Islam - History of Humanity, Lessons for Us

[Appendix I] The Stages of Creation

Creation began by the Decree of Allah and the stages explained in the Qur`an are for humans to search and study further of the intricate details and see the truth, the beauty and the mastery in Allahs creation. See they not how Allah originates creation, then repeats it, truly that is easy for Allah. Say: Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation: for Allah has power over all things (Al-Ankabut 29:19-20) With God given intelligence, humans are able to make discoveries and so Allah instructs - travel through the earth in order for human to witness for themselves the Signs of Allah. In fact, there have been many discoveries as to how this vast creation began. If we were to trace these sequences of creation, as discovered by humans thus far, we would find that it confirm with what have been revealed by Allah in the Qur`an. Perchance that as his knowledge increases so will his Iman (Faith) in Allah, the All Mighty Creator. The Origin of the Universe The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of smoke (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition). This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that smoke. The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that smoke material as mentioned in the Qur`an (Surah Fussilat 41:11). Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun, the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same smoke we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. Then out of this homogeneous smoke they formed and separated from each other. Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? (AlAnbiya` 21:30) There are three key points here. First of all, it is the disbelievers who are mentioned as being those who would see that the heavens and the earth were one piece and then parted and would see that all life came to be made from water. As it happens, the universally accepted theory of the origin of the universe is now the Big Bang theory. It maintains that at one time all of the heavens and the earth were one piece, the mono-block as it is called. At a particular point in time, this mono-block burst and it continues to expand. This gives us the universe we have today. This was a recent discovery, a recent confirmation. The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded only a few years ago to those who confirmed the Big Bang origin of the universe. It was only about two hundred years ago that Leeuwenhoek and others perfected the microscope and discovered for the first time that living cells are composed of about eighty percent water. Those Nobel Prize winners and the Dutchman who invented the
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Islam - History of Humanity, Lessons for Us microscope were not Muslims and yet they confirmed the vital statement that at one time the universe was one piece that life was made from water, just as this verse says. Another truth revealed in the Qur'an is the expansion of the universe that was discovered in the late 1920s. Hubble's discovery of the red shift in the spectrum of starlight is revealed in the Qur'an as: It is We Who have built the universe with (Our creative) power, and, verily, it is We Who are steadily expanding it. (Adh-Dhariyat 51:47) Surah Fussilat 41, verses 9-12 explains the six stages of creation as follows: Say: "Is it that you deny Him Who created the earth in two Days? And do you join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds." (9) He set on the (earth). Mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measured therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days, in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (sustenance). (10) Moreover, He Comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come you together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." (11) So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge. (12) This is referring to the primal creation of our physical world and the physical heavens (skies) around us. If we count the two days mentioned in verse 9 and the four days mentioned in the verse 10 and the two days in verse 12, we get a total of eight days, while in many passages the creation is stated to have taken place in six days. Ulama` of Tafsir (Exegesis of the Qur`an) explained that the four days in verse 10 to include in verse 9 so that total for the universe comes to six days. This is reasonable, because the processed described in verses 9 and 10 form really one series. In one case it is the creation of the formless matter of the earth, in the other case it is the gradual evolution of the form of the earth, its mountains and seas and its animal and vegetable life, with the nourishment in due proportion, proper to each. Another point to note is that from the language of the Qur`an, it is understood that, it all happened simultaneously, as the periods taken in the formations were specified, respectively. Interesting to note from the above verse - And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard is about how sunlight is not harmful to life on earth as the lower heavens acted as guards. Surah Nuh 71:15, explains: Do you not see how He created seven heavens in layers? We understand today that there are seven layers of spheres and that all have different protective functions. The sunlight that reaches the earth is described by the word - Masaabih meaning light that is beneficial in more ways than one. In short, Allah design the skies to protect its inhabitants - We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs (Al-Anbiya` 21:32)

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Islam - History of Humanity, Lessons for Us The mountains standing firm, the highest 29,000 feet above sea level and the lowest depths of the bottom of the ocean is 31,000 feet below sea level. So that the vertical difference between the highest and the lowest points on the solid crust of the earth is about 11.5 miles. The highlands areas are the main source of the water supply in all regions of the earth, and vegetable and animal life depends on water supply. In the Qur`an, Allah described the mountains: Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, and the mountains as pegs (An-Naba`a 78:6-7) And the earth We have spread out; set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance. And We have provided therein means of subsistence, for you and for those for whose sustenance you are not responsible. (Al-Hijr 15:19-20) Modern sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground. So the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word peg since most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground. Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth. They hinder the shaking of the earth as mentioned in the Qur`an: And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you and rivers and roads that you may guide yourself (An-Nahl 16:15) Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 196Os. Could anyone during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) have known of the true shape of mountains? Could anyone imagine that the solid massive mountain, which he sees before him actually extends deep into the earth and has a root, as scientists assert? A large number of books of geology, when discussing mountains, only describe that part which is above the surface of the earth. This is because, these books were not written by specialists in geology. However, modern geology has confirmed the truth of the Qur anic verses. The Equilibriums that Make Life Possible Examining the earth, we can make the list of the essential factors for life as long as we please. The astronomer Hugh Ross has made a list of his own: Surface Gravity: If stronger, atmosphere would retain too much ammonia and methane. If weaker: planet's atmosphere would lose too much water Distance from Parent Star: If farther, planet would be too cool for a stable water cycle, if closer: planet would be too warm for a stable water cycle Thickness of Crust: If thicker, too much oxygen would be transferred from the atmosphere to the crust, if thinner: volcanic and tectonic activity would be too great

