Responses to "It is Truth"

Chapter 16

Facts from Astronomy


This chapter begins with the usual round of applause for the Qur'an. We are then given this verse:

Sura 57.25

Yusuf Ali: We sent aforetime our messengers with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice; and We sent down Iron, in which is (material for) mighty war, as well as many benefits for mankind, that Allah may test who it is that will help, Unseen, Him and His messengers: For Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might (and able to enforce His Will).

Pickthall: We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, that mankind may observe right measure; and He revealed iron, wherein is mighty power and (many) uses for mankind, and that Allah may know him who helpeth Him and His messengers, though unseen. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.

Shakir: Certainly We sent Our messengers with clear arguments, and sent down with them the Book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equity; and We have made the iron, wherein is great violence and advantages to men, and that Allah may know who helps Him and His messengers in the secret; surely Allah is Strong, Mighty.

Professor Armstrong works at NASA, otherwise known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he is a well-known scientist there. We met him and asked a number of questions about Qur'anic verses dealing with the expertise in Astronomy. We asked him about iron and how it was formed. He explained how all the elements in the earth were formed. He stated that the scientists have come only recently to discover the relevant facts about that formation process. He said that the energy of the early solar system was not sufficient enough to produce elemental iron.

Then, if all of the energy in the early solar system could not form elemental iron, how did this element originate and why is iron so common?

In calculating the energy required to form one atom of iron, it was found to be about four times as much as the energy of the entire solar system. In other words, the entire energy of the earth or the moon or the planet Mars or any other planet is not sufficient to form one new atom of iron, even the energy of the entire solar system is not sufficient for that. That is why Professor Armstrong said that the scientists believe that iron is an extraterrestrial that was sent to earth and not formed therein.

I must repeat my previous question: how, and from where, did elemental iron originate? Iron is the 4th most common element on planet earth, accounting for 5% of the earth's weight and .5% of the earth's volume. If we are to believe that the energy needed to form one atom of iron is equal to "about four times as much as the energy of the entire solar system", then this hypothesis fails to explain the fact that the earth, the other planets, and the stars contain a very large amount of this element. Any model that does not explain and predict natural phenomena is unscientific and worthless.

Another problem is the chronology of events. According to the ayah presented to us: first, the messengers came to earth (with clear arguments/signs/proofs); second, the Book and balance (which I assume was not made of iron) arrived; and, then iron came to earth last, right? That is very interesting! How do you explain the fact that the core of the earth is composed of iron? How did all that iron sneak under us, assuming that the earth did not originally have any elemental iron? In fact, the Earth's core formed relatively early as heavier molten iron sank towards the center of the planet. An additional problem for this "chronology" is the fact that iron is a very important element in the human body - we would die without it!

Then we asked him about the sky and whether it had any gaps or rifts in it. He disproved this and replied that what we are talking about is a branch of astronomy called the "Integrated Cosmos" which we scientists have only come to know recently.

I have never heard of the "Integrated Cosmos" hypothesis. I searched the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society and found that there were no papers which mentioned this idea.

For example, if you have a body in outer space which travels a certain distance in any direction and then travel the same distance in a different direction, you will find that the mass weight is the same in all directions. Because this body has its own equilibrium, the pressures from all directions are the same. Without this equilibrium, the whole universe would collapse.

I am not sure of the point that you are attempting to make. Why would the mass (weight) of an object change simply because it travels in a different direction?

I recalled Allah's verse in the Qur'an:

Do they not look at the sky above them? How we have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it? (Qur'an 50:6).

First, how is this ayah related to your previous statements concerning the constant mass of objects in outer space? Another problem is the question of "flaws" in the "sky". What about "black holes"? Since they swallow matter and energy, including light, are they not "flaws" which interfere with the way that God "adorned" the universe?

Then we talked to Professor Armstrong about the attempts of scientists to reach the edge of the universe, and we asked him whether they were successful in this. He replied that they are fighting an uphill battle to the edge of the universe. We construct more powerful equipment to observe the universe only to discover that the new stars we see are still within our galaxy and that we have not yet reached the edge of the universe. He is aware of the Qur'anic verse which says:

And we adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and we made such (lamps) missiles to drive away Satans. (Qur'an 67:5).

Indeed, all these stars are adornments for the lowest heaven. He says that scientists have not reached the end of the universe.

The stars adorn the lowest heavens? Another verse from the Qur'an tells us that:

"Do you not see how God has created the seven heavens one above the other, and made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a lamp?" (71:15-16)

So, according to this verse, the moon is at least as far, or possibly farther, from the earth as the stars, since the moon is in the midst of the seven heavens! This clearly does not conform to ancient, much less modern, astronomy! Another problem with this ayah is that the stars are supposed to be "missiles" to "drive away Satans". If you are claiming that this ayah is a scientific statement of fact, and not a metaphysical statement, can we observe these star "missiles" driving away the Satans? Perhaps you should ask Professor Armstrong if this has been observed by NASA!

Responses to "It is Truth"
Answering Islam Home Page