Maybe people with weak faith took a step back. Allah's soldiers were roaming out in God's land without any masks.
Science itself is leading to Allah.
Whenever I describe to Westerners the details the Qur’an contains on certain points of astronomy, it is common for someone to reply that there is nothing unusual in this since the Arabs made important discoveries in the field of astronomy long before the Europeans. But, this is a mistaken idea resulting from an ignorance of history. In the first place, science developed in the Arab World at a considerable time after the Qur’anic revelation had occurred. Secondly, the scientific knowledge prevalent at the highpoint of Islamic civilization would have made it impossible for any human being to have written statements on the heavens comparable to those in the Qur’an. The material on this subject is so vast that I can only provide a brief outline of it here.
The Sun and Moon.
Whereas the Bible talks of the sun and the moon as two lights differing only in size, the Qur’an distinguishes between them by the use of different terms: light (noor) for the moon, and lamp (siraaj) for the sun.
“Did you see how Allah created seven heavens, one above the other, and made in them the moon a light and the sun a lamp?” Qur’an, 71: 15-16
The moon is an inert body which reflects light, whereas the sun is a celestial body in a state of permanent combustion producing both light and heat.
Stars and Planets
The word ‘star’ (najm) in the Qur’an ( 86:3 ) is accompanied by the adjective thaaqib which indicates that it burns and consumes itself as it pierces through the shadows of the night. It was much later discovered that stars are heavenly bodies producing their own light like the sun.
In the Qur’an, a different word, kawkab, is used to refer to the planets which are celestial bodies that reflect light and do not produce their own light like the sun.
“We have adorned the lowest heaven with ornaments, the planets.” Qur’an, 37:6
Orbits
Today, the laws governing the celestial systems are well known. Galaxies are balanced by the position of stars and planets in well-defined orbits, as well as the interplay of gravitational forces produced by their masses and the speed of their movements. But is this not what the Qur’an describes in terms which have only become comprehensible in modern times. In chapter al-Ambiyaa we find:
“(God is) the one who created the night, the day, the sun and the moon. Each one is traveling in an orbit with its own motion.” Qur’an,21:33
The Arabic word which expresses this movement is the verb yasbahoon which implies the idea of motion produced by a moving body, whether it is the movement of one’s legs running on the ground, or the action of swimming in water. In the case of a celestial body, one is forced to translate it, according to its original meaning, as ‘to travel with its own motion.’
In my book, The Bible, The Qur’an and Science, I have given the precise scientific data corresponding to the motion of celestial bodies. They are well known for the moon, but less widely known for the sun.
The Day and Night
The Qur’anic description of the sequence of day and night would, in itself, be rather commonplace were it not for the fact that it is expressed in terms that are today highly appropriate. The Qur’an uses the verb kawwara in chapter az-Zumar to describe the way the night ‘winds’ or ‘coils’ itself around the day and the day around the night.
“He coils the night upon the day and the day upon the night.” Qur’an, 39:5
The original meaning of the verb kis to coil a turban around the head. This is a totally valid comparison; yet at the time the Qur’an was revealed, the astronomical data necessary to make this comparison were unknown. It is not until man landed on the moon and observed the earth spinning on its axis, that the dark half of the globe appeared to wind itself around the light and the light half appeared to wind itself around the dark.
The Solar Apex
The notion of a settled place for the sun is vividly described in chapter Yaa Seen of the Qur’an:
“The sun runs its coarse to a settled place That is the decree of the Almighty, the All Knowing.” Qur’an, 36:38
“Settled place” is the translation of the word mustaqarr which indicates an exact appointed place and time. Modern astronomy confirms that the solar system is indeed moving in space at a rate of 12 miles per second towards a point situated in the constellation of Hercules ( alpha lyrae ) whose exact location has been precisely calculated. Astronomers have even give it a name, the solar apex.
Expansion of the Universe
Chapter ath-Thaariyaat of the Qur’an also seems to allude to one of the most imposing discoveries of modern science, the expansion of the Universe.
“I built the heaven with power and it is I, who am expanding it.” Qur’an,51:47
The expansion of the universe was first suggested by the general theory of relativity and is supported by the calculations of astrophysics. The regular movement of the galactic light towards the red section of the spectrum is explained by the distancing of one galaxy from another. Thus, the size of the universe appears to be progressively increasing.
Conquest of Space
Among the achievements of modern science is the “conquest” of space which has resulted in mans journey to the moon. The prediction of this event surely springs to mind when we read the chapter ar-Rahmaan in the Qur’an:
“O assembly of Jinns and men, if you can penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate them! You will not penetrate them except with authority.”
Qur’an,55:33
Authority to travel in space can only come from the Creator of the laws which govern movement and space. The whole of this Qur’anic chapter invites humankind to recognize God’s beneficence.
Origin of life
The fact that living things consist mostly of water was discovered only after the invention of the
microscope. In the deserts of Arabia, the last thing someone would have guessed is that all life came
from water.
“We made every living thing from water? will they not believe?”[Quran, 21:30]
Embryology
“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly
fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made
the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed substance)…” (Quran 23:12-14).
Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore (one of the world’s most prominent scientists in the fields of
anatomy and embryology) : " It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad
from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later.
Sky’s protection
The sky protects the earth from the lethal rays of the sun. If the sky did not exist then the sun’s radiation
would have killed off all life on earth. It also acts like a blanket wrapped around the earth, to protect it
from the freezing cold of space. The temperature just above the sky is approximately -270oC. If this
temperature was to reach earth then the planet would freeze over instantly. The sky also protects life
on earth by warming the surface through heat retention.
“We made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away from Our signs!” (Quran 21:32)
Iron
Iron is not natural to the earth. It did not form on the earth but came down to earth from outer space.
This may sound strange but it’s true. Scientists have found that billions of years ago the earth was stuck
by meteorites. These meteorites were carrying Iron from distant stars which had exploded (M. E.
Walrath, History of the Earth’s Formation)
“We sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for humankind.” (Quran
57:25)
mountains:
A book titled ‘Earth’ by Geophysicist Frank Press (Earth (ISBN 0716717433) by Press, Frank, Siever,
Raymond. W.H. Freeman, c1986.) explains that mountains are like stakes, and are buried deep under
the surface of the earth. Mount Everest, the height of which is approximately 9 km above ground, has a
root deeper than 125 km.
“Did we not make the earth a resting place? and the mountains as stakes?”[Quran, 78:6-7]
Oceans
It is commonly thought that waves only occur on the surface of the ocean. However, oceanographers
have discovered that there are internal waves that take place below the surface of the ocean. These
waves are invisible to the human eye, and can only be detected by specialist equipment.
“Darkness out in a deep ocean which is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are
clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly
see it. Those God gives no light to, they have no light.”[Quran, 24:40]
"We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?"