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Islam - History of Humanity, Lessons for Us Rotation Period: If longer, diurnal temperature differences would be too great. If shorter, atmospheric wind velocities would be too great Gravitational interaction with Moon. If greater, tidal effects on the oceans, atmosphere, and rotational period would be too severe. If less: orbital obliquity changes would cause climatic instabilities Magnetic Field: If stronger, electromagnetic storms would be too severe, if weaker: inadequate protection from hard stellar radiation Albedo (Ratio of Reflected light to total amount falling on surface): If greater, runaway ice age would develop. If less: runaway greenhouse effect would develop Oxygen to nitrogen ratio in the atmosphere: If larger, advanced life functions would proceed too quickly. If smaller, advanced life functions would proceed too slowly Carbon dioxide and water vapour levels in atmosphere: If greater, runaway greenhouse effect would develop. If less: greenhouse effect would be insufficient Ozone level in Atmosphere: If greater, surface temperature would be too low. If less: surface temperatures would be too high; there would be too much Ultra Violet radiation at the surface Seismic Activity: If greater, too many life forms would be destroyed. If less: nutrients on ocean floors (from river runoff) would not be recycled to the continents through tectonic uplift. These are just some of the design decisions that had to be made in order for life to exist and survive. But even these are enough to show that the earth did not come into being as a result of chance nor was it formed as a result of a lucky chain of events. These and a myriad other details reaffirm a plain and simple truth, Allah and Allah alone created the universe, the stars, planets, mountains, and seas perfectly, giving life to human beings and other living things, and placing His creations under the control of mankind. Allah and Allah alone, the source of Mercy and Might, is powerful enough to create something from nothingness. This perfect creation of Allah is described in the Qur'an thus: Are you stronger in structure or is heaven? He built it. He raised its vault high and made it level. He darkened its night and brought forth its morning light. After that He smoothed out the earth and brought forth from it its water and its pastureland and made the mountains firm for you and for your livestock to enjoy. (An-Nazi'at 79: 27-33) And in Surah Ar-Rahman 55:7 - And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance Allah nourishes the earth with sustenance, (as explained in Surah Fussilat) and resources. As for iron, Allah states in Qur`an, that it was sent down: And We sent down Iron, in which is (material for) mighty war, as well as many benefits for mankind. (Al-Hadid 57:25) Iron the most useful metal known to man as we know it was sent down - in one sense sending down the capacity of understanding to men of the use of it and in another sense - literally sent down the material. This is evident because modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from the giant stars in outer space. The heavy metals in the universe

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Islam - History of Humanity, Lessons for Us are produced in the nuclei of big stars. Our solar system, however, does not possess a suitable structure for producing iron on its own. Iron can only be produced in much bigger stars than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it, and eventually it explodes in what is called a nova or a supernova. As a result of this explosion, meteors containing iron are scattered around the universe, and they move through the void until attracted by the gravitational force of a celestial body. All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but was carried from exploding stars in space via meteors, and was sent down to earth, in exactly the same way as stated in the verse: It is clear that this fact could not have been scientifically known in the 7th century, when the Qur'an was revealed. Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then He established Himself on the Throne (of authority): He draws the night as a veil Over the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His Command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds! (Al-A`raf 7:54) Mankinds Existence There was a long period of time, where universe already exist with the solar system and the earth within its system, but without mankind. It is certain that the physical world existed long before man was ever heard of or mentioned, as geological records prove. Thus, Allah reminds human to ponder over this fact: Has there not been over Man a long period of time, when he was nothing, (not existing, not even) mentioned? (Al-Insan 76:1) Allah The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful created the inhabitants after all creations are in order and the earth is enriched with resources. Allah the All Knowing, the All Wise sets the nature to be subservient to mankind: And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth: behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect. (Al-Jathiyah 45:13) Then, Allah decreed: Behold, your Lord said to the Angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth (Al-Baqarah 2:30) Then, Adam was created and the story of mankind began.

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Sources: The Meaning of the Holy Qur`an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali Basis of a Muslim Belief by Gary Miller The Living Planet by Harun Yahya http://www.harunyahya.com/