The Story of France with Firown (Pharaoh)

Is it possible that this mummy in front of me is the one who was chasing Moses?:Professor Maurice Bucaille

THOUGHTS ON FORGIVENESS

One of the best gifts that we can offer ourselves is forgiveness

Miracles Of The Quran

The unprecedented style and the superior wisdom inherent in the Qur'an is conclusive evidence confirming that it is the Word of God.

The Truth About Jesus Christ

Tells the truth about Christianity-How the gospels are unreliable- Audience member shouts at him a few times.

Parent-Child Relationship in Islam

Islam recognises family as a basic social unit. Along with the husband-wife relationship the Parent-child relationship is the most important one

Editor's Picks

21 May 2012

Sunnah & Science: The Seven Earths


The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad is the second revealed source of Islam.  Like the Quran, it contains scientific information unavailable 1400 years ago.  From these miracles is the “seven” earths, mentioned by the Prophet in several of his sayings.  From them are the following two:

Hadith 1

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Salamah that a dispute arose between him and some other people (about a piece of land).  When he told Aisha (the Prophet’s wife) about it, she said, ‘O Abu Salamah!  Avoid taking the land unjustly, for the Prophet said:

Whoever usurps even one span of land of somebody, its depth through the seven earths will be collared to his neck.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, ‘Book of Oppression.’)

Hadith 2

Salim narrated on the authority of his father that the Prophet said:

Whoever takes a piece of land of others unjustly, he will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, ‘Book of Oppression.’)

The aforementioned hadith prohibits oppression in general, especially the taking of a piece of land belonging to others unjustly.  What might the seven earths refer to?

Studies in geology have proven that the earth is composed of seven zones, identified from the inner to the outer layers as follows:

(1)  The Solid Inner Core of Earth: 1.7% of the Earth’s mass; depth of 5,150 - 6,370 kilometers (3,219 - 3,981 miles)

The inner core is solid and unattached to the mantle, suspended in the molten outer core.  It is believed to have solidified as a result of pressure-freezing which occurs to most liquids when temperature decreases or pressure increases.

(2)  The Liquid Outer core: 30.8% of Earth’s mass; depth of 2,890 - 5,150 kilometers (1,806 - 3,219 miles)

The outer core is a hot, electrically conducting liquid within which convective motion occurs.  This conductive layer combines with Earth’s rotation to create a dynamo effect that maintains a system of electrical currents known as the Earth’s magnetic field.  It is also responsible for the subtle jerking of Earth’s rotation.  This layer is not as dense as pure molten iron, which indicates the presence of lighter elements.  Scientists suspect that about 10% of the layer is composed of sulfur and/or oxygen because these elements are abundant in the cosmos and dissolve readily in molten iron.

(3)  The “D” Layer: 3% of Earth’s mass; depth of 2,700 - 2,890 kilometers (1,688 - 1,806 miles)

This layer is 200 to 300 kilometers (125 to 188 miles) thick and represents about 4% of the mantle-crust mass.  Although it is often identified as part of the lower mantle, seismic discontinuities suggest the “D” layer might differ chemically from the lower mantle lying above it.  Scientists theorize that the material either dissolved in the core, or was able to sink through the mantle but not into the core because of its density.

(4)  Lower Mantle: 49.2% of Earth’s mass; depth of 650 - 2,890 kilometers (406 -1,806 miles)

The lower mantle contains 72.9% of the mantle-crust mass and is probably composed mainly of silicon, magnesium, and oxygen.  It probably also contains some iron, calcium, and aluminum.  Scientists make these deductions by assuming the Earth has a similar abundance and proportion of cosmic elements as found in the Sun and primitive meteorites.

