- Islamic Education
- /
- Ways of Access and Signs of Acceptance
Science helps us understand the greatness of the universe:
Dear brother, we are still tackling the topic of "reflecting on the creation of heavens and earth" which makes one of the acceptance signs, for Allah the Almighty said in the greatest Surat yet in the greatest Ayah in Quran:(( Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. ))
Let us explore this Verse from all angles
Esteemed brother, numbers alone might mean nothing, but comparisons of numbers give indication which brings us closer to the truth.Take for example this mosque we are in, its area in square meters, including the sanctuary and the porches, is about 1500 meters squared, whereas the area of the Umayyad Mosque is about 30 thousand meters squared which makes it twenty times larger than our mosque here, however the Umayyad mosque is small if compared with the noble prophetic mosque which is about 300 thousand meters squared, namely it is twenty times larger than the Umayyad Mosque.
Dear brother, if we were to continue in comparisons, we can say that the area of the Madina is 600 million meters squared, hence it is 2000 times larger than the prophetic mosque, whereas the Arabic peninsula is 3 million Kilometers squared, thus it is 10 thousand times larger than the Madina. Also the continent Asia is 14 thousand times larger than the Arab peninsula, whereas the planet earth is 11 thousand times larger than Asia.
So we started with this mosque to the Umayyad mosque, to the prophetic mosque, to the Arab peninsula, to Asia and to planet earth. Now how big is our mosque comparied to planet earth? The earth is larger than our mosque by 300 thousand billion times, hence it is nothing comparing to planet earth.
Pondering over the creation of heavens and earth:
Dear brother, but is planet earth is the biggest object in the universe? Of course not, for Allah the Almighty has created Jupiter which is 1300 times larger than planet earth.
(( Do they not think deeply (in their ownselves) about themselves (how Allah created them from nothing, and similarly He will resurrect them)? Allah has created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except with truth and for an appointed term. And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with their Lord. [See Tafsir At-Tabari, Part 21, Page 24]. ))
If we were to continue, though the sun is a huge star, it is so little comparing with other stars that are created by Allah in this universe, Allah says:
(( Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it? ))
If you observe the brightest star in the sky, you will find the star Sirius which is 8 times larger than our sun, and speaking of which our sun is larger than planet earth by one million and 300 thousand times, which means that the sun can consume one million the three hundred thousand earths (like our earth) within, yet Sirius is larger than our sun by 8 times, Allay says:(( And that He (Allah) is the Lord of Sirius (the star which the pagan Arabs used to worship); ))
Hence, if we were to ask ourselves: What is the size of planet earth comparing with Sirius? Sirius is larger than planet earth by 10 million times, which means that Sirius can consume 10 million earths within.Islam is about transactional, intellectual and ritual acts of worship:
Dear brother, Allah the Almighty says:
(( Does not man remember that We created him before, while he was nothing? ))
(( Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned? ))
And Allah also says:
(( Say: "Behold all that is in the heavens and the earth ))
Don't forget dear brother that every ordained command in the noble Quran entails an obligation.
We assumed that Islam is a religion of rituals only, whereas Islam in fact is about transactional, ritual and intellectual acts of worship.
There are more than 1300 Ayahs in the Quran that tackle topics about the universe, therefore pondering over these Ayahs is part of reflecting on the creation of heavens and earth.
The key Ayah in this topic is the following:
(( Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.))
We are establishing our topic on the fact that knowing Allah is the gist of Islam, and when you know the law-giver (Allah in this case) before you know the law (The divine commands) you will devote yourself in obeying the law-giver (Allah), whereas when you know the law without knowing the law-giver, you will skillfully try to break away from the law.
Contemplation is the path to knowing Allah:
Upon observing the planets and stars in the sky, we will find a star which is 500 times larger than our sun and 600 million times larger than our planet earth, so all we have to say is: La Ilaha Illa Allah Wallahoo Akbar Wala Hawla Wala Kuwatta Illa Billah, La Ilaha Illa Allah Wallahoo Akbar Wa A'azam (There is no God but Allah and Allah is the greatest, There is no power or strength save in Allah, There is no God but Allah and Allah is the greatest and the mightiest). As for the star Arcturus, it is thirty thousand times larger than our sun and 40 million times larger than our planet earth.As for the star Rigel, it is 343 thousand times larger than our sun and 400 billion times larger than our planet earth.
We have started by comparing our mosque with planet earth and now we are comparing planet earth to these huge planets.
