: Haris Ahmad[1]

The Qur’an is a book that encourages its readers to learn, examine, and ponder as well as question things so that they can get a better understanding of everything that exists. Even the first revealed Surah of the  Qur’an says: “Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.” [al- ‘Alaq 96:1-5 – interpretation of the meaning]. As you can see even the first word of the Surah says read. This Surah was revealed when the Holy Prophet was meditating in the cave of Hira and Angel Gabriel came to him.

Image Source: https://www.learnreligions.com/quran-2004556

Moreover, the Qur’an is a scripture that was not written in jest and was to be taken very seriously as it is the book of God who created everything that we know. 

Even though the Qur’an is a holy scripture, it has 750 verses that explain and deal with a natural phenomenon or we can say Science. And so, the miracle of the Qur’an is that even though it was revealed 1400 years, it contains scientific explanations that nobody knew about it that time and so, after hundreds of years, science could research and then understand these phenomena. Take a minute and think, how can a book that was revealed 1400 years ago, explain things that we are discovering now? About the seriousness of this book, Allah says in the Qur’an, “By the sky which has the bounce; By the Earth which has the crack. Indeed, what is written inside the book is very serious and it is not in jest” (Ch 86- V 11-14). We all now know that this explains how serious the book is but wait, at the beginning of these verses that I shared, Allah swears by the Sky, which bounces and Earth that cracks, right? When we stretch space, it bounces whilst if we stretch Earth it would crack. This is a great scientific phenomenon, which Einstein discovered and explained in 1916 in his Theory of relativity. He explained that celestial bodies move in space in the fabric of space-time in which they bounce similar to someone jumping up and down on a trampoline. Moreover, we think that the Earth is made up of strong elements that hold it together but this perception was changed when a great crack was recorded in the Arizona Desert in 1927. We can clearly see that this book was revealed 1400 years ago but it explained things that a man like Einstein explains after nearly a thousand years.

Many people have a perception that the Qur’an is a storybook of the Prophets but they don’t know that they are wrong. I accept the fact that the Qur’an gives morals in the form of stories of the Prophets but, these people do not know that the Qur’an also explains parts of nearly all branches of science. This perception will change if they read the Qur’an thoroughly and reflect upon the wonders of it. Furthermore, the Qur’an is a very special book; indeed, why would it not be special when its author is the creator of everything. Indeed, we are the creations of Allah and the Qur’an is our manual that explains how these creations and the universe work. Allah challenges his creations by saying, “Say: ‘If all mankind and the jinn would come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce it’s like even though they exerted all and their strength in aiding one another.” (Quran 17:88). It explains that if all mankind and the jinn (spirits) would come together and work as one, they won’t be able to write anything like the Qur’an.

There are many other scientific phenomena, which the Quran has explained 1400 years ago and hence, in this series, I will write blogs about the miracles of the Qur’an in the way that it discovered things 1400 years ago which science explained centuries after. I will take verses from the Quran and will explain and compare them with the scientific discoveries in regard to the topic. 

Since the time I have started reading the Qur'an with translation, it has caught my interest a lot. I hope the readers will find this blog series interesting, Insha’Allah (If god permits). 

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[1] Haris Ahmad is currently studying in 9^th grade (O levels) in The City School Islamabad.

Reverting Destruction - The Earth is Healing

April 5, 2020

By: Haris Ahmad[1]

As we all know that the corona has struck the whole world very hard. It has affected the whole world and has infected thousands, leading to thousands of deaths. Until now, there are 1,352,158 confirmed cases and 75,294 deaths. On the contrary to this, the world is healing itself and, in this blog, I’ll explain how the world is healing.

If we put aside the tragedies caused to humans by COVID-19. Humans have put a full stop on many global economic activities and production facilities. By this, I mean that factories have been closed down, cars on roads have reduced and many more things that are in fact, dangerous for our climate, have stopped and due to this, there have been immense decreases in greenhouse gases as well as pollution. The grand canal in Venice, which is normally brimming with boat traffic is now empty and the water in the canals has become crystal clear due to a decrease in pollution. Just take a look at this picture of the canal. 

Image Source: Andrea Pattaro, Getty Images

Just think about how beautiful the world is when there are no humans. As I explained in my previous blog, killings and genocides have also stopped due to this global emergency in places like Kashmir where people were in lockdown for months.

Moreover, in Feb, the carbon emissions in China have reduced by 25% which is an enormous number because this 25% means a 200 million ton drop in carbon dioxide. Even though this is a global tragedy and thousands are dying which all of us are agonized about but; I just want to make the humans realize that if it weren’t for them, this planet would have been much better. By this I don’t mean that we humans should’ve never existed but, I mean that if we would do small efforts to prevent global catastrophes such as climate change; we would make the life of the next generation much safer and easier. Furthermore, due to the decreased air traffic, the skies are now much clearer. The people of Beijing are enjoying blue skies after years because of the decrease in Industrial activities.

This is a picture of Beijing 3 years ago: 

Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9654d4dwVmw

This is a picture of Beijing now:

Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9654d4dwVmw

Just look at these images and think again, what we have been doing to this beloved planet. We still have time to take action and do something before it’s too late. Otherwise, we have nowhere else to go. We have to change the mindset of only thinking about our own betterment; we should also think about the future of the coming generations.

The satellite image below shows the changes in the levels of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere which is a very dangerous greenhouse gas. Just look at what changes have occurred just because of a few months of the absence of industrial activities:

Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9654d4dwVmw

This blog was based on my opinion. The main purpose of this blog was not to say that COVID-19 is good for humans (there are people out there who make accusations like these). The main purpose of the blog was to make you realize that just because of the stoppage of industrial activity for a few months, the world is healing. Again, by this, I don’t mean that we should close down industries, no! We can use many other ways to manufacture goods without any damage to the ecosystem. If we stopped funding fossil fuels and instead, invested in renewable energy, we could produce the goods that we do now without any damage to the ecosystem. 

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[1] Haris Ahmad is currently studying in 9^th grade (O levels) in The City School Islamabad.