(5)  Middle Mantle (Transition region): 7.5% of Earth’s mass; depth of 400 - 650 kilometers (250-406 miles)

The transition region or mesosphere (for middle mantle), sometimes called the fertile layer, contains 11.1% of the mantle-crust mass and is the source of basaltic magmas.  It also contains calcium, aluminum, and garnet, which is a complex aluminum-bearing silicate mineral.  This layer is dense when cold because of the garnet.  It is buoyant when hot because these minerals melt easily to form basalt which can then rise through the upper layers as magma.

(6)  Upper Mantle: 10.3% of Earth’s mass; depth of 10 - 400 kilometers (6 - 250 miles)

The upper mantle contains 15.3% of the mantle-crust mass.  Fragments have been excavated for our observation by eroded mountain belts and volcanic eruptions.  Olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and pyroxene (Mg,Fe)SiO3 have been the primary minerals found in this way.  These and other minerals are refractory and crystalline at high temperatures; therefore, most settle out of rising magma, either forming new material or never leaving the mantle.  Part of the upper mantle called the asthenosphere might be partially molten.

(7)  Lithosphere

Oceanic crust: 0.099% of Earth’s mass; depth of 0-10 kilometers (0 - 6 miles)

The rigid, outermost layer of the Earth comprising the crust and upper mantle is called the lithosphere.  The oceanic crust contains 0.147% of the mantle-crust mass.  The majority of the Earth’s crust was made through volcanic activity.  The oceanic ridge system, a 40,000-kilometer (25,000 mile) network of volcanoes, generates new oceanic crust at the rate of 17 km3 per year, covering the ocean floor with basalt.  Hawaii and Iceland are two examples of the accumulation of basalt piles.

The continental crust contains 0.554% of the mantle-crust mass.  This is the outer part of the Earth composed essentially of crystalline rocks.  These are low-density buoyant minerals dominated mostly by quartz (SiO2) and feldspars (metal-poor silicates).  The crust (both oceanic and continental) is the surface of the Earth; as such, it is the coldest part of our planet.  Because cold rocks deform slowly, we refer to this rigid outer shell as the lithosphere (the rocky or strong layer).




Conclusion

The layers of the earth coincide with the above mentioned hadith of the Prophet.  The miracle is in two matters:

(1)  The expression of the hadith, ‘He will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection,’ indicates the stratification of these “earths” around one center.

(2)  The accuracy with which the Prophet of Islam referred to the seven inner layers of earth.

The only way for a desert dweller to have known these facts 1400 years ago is through revelation from God.

--
References
  • Beatty, J. K. and A. Chaikin, eds.  The New Solar System.  Massachusetts: Sky Publishing, 3rd Edition, 1990.
  • Press, Frank and Raymond Siever.  Earth.  New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1986.
  • Seeds, Michael A. Horizons. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1995.
  • El-Najjar, Zaghloul.  Treasures In The Sunnah: A Scientific Approach: Cairo, Al-Falah Foundation, 2004.

16 May 2012

Picture Perfect: Life is a Test


In the hands of the Taliban


She was the chief reporter of the Sunday Express at the time, having spent nearly 10 years in Fleet Street working for several newspapers including The Sunday Times, The Observer, Daily Mirror, the News of the World and Independent on Sunday. Ridley set out as a regional journalist more than 35 years ago in her native North East. She has also worked as a broadcaster, producer and presenter on programmes for BBC TV and radio, CNN, ITN and Carlton TV travelling to Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. A founder member of Women in Journalism, she was also a promoter of women’s rights, and is also a founder member of the Stop The War Coalition.

She was captured by the Taleban on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan.




Yvonne Ridley - www.yvonneridley.org Facebook | Twitter

04 May 2012

The Earth in the Quran


The earth is mentioned in the Quran about 450 times! The Quran devotes many verses to the signs of God on the earth. Because we live on this planet, we are supposed to look for signs of its Creator. Also, scientists know about our beautiful planet more than any other object in the universe. They are on hand to experiment directly, to interpret the evidences and to draw conclusions. The verses of the Quran that describe the earth are quite astounding. As in the case of any other scientific miracle, these verses are scattered throughout the Quran. They are presented in the context of spiritual enlightening for someone who looks around for the signs of Allah.