As for the star Bait Al Jawzaa, it is 274 million times larger than our sun and it is 355 billion times larger than our planet earth:
(( The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind ))
We are usually amazed by hand-made rockets, ships and planes, but how about the creations of Allah the Almighty.Again, reflecting on the creation of heavens and earth is the path to know Allah because Allah the Almighty said:
(( They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand ))
Quranic Ayahs of scientific nature:
Dear brother, stars are not but scary nuclear furnaces towards which man's heart is filled with fear and horror when he/she cogitates and reflects on their sizes and places, Allah says:
(( So I swear by Mawaqi' (setting or the mansions, etc.) of the stars (they traverse). And verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but know. ))
Believe me esteemed brother, any astronomer who happens to read the following Ayah:
(( Mawaqi' (setting or the mansions, etc.) ))
will definitely prostrate upon reading it.
(( Mawaqi' (setting or the mansions, etc.) ))
What we see actually is the light of a star which traveled towards earth 24 billion years ago and reached it the minute we saw it, but the star itself moved since that time at the speed of light (240 thousand kilometers per second) to a different place, so where is it now?
What we see is not a star but the setting of a star (where it used to be 24 billion years ago), and setting means that the object in that place is not there any more. hypothetically if the Quran said (So I swear by the distances between stars), in this case it won't be a Quran (book from Allah), but the Quran says:
(( So I swear by Mawaqi' (setting or the mansions, etc.) of the stars (they traverse). And verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but know. ))
Dear brother, Have you heard of the huge red star "Antares" (The heart of scorpion) It is 343 million times larger than our sun which means that 343 million suns like our sun could be consumed in that star and one million and 300 thousand earths like our earth could be consumed within that star.
((This is the creation of Allah. So show Me that which those (whom you worship), besides Him have created))
Does not the love of that Great Allah deserve to be won?
Does not the paradise of His deserve to be longed for?
Does not the hell-fire of His deserve to be frightened of?
Does this Great Allah deserve to be disobeyed?
Don't consider how minor your sin is
But consider whom you are wronging (you are wronging Allah)
***
Antares (the huge star), which is 343 million times larger than our sun, is 600 light years away.
Greatness of heavens’ creation:
In order to understand the light year; there is a distance of light years between the earth and the nearest blazing star. If we want to reach this star using a normal earthly vehicle which travels at 100 miles per hour we will reach it after 50 million years. In comparison, how many years do we need to reach Antares, which is 600 light years away, namely, 5000 billion kilometers away?What is more frightening is to assume that this star (Antares) replaced our sun, in this case it will consume mercury, Venus, The Earth and Mars and the distances in between.
Dear brother, Antares' visual luminosity is about 10,000 times that of the sun and is 343 million times larger than it, did not Allah tell you in Quran the following:
(( Are you more difficult to create, or is the heaven that He constructed? He raised its height, and He has equally ordered it, ))
Of course we should all respond to that without hesitation by saying: O Lord the heaven undoubtedly is more difficult than us to create, however He who Created it is The Greatest, so have mercy on us withYour mercy, for You are The Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
The more science gets advanced, newer horizons are discovered:
The hugest star discovered so far is "VY Canis Majoris" which is 5000 light years away. It is 9 billions 261 million times larger than our sun.(( So Glorified is He and Exalted above all that they associate with Him, and in Whose Hands is the dominion of all things, and to Him you shall be returned. ))
Do you really want to know how small our planet earth is comparing to this giant star? Allah says:
(( With power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof. ))
If this star were to replace our sun, it would consume mercury, Venus, The Earth, Mars and Jupiter which is the most distant planet from earth.In order to imagine how far Jupiter is from earth, one of the space agencies sent a spaceship to Jupiter. Traveling at the fastest speed man ever set, which is 40 thousand miles per hour, it traveled towards Jupiter and reached it in six years and it was able to send photos from there.
If this star were to replace our sun, it would consume mercury, Venus, The Earth, Mars and Jupiter and it might reach the borderlines of Saturn. If the light (which speed is 300 thousand Kilometers per second) were to complete a whole round around this giant star, it would take 8 hours.
Another star was recently discovered, and it is 24 billion light years away. Allah says:
(( So I swear by Mawaqi (setting or the mansions, etc.) of the stars (they traverse). And verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but know. ))
Hence:
(( It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.))
If you are seeking the worldly life, the hereafter or both of them, you should resort to science which doesn't give you part of it unless you are entirely devoted to it, but in case you are partially devoted, it will give you nothing.
