MİRACLES OF THE QUR'AN

The Qur'an and Astronomy:

the origin of the universe:

the origin of the universe is described in the Qur'an in the following verse:

"He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth" (The Qur'an 6:101)

This information given in the Qur'an is in full agreement with the findings of contemporary science. the conclusion that astrophysics has reached today is that the entire universe, together with the dimensions of matter and the time, carne into existence as a resolt of a great explosion that occurred in no time. this event, known as "the Big Bang " proved that the universe was created from nothingness as the result the explosions of a single point. modern scientific, circles are in agreement that the big bang is the only explanation of the beginning of the universe and of how the universe came into being.

Before the big bang, there was no such thing as matter. From a condition of non-existence in which neither matter, nor energy, nor even time existed, and which can only be described metaphysically, matter, energy, and time were all created. This fact, only recently discovered by modern physics, was announced to is in the Qur'an 1 400 years ago. The sensitive sensors on broad the COBE by NASA in 1992, captured evidentiary remnants of the big bang. This discovery served as evidence for the big bang, which is the scientific explanation of the fact that the universe was created from nothing.

THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE:

in the Qur'an, which was revealed 14 centuries ago at a time when the science of astronomy was still primitive, the expansion of the universe wsa described like this:

"And it is We who have created constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expending it" (The Qur'an, 51:47)

The word "heaven", as stated in this verse, is used in various places in the Qur'an with the meaning of space and universe. Here again, the word is used with this meaning. in other words Qur'an it is revealed that the universe "expands" and this is the very conclusion that science has reached today. Until the dawn of the 20th century, the only view prevailing in the world of science was that " the universe has a constant nature and it has existed since infinite time. " the research, observations, and calculations carried out by means of modern technology, however, have revealed that it constantly "expands".

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann and the Belgian cosmologist George Lemaitre theoretically calculated that the universe is in constant motion and that it is expanding.

this fact was proved also by observational data in 1929, while observing the sky with a telescope, Edwin Hubble, the American astronomer, discovered that the stals and galaxies were constantly moving away from each other. a universe where everything constantly moves away from everything else implied a constantly expanding universe. The observations carried out in the following years verified that the universe is constantly expanding. this fact was explained in the Qur'an when that was still unknown to anyone. This is because the Qur'an is the word of God, the Creator, and the Ruler of the entire universe.

THE EARTH

Another verse about the creation of the heavens is as follows:

"Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before We clove them as under, and We made from water every living thing. will they not then believe?" (The Qur'an, 21:30)

The world ratq translated as "sen to" means "mixed in each, blended" in Arabic dictionaries. it is used to refer to two different substances that make up a whole. the phrase "we unstitched" is the verb fataqa in Arabic and implies that something comes into being by tearing apart or destroying the structure of ratq. The sprouting of a seed from the soil is one of the actions to which this verb is applied.

let us take a look at the verse again with this knowledge in mind. in the verse, sky and earth are at first subject to the status of ratq, they are separated (fataqa) with one coming out of the other. Intriguingly, when we remember the first moments of the big bang, we see that a single point included all the matter in the universe. in other words, everything including " the heavens and earth " which were not created yet, were included in this point in a condition of ratq. this point exploded evidently, causing its matter to fataqa and in the process created the structure of the whole universe.

When we compare the expressions in the verse with scientific findings, we see that they are in perfect agreement with each other. Interestingly enough, these findings were not arrived at until the 20th century.

ORBITS:

while refering to the Sun and the Moon in the Qur'an, it is emphasized that each moves in a definite orbit. "it is He Who created the night and the day, and the sunand the moon. they swim along, each in an orbit. " ( the Qur'an , 21:33)

it is mentioned in another verse too, that the Sun is not static but moves in a definite orbit:

"And the sun runs to its resting place. that is the decree of the Amighty, the All-Knowing" (The Qur'an, 36:38)

These facts communicated in the Qur'an have been discovered by astronomical observations in our age. According to the calculations of experts on astronomy, the sun is traveling at the enormous speed of 720.000 kilometers an hour in the direction of the star Vega in particular orbit called the solar apex. This means that the sun travels roughly it- 280 000 kilometers a day. Along with the sun, and all planets and satellites with the gravitational system of the sun also travel the same distance. in addition, all the stars in the universe are in a similar planned motion. that the entire universe is full of paths and orbits such as this one, is written in the Qur'an as follows:
"by the sky full of paths and orbits" (The Qur'an , 51: 7)

There are about 200 billion galaxies in the universe, consisting of nearly 200 billion stars in each. Most of those planets have satellites. all of these heavenly bodies move in very precisely computed orbits. for millions of years, each has been " swimming" along in its own orbit in perfect harmony and order with the others. More over many cornets also move along in the orbits determined for them.