Mountains:

Mountains affect life on earth in many ways. Apart from the obvious mineral, forest, agricultural, and recreational resource values, they have a significant influence on climate, economy, and history. Humans enjoy the glorious scenery of mountains, and many sometimes feel humbled in front of these gigantic structures. How and when did they form? What are they for? What is the mechanism of keeping them on the earth�s crust, in spite of their huge weight?

The first question is answered by geologists, who presented three ways of forming mountains:

  • By crustal uplift, that is, folding, faulting, or arching of the earth�s crust.
  • By differential erosion or land sculpturing.
  • By volcanic activities.

The Creator of the mountains reveals:

Surah 78, Ayah 6-7 "Have we not made the earth as a wide expanse, and the mountains as pegs?"

Allah states that the mountains are similar to pegs or wedges. A peg is used to fasten things so they cannot move, like the peg that is used to fix the ropes of a tent. Or, you can imagine the crust of the earth as a carpet, and the mountains as the nails that hold the carpet in place. It is now known that the crust of the earth is much deeper under the mountains, which indicate the existence of a root system under high mountains. According to recent measurements, the depth of a mountain�s roots can reach 40 miles underground, while the highest known mountain reaches only 5.6 miles above ground.

The similarity between mountains and pegs is quite obvious. Pegs sink underground by the force of a hammer, while mountains sink underground by the force of gravity. Pegs hold and fix the tent. Mountains hold and fix the earth�s crust. The thickness of the fabric of a tent is small compared to its size. The crust of the earth is no more than 1 percent of the radius of the earth. Therefore, one can conclude that describing the mountains as pegs is a perfect description. Muhammad used to worship Allah in a cave in a mountain near Mecca, but he certainly did not take measuring instruments to get information about the underground structure of the mountains. There is just no way that Muhammad could have established this description on his own. No one can explain the mountains with such accuracy except the Designer and Creator of the mountains themselves.

The balance and the stability of mountains are also explained in the Quran as follows:

Surah 16, Ayah 15 "And He has set up on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you."
Surah 21, Ayah 31 "And We have set on earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them."

Think about the similarity of the above verses! Other verses in the Quran also give the same meaning (Surah 31, Ayah 10; Surah 79, Ayah 32). When the meaning of a verse is repeated like that, then this is an invitation to mankind to take these words and examine them carefully. It should be also an invitation to scientists to examine each verb, each noun, and each letter in the scientific verses of the Quran, since that could well direct them to an explanation to an existing fact. The Arabic verb that describes the standing of the mountains indicates stability of ships in the sea as they dock alongside a pier. Ships in this case do not go down because of the upward buoyant force that acts upon the ship. This upward buoyant force is equal to the downward gravitational force; hence the ship stays in equilibrium. The choice of the Arabic verb that indicates the stability of mountains, and its similarity to docking ships, is just beyond human comprehension.

In another Ayah, Allah states that the mountains move:

Surah 27, Ayah 88 "Thou see the mountains and think them firmly fixed, but they shall pass away as the clouds pass away. (Such is) the artistry of Allah, who disposes of all things in perfect order: for he is well acquainted with all that ye do."

In the above Ayah, Allah states clearly that mountains move like clouds. However, people think that mountains are firmly fixed to the earth. So if the mountains move, so does the earth. This is an obvious reference to the motion of the Earth, and this information was not available in the seventh century.

What do you think of Muhammad�s knowledge about mountains, ships, Archimedes� principle, density of the earth, density of mountains, and motion of mountains and earth? If you think that he knew about any of these subjects, then he must have been a great geologist. But if you think that he had no information about these subjects, then it must be considered factual that the Quran is the authentic Words of God.