Stars are the building units of Galaxies:
Dear brother, stars are the building units of galaxies.Our humble galaxy (The Milky way) consists of millions, yet billions of stars and suns, and it is a muscle like shape. These digital data is not theoretical, but they are the outcome of real observation through giant orbiting observatories which are located in the space like Hobal observatory which continuously observes these stars.
Scientists estimate the length of our galaxy as 100 thousand light years, given the four light years needs 50 million years to cover, our humble galaxy needs 100 thousand light years to cover (from end to end), which equals 945 thousand billion years.
The estimated number of stars in our galaxy is between 200-400 billion stars.
In our sky there are billions of galaxies each of which consists of billions of stars, and the more advanced the observatories become the more galaxies are discovered.
Hence, the heaven (the worldly sky) is huge and giant beyond the mind's comprehension and even beyond the abilities of computers. It is enough to mention that the average diameter of the galaxies is 30 thousand light years, furthermore, the distance between every two galaxies is 3 million light years, and thus the universe is very huge:
(( He raised its height, and He has equally ordered it, ))
Allah says:
(( We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for a (mere) play. ))
The estimated width of the universe according to the findings and the scientific estimation is hard to explain, it is 24 zeros next to number one which is hard to comprehend.
Pondering is the most exalted act of worship:
Dear brother, words and numbers are incapable of describing the width of the universe including all outstanding stunning creations within, Allah says:(( Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect. ))
This is all with regards to the creation, so how about the Creator? We are amazed by the gigantic nature of the creation which seems to be limitless, so how about the Creator? Are we able to conceive the huge nature of the universe?
Dear brother, do you want to know about an unique creation which is larger than heavens and earth? It is the one unique unseen creation which is larger than heavens and earth and like which nothing has been created in this universe, it is the Kursi (the Divine throne):
(( His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth))
It is the one creation which extends over the entire universe.
Subhana Allah Wallahoo Akbar Wa Aazam Wala Hawla Wala Quwata Illa Billah (Glory be to Allah, Allah is the Greatest and there is no power or strength save in Allah). Allah the Almighty says:
(( Then ask them (i.e. these polytheists, O Muhammad): "Are they stronger as creation, or those (sh3er like the heavens and the earth and the mountains, etc.) whom We have created? ))
(( Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. ))
I have almost put my finger on the problem from which the Islamic world is suffering. They (Muslims) have known the commands, for they have studied Salah, Sawm, Hajj, Zakat, honesty and trustworthiness in schools, however they are not introduced to the law-giver (Allah) nor did they know Him, and for that very reason, Muslims are breaking away from the divine commands, namely:((Twelve thousands should never be defeated because of fewness))
The Islamic nation counts one billion and five hundred million Muslims, however they are worthless, for they don't own the upper hand, and the other party is controlling them in a thousand ways, so how can we explain this?
That is because we didn't know Allah, given that knowing Allah is the gist of this religion which occurs when we reflect on the creation of heavens and earth, this pondering is the most exalted act of worship through which we know Allah, and upon knowing Allah we will be able to know everything, whereas upon missing knowing Him we will miss everything.
((O, son of Adam, seek me you find me, and when you find me you find everything and when you lose me you lose everything and I should be adored by you more than everything))
Whoever gets to know Allah will entirely devote to Him:
Dear brother, the gist of Islam is to know Allah, and the key Ayah for this is the following:
(( Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.))
Allah the Almighty says:
(( We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves ))
You will find signs, which indicate the oneness of Allah, in everything in front of you, such as the glass of water, the food, the fruits, the fish and the birds, therefore habituate yourself to reflect on everything, to reflect on the creation of heavens and earth and to reflect on the food you are eating:(( Then let man look at his food, ))
(( So let man see from what he is created! ))
Esteemed brother, the baby is created of one telescopic sperm and an ovule, which is as big as a single salt speck. When the sperm fertilizes the ovule a baby will be born nine months later. This baby has a brain, which consists of 40 billion cells, he has ears, eyes, mouth, tongue, esophagus, heart, intestine, two kidneys and has muscles, all of which are formed in nine months (in the mother's womb):
(( So let man see from what he is created! He is created from a water gushing forth Proceeding from between the back-bone and the ribs, Verily, (Allah) is Able to bring him back (to life)!))
(( We will show them Our Signs in the universe ))
(( and in their ownselves))
Look at your eyes:
(( Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?))
Look at your tongue, ears and eyes.
If we know Allah we will devote ourselves in obeying Him, yet if we don't know Him, His commands will turn into mere Islamic culture without Islamic guidance.