The orbits in the universe do not only belong to celestial bodies. the galaxies also travel at enormous speeds in computed, planned orbits. during these movements, none of these celestial bodies cuts across another's path, or collides with another.

Surely at the time Qur'an was revealed, mankind did not possess today's telescopes or advanced observation techniques to observe millions of kilometers of space, nor the modern knowledge of physics or astronomy. There fore, at that time, it was not possible to determine scientifically that space is "full of paths and orbits " as stated ni the verse. However, this was openly declared to us in the Qur'an that was revealed at that time: because the Qur'an is the word of God.

THE ROUNDNESS OF THE EARTH'S

"He has created the Heavens and the Earth for Truth. He wraps the night up in the day, and wraps the day up in the night." (The Qur'an , 39:5)

In the Qur'an, the words used for describing the universe are quite remarkable. the Arabic word that is translated as " to wrap " in the above verse is "takwir" . in English, it means " to make one thing lap over another, folded up as a garment thatis laid away." (for instance, in Arabic dictionaries this word is used for the action of wrapping one thing around another, in the way that a turban is put on.)

PROTECTED ROOF:

in the Qur'an, God calls our attention to a very intersting attribute of the sky.

"We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our signs...." (The Qur'an, 21:32)

This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.
The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.

In addition, the atmosphere filters the light rays coming from space that are harmful to living things. Interestingly, the atmosphere lets only harmless and useful rays-visible light, and radio waves pass through. all of this radiation is vital for life. near ultraviolet rays, which are only partially let in by the atmosphere, are very important for the photosynthesis of plants and for the survival of all living beings.

The majority of the intense ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun are filtered out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and only a limited and essential part of the ultraviolet spectrum reaches the earth.

The protective function of the atmosphere does not end here. the atmosphere also protects the earth from the freezing cold of the space, which is about minus 270 degrees.

It is not only the atmosphere that protects the earth from harmful effects, in addition to the atmosphere, the Van Allen belt, a layer caused by the magnetic field of the earth, also serves as a shield against the harmful radiation that threatens our planet. This radiation which is constantly emitted by the sun and other stars is deadly to living things. if the Van Allen belt did not exist, the massive out bursts of energy called solar flares that frequently occur in the sun would destroy all life on earth.

Dr. Hugh Ross has this to say on the importance of Van Allen belts to our lives:

In fact, the earth has the highest density of any of the planets in oour solar system. This large nickel iron core is responsible for our large magnetic field. This magnetic field produces the Van Allen radiation shield, which protects the earth from radiation bombardment. if this shield were not present, life would not be possible on the earth. The only other rocky planet to have magnetic field is mercury. but its field's strength is 100 times less than the earth's. Even Venus, our sister planet, has no magnetic field. the Van Allen radiation shield is a design unique to the earth.

The energy transmitted in just one of these bursts detected in recent years was calculated to be equivalent to 100 billion to atomic bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. fifty-eight hours after the burst , it was observed that the magnetic needles of compasses displayed unusual movement and 250 kilometers above the earth's atmosphere , the temperature suddenly increased to to 2 500 degrees.

In short a perfect system is at work , high above the earth. It surrounds our world and protects it against the external threats. Scientists only learned about it recently, yet centuries ago, God informed us in the Qur'an of the world's atmosphere functioning as a protective shield.

THE RETURNING SKY:

The verse of 11 Sura Trik in the Qur'an , refers to the "returning " function of the sky.

"By Heaven with its cyclical systems." (The Qur'an 86:11)

This word interpreted "cyclical " in the Qur'an tranlitations also have meanings of "sending back" or "returning"

As known, the atmosphere surranding the Earth consists many layers. each layer serves for an important purpose for the benefit of life. researches has revealed that these layers have the functions of turning the materials or rays they are exposed to back into space or back down to the earth. Now let us to examine with few examples of this "recycling" function of the layers encircling the earth.

The troposphere, 13 to 15 above the earth, enables water vapor rising from the surface of the earth to be condensed and turn back as rain.

The ozone layer, at an altitude of 25 kilometers, reflects harmful radiation and ultraviolet light coming from space and turns back into space.

The ionosphere reflects radio waves broad cast from the earth back down to different parts of the world, just like a passive communications satellite and thus makes wireless communication, radio and television broadcasting possible over the long distances.

The magnetosphere layers turn the harmful radioactive particles emitted by the sun and other stars back into space before they reach to the earth.

The fact that this property of the atmosphere layer's, that was only demonstrated in recent past was announced centuries ago in the Qur'an, once again demonstrates that the Qur'an is the word of god.