Earthquakes:

Humans stand helpless in front of a devastating earthquake. All the wealth and power of a human cannot help avoid the consequences of any natural catastrophe. In this case, all people are equal, and earthquakes do not differentiate between poor or rich, powerful or humble, or sick or healthy. A violent earthquake is a terrifying experience in its suddenness and its power of destruction to shake or uproot the strongest buildings. With all our amazing technologies and power to solve complicated equations, yet no scientist is capable of predicting the place and time of the next earthquake.

The immediate cause of earthquakes is fracturing of crustal rocks. The earthquake map of the earth shows a strong concentration around the whole Pacific Ocean, in the middle of Atlantic Ocean, south of Europe in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Statistics show the extent of destruction and consequences of major earthquakes in highly populated areas. In most cases earthquakes last from few seconds to one minute and half. But the suddenness of the earthquakes and their short time still represent a major puzzle to seismologists.

The Glorious Quran addresses the subject of earthquakes in many places, and one chapter has the earthquake as its title, Surah 99:

Surah 99, Ayah 1-2 "When the earth is shaken to her utmost convulsion (earthquake), and the earth throws her burden (weights) from within."

The above Surah refers to the tremendous earthquake and the uprooting that will take place when the present order of the world is dissolved and the new world of Justice and Truth takes its place. The sign used is that of an earthquake which will shake our present material and phenomenal world to its very foundation. This overwhelming event, before the Day of the Judgment, will be a bigger and more far-reaching convulsion than any earthquake we have ever known.

Will humans remember the frightful events of the Day of Judgment? Will they continue to neglect the purpose of their creation? How long will they persist in discrediting God and attach human attributes to Him? How long are they going to keep arguing about His Existence and His Unlimited Power? How long are they going to ignore the Quran and the message of Muhammad? Can�t we look at earthquakes and other natural catastrophes in their right prospective? Read what Allah says:

Surah 22, Ayah 1 "O mankind! Fear your Lord! For the convulsion (earthquake) of the Hour (of Judgment) will be a terrible thing."

The Spherical Earth:

At a time when it was held that the earth was fixed at the center of the world, and that the sun moved around the earth, the Quran approached the motion of the earth by the above-mentioned Ayat of mountains, and by the following Ayat about day and night:

Surah 31, Ayah 29 "Seest thou not that Allah merges Night into Day and he merges Day into Night"
Surah 39, Ayah 5 "He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions). He makes the night overlap the day and the day overlap the night"

The above two Ayat provide interesting material on the process of interpretation and especially on winding the night upon the day and the day upon the night in the second Ayah. The literal Arabic text for the verb "to overlap" above is "to make a sphere." This is an astounding use of this verb that refers to the earth as a sphere.

Astronauts have seen and photographed what happens from their space ships especially at great distances from the earth. They saw how the sun permanently lights up (except in the case of an eclipse) half of the earth�s surface that faces the sun, while the other half is in darkness. The earth then turns on its axis, and the light from the sun stays the same, so that an area of another half a sphere is subjected to light. The light makes one revolution around the earth�s surface in twenty-four hours. This perpetual rotation of night and day is quite clearly described in the above Ayah. It is easy to grasp this notion in the present time and age, because we know the solar system and the orbit of the earth.

Further to the above reflection on the sequence of night and day, one must also mention, with quotation of some Ayat from the Quran, the idea that there is more than one east and one west. For example, God refers to Himself as:

Surah 70, Ayah 40 "Lord of Easts and Wests"
Surah 55, Ayah 17 "Now I do call to witness the Lord of the two Easts and the two Wests."

Anyone who carefully watches the sunrise and sunset knows that the sun rises at different points in the east, and sets at different points in the west, according to the season. Each of the points of the east and the west are limited between two extreme points for the east and the west. The two extreme points of the east and the west are those that are referred to in the above second Ayah. Allah swears by the Lord of the two easts and the two wests. He swears by His Creation, and whatever He swears with represents an object of great significance. That is why keeping all the points of the east and the west between two limits represents one marvelous Creation of the Lord of everything.

