Islam &
Science: The Speed of Light
"In
the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and
the day, there are surely signs for men of understanding."
(Glorious
Qur’an 3:189)
In the age-old debate over the coexistence of science
and religion, Islam has always held a distinct and cohesive vision. As exhibited
by the above verse, Muslims are told that in the world around them they can find
signs of the Creator above.
For a Muslim, the pursuit of knowledge is not a
choice, but rather is a duty. He neither abandons knowledge and science to
dedicate himself to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala), nor does he abandon Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta'Ala) to dedicate himself to this world.
In Islam, there is no separation of church and state,
for Islam provides the guidance by which to best run that state. It is no
coincidence therefore that in the years following the establishment of Islam,
Muslims became the most powerful and advanced nation in the world.
In conjunction with its
encouragement of science, the Glorious Qur’an also contains many scientific
truths within it, that were as yet unknown to mankind at the time of revelation.
This is because Islam is a religion not to be followed blindly, but one that
appeals both to the hearts and minds of men, so that they may appreciate the
beauty and the truth of the Glorious Qur’an and of Islam. And so in 1990, in
the spirit of pursuing knowledge from and within the Glorious Qur’an, a Muslim
scientist, a physicist, demonstrated that the value of the speed of light could
be determined from a verse in the Glorious Qur’an:
"He directs the affairs from the heavens to the
earth: then it ascends unto Him, on a Day the measure of which is a thousand
years of your reckoning."
(Glorious Qur’an 32:5)
If we assume that the
affairs ascend to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) at the fastest speed possible,
that is the speed of light, then, according to the above verse, the distance
these affairs travel in a day should be equal to the distance the moon (as the
Arabs used the lunar calendar) travels in 1000 years or 12000 months. Using very
accurate numbers as well as the sidereal system that bases the moon’s motion
relative to the universe since the moon both travels around the earth as well as
in space, he (Muslim physicist)
made the following calculations.
Original Equation Based on Glorious Qur’anic verse:
C . t = 12000 . L
where : C = the speed of the Affairs; t = time in a
day; L = the route length of the moon’s trip in one month
Calculation of L:
L= v. T
where: v = the speed of the moon; T = moon revolution
period (one month)
Calculation of v:
v = Ve * Cos a
(Note that the previous equation calculates the speed
of the moon using the principles of relativity so that it, along with the
distance traveled, is relative to the universe.)
Final Equation:
C = 12000 . Ve . Cos a
. T / t
where: Ve=3682.07 km/hr,
Cos a =0.89157,
T=655.71986 hrs
t=86164.0906 sec.
This computation results in the conclusion that, according to the Glorious Qur’anic verse, the speed of light is 299792.5 km/second. Compare this to the modern standard value for C that has been measured and recorded in modern laboratories as equal to 299792.4575 + 0.0011 km/sec! How glorious is the truth of the Qur’an! As Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says:
"The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the
Mighty, the Wise.
Surely in the heavens and the earth are signs for believers.
And in your creation and in the animals He spreads abroad are signs for a people
who are sure;
And (in) the variation of the night and the day and
(in) the sustenance which Allah sends down from the heaven, then gives life
thereby to the earth after its death, and (in) the changing of the winds, are
signs for a people who understand.
These are the messages of Allah, which We recite to thee with truth. In what
announcement will they then believe after Allah and His signs?" (Glorious
Qur’an 45: 2-6)
And such is the beauty
of Islam that it satisfies on every level from emotional, to spiritual, to
intellectual. Let this be something that not only strengthens our faith, but
also something that demonstrates to the rest of the world the true power of the
Glorious Qur’an and of Islam.
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Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala) reward all of you.
Jazakum Allah Khair
(May Allah reward you with goodness).
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