The Earth's Atmosphere:

In addition to many Ayat specifically related to the sky, the Quran contains many passages dealing with phenomena that occur in the atmosphere. The comparison between these Ayat and the present scientific data proves without any shadow of doubt that the Quran is the authentic Words of God.

It is a known fact that discomfort is experienced by man in high altitude, which increases the higher one climbs. As altitude is increased, the atmospheric density and pressure decrease. Humans cannot survive, or at least be comfortable, for a long period of time in atmospheric conditions higher than 8,000 feet. It has been also established that most humans could not survive atmospheric conditions equivalent to altitude of about 40,000 feet for more than a very short period of time. This experience is expressed in the Quran as follows:

Surah 6, Ayah 125 "Those whom Allah willeth to guide, He open their chests to Islam: Those whom He willeth to leave straying, He make their chests close and constricted as if they had to climb up in the skies"

Some commentators explain the above Ayah as related to the will of God to guide one to the Truth. The above Ayah also means that in spiritual and physical worlds, there are laws of justice, mercy, grace, penalty, etc., which work surely as anything we know. If, then, a man refuses the guidance of God and becomes a rebel, then with each step he goes further and further astray, and his pace will be accelerated. He will scarcely be able to take a spiritual breath, and his recovery, in spite of Allah�s mercy that he rejected, will be difficult as if he had to climb up to the skies.

Electricity and Lightening:

Electricity in the atmosphere is a result of lightening and hails as referred to in the following Ayat:

Surah 24, Ayah 43 "Seest thou not that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap? - Then wilt thou see rain issue forth from their midst. And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) wherein is hail: He strikes therewith whom He pleases and He turns it away from whom He pleases, the vivid flash of His lightning well-nigh blinds the sight"

Surah 13, Ayah 12-13 "It is He Who doth show you the lightning, by way both of fear and of hope: It is He Who doth raise up the clouds, heavy with (fertilizing) rain! Nay, thunder repeateth His praises, and so do the angels, with awe: He flingeth the loud-voiced thunder-bolts, and therewith He striketh whomsoever He will. Yet these (are the men) who (dare to) dispute about Allah, with the strength of His power (supreme)!"

Clouds form from existing water vapors in the atmosphere. As the height of the clouds increases, water vapors are then condensed into raindrops, hail, and freezing rain, due to the motion of air currents inside the clouds. Small raindrops move up and down in the cloud, until they become bigger and heavier. When their weights exceed the aerodynamic forces, rain falls down. Some clouds exceed high mountains reaching a height of 6,500 feet. They look dark and usually produce rain, hail, or freezing rain.

The verb "join" in the above first Ayah indicates assembling or overcoming repulsion due to the different electrostatic charges that exist in these high clouds. It is not known exactly how electrostatic charges form in the clouds, because some clouds may have positive charges at the top, negative charges in the middle, and positives charge at the bottom. With these different charges, the significance of the word "join" can be seen in spite of the repulsive forces between positive and negative charges.

The description of high and heavy clouds in the first Ayah is accurate. This Ayah also shows a relationship between forming hailstorms and lightening. Moreover, it indicates that hail is quite a local phenomenon. You see hail on one street while on the neighboring one, there is no sign of it! Sparks between positive and negative charges cause lightening. The temperature at the spark may reach 1,000 degrees, and that expands the air rapidly causing the air to explode as in a thunderstorm.

Heavy thunderstorms and hailstorms are quite frightening. There is no telling of what may happen to any person or any property during these storms. It may be that someone may remember his Creator during these frightening moments. It fascinating that thunder, that sends shivers to our hearts due to its suddenness, praises the glory of Allah, while some people deny His existence!

--
Related posts:

THE EARTH'S GEOID SHAPE
Creation in six days, Myth of Fact? (Mathematical Answers)
Sunnah & Science : The Sun does not Stop or Disappear
Sunnah & Science: ECLIPSE - A sign of Allah's power
Solar/Lunar Eclipses in Islam